Violence and mortality rate

Under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) due to violence and poisoning

• In 2003, 70,000 children under age 5 died in the region—a mortality rate of 15.8 deaths per 1,000 live births. (Data were not available for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro and estimated data only for Tajikistan.)

• Violence or poisoning (a distinct category from other external causes such as accidents and drownings) were responsible for about 10% (7,000) of these deaths–a rate of 1.6 deaths per 1,000 live births.

• The highest U5MR values for the period 2001-2003 were observed in Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Uzbekistan (25-28.5 deaths per 1,000 live births).

• The highest U5MR due to violence or poisoning in the period 2001-2003 was reported in Moldova (3.1 deaths per 1,000 live births) and Central Asia, excluding Tajikistan, (2.2 to 2.5 deaths per 1,000 live births).

• The highest share of under-5 deaths due to violence or poisoning out of all under-5 deaths was observed in Belarus and Moldova (16%-17% of all under-5 deaths).

• Violence or poisoning accounted for a relatively low share of under-5 mortality in Caucasus countries and FYR Macedonia (1.5% to 4.4% of deaths) followed by Bulgaria, Albania, Croatia.

Under-5 mortality rate (graph)

As noted, deaths from violence or poisoning represent 10% of all under-5 deaths in the region (Ukraine, Tajikistan and Turkey not included). Notably, under-5 mortality rates are decreasing overall in the region, but the share of deaths due to violence or poisoning is not.

Legal standards to guarantee physical and psychological integrity of the child in the family and in state institutions are lacking. Humiliation and physical punishment is still a common way of disciplining children in facilities for juvenile offenders, residential care institutions and even in education establishments. Standards for services and codes of conducts for professionals do not include provisions that explicitly prohibit corporal punishment or demand respect for the physical integrity and dignity of the child.

In addition, norms that inhibit complaints, a lack of mechanisms for redress, inadequate monitoring of services and supervision of professionals have all contributed to a culture of impunity around violations of children’s right to protection against violence and abuse.