Homicide Is A Leading Cause Of Death Among Children In U.S., Study Finds

Topline

Homicide is a leading cause of death in children younger than 17 in the U.S., according to a study published Monday, following a spike in gun violence against children during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Key Facts

The study, authored by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published in the journal JEMA Pediatrics, analyzed over 38,000 homicide victims under 17 years old between 1999 and 2020.

Child homicide rates have increased by an average of 4.3% between 2013 and 2022, though rates increased by 27.7% between 2019 and 2020.

Rates “increased significantly” among several demographics, including boys (16.1%), 6- to 10-year-olds (5.6%), 11- to 15-year-olds (19%), Black children (16.6% between 2018 and 2020), Hispanic children (4.7%), children in the South (6.4%) and children in rural (3.2%) and urban (4.4%) areas.

The study notes that of the victims, 69.4% were male, while some rates did decline, including rates for girls (1.4%), infants (1.3%), 1- to 5-year-olds (1%), Asian or Pacific Islander children (4.4%), white children (0.7%) and children in the Northeast (1.4%).

On the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in which 20 children were killed, President Joe Biden argued lawmakers have a “moral obligation and enforce laws” designed to prevent mass shootings.

Big Number

864. That’s how many children were killed or injured by gunfire in 2022 as of December 18, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit that tracks police records citing gun violence.

Crucial Quote

“The violent death of any child is an individual tragedy whose effects ripple through families, peers and communities,” the researchers wrote in a coinciding op-ed. “Although these losses and their consequences are fundamentally preventable, they are becoming more common, not less, despite numerous advances in other aspects of child safety.”

Key Background

Concerns over rising child homicide rates follow mass shootings at schools in recent years, including a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in May where 21 people, including 19 children, were killed. Biden passed gun control legislation in June indicating that “lives will be saved” as a result, though added in his statement last week that America should have “societal guilt” for its slow response to mass shootings. In addition to possible gun control legislation, the researchers note inequitable living conditions might be a cause for child homicide rates, which rose significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Further Reading

‘We Should Have Societal Guilt’: Biden Calls For Assault Weapons Ban On 10th Anniversary Of Sandy Hook Massacre (Forbes)