Generations of Endangered Youth

Children, adolescents and youths make up the majority of the 500 thousand homicide victims killed by firearms around the world, every year. They die at the hands of organized crime, in clashes between gangs or as a result of police actions.

The growth of organized armed groups along with the steady increase in homicide victims aged 15 to 25 concerns specialists, communities and governments the world over.

The majority of children, adolescents and youths who make up the homicide statistics in violent cities are poor or socially excluded, have little or no access to leisure, education and jobs.

Authorities often limit their actions to violent repression and the confinement of youths in institutions that do not educate, do not address psychological trauma, are distant from families and do not recognize child and youth rights.

The main challenges today are to find a balance between preventative programs and repressive actions; to rescue boys and girls involved in criminal activity and reintegrate them to society; to counter a growing insensitivity to violence, to champion human rights, and most especially, the basic rights of children and adolescents.

In 2005, UNICEF, The United Nations Children’s Fund issued a statement saying that public policies and prevention programs for youths involved in armed violence should be seen “from the perspective of public security and not from the viewpoint of repression.”

Whether victims or aggressors, COAV youth are heavily targeted by social, economic and political forces that include racial, ethnic, and class prejudices. They are also routinely excluded from services, equal opportunity initiatives, and investments made by public authorities.

The expression “Children and Adolescents in Organized Armed Violence,” or COAV has been used in the last few years by specialists in various nations working toward a better understanding of the phenomenon, and designing possible solutions.

The solutions proposed include the adoption of preventative public policies that address both the causes and consequences of COAV, tightening controls over the circulation of firearms and projects that promote a culture of peace.

We invite you to reflect on these issues, to join in and open debates, making your proposals and questions heard. It is our strong belief that only by acting together, both in the realm of ideas and through action, will we be able to make progress in the construction of secure communities.

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