From complaints to impunity: a morbidity and mortality profile of children suffering violence

This article analyzes complaints of violence against children and the procedures subsequent to their filing. The methodology, largely qualitative, was two-pronged, involving an analysis of data from the year 1990 from the police precincts in Program Areas 1 and 5 in the city of Rio de Janeiro and a discussion on the follow-up of complaints five years after the events. The conclusion was that motor vehicle accidents are the most common cause of violence against children. Almost no information had been recorded about the circumstances in which the violent events occurred. Further, nothing had been done to elucidate the perpetrators' liability.