Violence against children increasing in Milwaukee

Milwaukee violence against children

After a three-year-old boy was shot in the head on Milwaukee's north side on Wednesday night, police are still looking for who pulled the trigger.

MILWAUKEE - After a three-year-old boy was shot in the head on Milwaukee's north side on Wednesday night, police are still looking for who pulled the trigger.

But with this shooting, and the recent deaths of five-year-old Prince McCree and 12-year-old Jacarie Robinson, there is a rise of violence against children in the city.

The three-year-old is still critically injured.

McCree’s body was found in a dumpster and Robinson was found dead and malnourished.

These are just a few examples of violence against children in Milwaukee. It’s a rising trend, according to data from the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission.

Per the MHRC, 16% of all homicide and shooting victims who survived this year in the city involved children under the age of 17. That compares to more than 12% from last year, and about 11% over the past seven years.

But why?

The World Health Organization noted that a child's likelihood of experiencing violence comes down to a slew of different factors, from poverty to dysfunctional home environments to poor social protection. Age, gender and health are also factors.

Regardless of what the reason may be, WHO experts say violence against children is always preventable.

Crime and Public Safety News Milwaukee