A report released on Wednesday shows that 1,129 minors were murdered in Colombia in 2009.
The report shows that this figure is considerably higher than that in 2008, when 882 children were the victims of homicide, and 2007, which saw the murder of 820 children.
Of the 1,129 victims in 2009, 239 were under the age of fourteen, and 58 were under the age of five, reports EFE.
The study was conducted for the “Commitee on Lifetime Imprisonment,” a civilian organization that argues for a referendum to enforce specific punishments against those responsible for crimes against minors.
“Many of these crimes go unpunished because the murderers are not captured or because criminal proceedings have failed,” claims Gilma Jimenez, spokesman for the committee, “We need to confront with all the legal and social mechanisms possible in order to eradicate this tragedy against the children of Colombia.”