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CENTRAL AMERICA |
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Archbishop Denounces Murder of 400 Children
in Guatemala
GUATEMALA - The Office of Human Rights of
the Archdiocese of Guatemala denounced the
murders of over 400 children between January
and September of this year, and called for
an end to the “culture of violence and
intolerance for personal integrity” that is
affecting the country.
According to a report published by the Efe
news agency, “of the 400 children killed
between January and September, 52 percent
died from gunshot wounds.” The figure
represents an increase from 2008 when “493
children were killed.”
During the first nine months of 2009, “an
average of 1.46 deaths of children occurred
each day, very similar to the 1.5 that
occurred during the same period in 2008,”
the newspaper reported.
A spokesman from the archdiocesan human
rights office, Carlos Chacon, said these
numbers “represent a ‘discouraging’ outlook
because children ought to be in schools and
not on the streets.”
According to officials, there is an average
of 17 murders each day, most attributed to
youth gangs and organized crime related to
the drug trade.
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