Jan 4
Dead Children in the U.S. and Ukraine
More children die violently in the U.S. than in war-torn Ukraine
According to the New England Journal of Medicine and the CDC, the NUMBER ONE cause of death for children and teens in the United States of America is gun violence. Bullets, delivered by people with guns, pierce the bodies of young people and kill them.
In the United States, 45,222 firearm-related deaths occurred in 2020 (the most recent year for which complete data is available). That’s an average of 124 people killed by gun violence every day. These horrible numbers are exacerbated by the portion that represents the end of children’s lives. And the trend is in the wrong direction.
And as Mike, my gun-owning photographer and friend, reminds us, “One child dead is too many.”
3597 people ages 1–18 in the United States lost their lives to gun violence in 2021, surpassing the carnage caused by automobile crashes.
In the U.S., a 9-year-old is more likely to die from being hit by a bullet than by a car.
America is a dangerous place for our children. Even more dangerous than war-torn Ukraine.
“At least 972 children in Ukraine have been killed or injured by violence since the war escalated nearly six months ago, an average of over five children killed or injured each day,” says UNICEF.
In the United States, almost 10 children/adolescents per day lost their lives to gun violence in 2021. So with current data, we know that nearly twice as many children die by gun violence in a day in the U.S., a country at peace, as die from violence in Ukraine, a country at war.
Children are more likely to die violently in the US than in war-torn Ukraine.
Most will agree the United States has a problem.
Will we continue to do nothing?
UNICEF believes the number of children killed by violence in Ukraine is significantly higher than 972 in six months, but the comparison remains valid.
