The number of child murders has fallen to the lowest recorded level last year. Records showed a total of 38 children below 16-years-old got killed in 2016 compared to the 56 children during the previous year. This is the lowest number of children killed since 1972 when the first records of child deaths were collated in Britain.
Reports show that most child murders were committed by people known to them such as their parents. The record low has been attributed to improvements in the operation of social workers following tragedies such as the 2000 case of 8-year-old Victoria Climbie.
The availability and accessibility of social media is seen as another factor in the reduced number of child killings, according to Telegraph. Through mobile phones and online tools, parents are able to track down the location and companions of their children.
"We are much more protective of our children these days. We don't let them walk to school," forensic psychologist Dr. Keri Nixon said. "So the opportunity for stranger murders has been reduced," he added.
All children should be protected from harm and a child's death in the hands of a family member or someone they known is indeed a tragedy, as per NSSPC. Over a thousand young people have been killed in the United Kingdom in the past 20 years, with the highest figure of 95 way back in 2001. The statistics on the number of children killed in the UK are derived not from a single source, but from two publications by the government.
The numbers may be down,but authorities are still worried about child killings, especially with the recent opening of the inquest for the case of Katie Rough, according to The Sun. Rough is a 7-year-old girl who was severely injured on her chest and neck while on the way home, but who died later on.
