Rise in violent deaths of teen boys is evidence of policy failure, warn academics
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Academics have warned that initiatives to cut youth crime have failed after research showed that violent deaths of teenage boys rose over the past three decades.
While the research revealed that for children aged between one and 14 the rate of violent deaths fell from 0.6 to 0.2 per 100,000 between 1974 and 2008, the number of violent deaths of teenage boys rose following a fall during the 1970s. Since the 1970s the number of violent deaths among girls has remained static.
The report states: "Policies around protecting children from abuse and neglect within the family are having some effect, while those aimed at protecting older youths from violence have so far been unsuccessful."
The report acknowledged that improvements to child protection services, following high profile cases such as Victoria Climbié in 2000 and Peter Connelly in 2007, have helped reduce the death rate among younger children.
But with the majority of teenage deaths caused by violence outside of the home, the report’s authors claim initiatives to cut youth crime have failed.
Last month, figures released by Cardiff University’s Violence and Society Research Group found the number of children under 11 treated in hospital after being assaulted had risen by 20 per cent between 2009 and 2010.
The group’s director Professor Jonathan Shepherd said this shows the need "for child safeguarding to remain a national priority".
