In Belarus, children under 5 who are dying from violence and poisoning represent 16.5% of all under-5 deaths. Under-5 mortality rate is decreasing overall. Deaths due to violence and poisoning are, on the other hand, increasing, reaching 1.8 per 1,000 live births in 2002 (UNICEF TransMONEE 2004 database).
Systems of child protection are not set up to early identify cases of violence of children and this is illustrated by among other things the fact that Belarus has only partially prohibited corporal punishment of children as a discipline measure. It is prohibited in schools and in the penal system, but not in care institutions or in the home. This illustrates the fact that violence against children is still considered a private issue and as a result the number of reported cases remains low.
Children
under 5 dying from poisoning and violence compared to all
causes,
per 1,000 live births (graph)
