El impacto de las armas pequeñas en los niños y adolescentes en América Central y el Caribe. Un estudio de caso de El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica y Trinidad y Tobago

The report on the impact of small arms on children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean is a direct follow up to the UN Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children (2006). This report focuses on four countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region: El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. It indicates that the region has the highest rates of armed violence in the world and 42% of all homicides globally.The report is a call to action to prevent armed violence against children and adolescents in the region, the most likely to become the victims of violence. Young people have been devastated by the culture of crime and violence that has evolved in the region due to the proliferation of small arms. This kind of violence against children affect not only the victims, but also their families, friends and communities. The effects of violence exposure are manifested in psychogical trauma, poorer quality of life, reduced productivity and the disruption of formal and informal institutions.