HAVE CHILD PROTECTION EFFORTS REDUCED CHILD HOMICIDES - AN EXAMINATION OF DATA FROM BRITAIN AND NORTH-AMERICA

In a recent British Journal of social Work article examining trends in child homicide statistics collected by the World Health Organization (WHO), Colin Pritchard attributes a reduction in child homicides in En gland and Wales to improved effectiveness of child protection services . However, further analysis of the WHO data show that the decrease in England and Wales is due to an unusual single-year drop in homicide ra tes, and that there is no evidence of a long-term downward trend. Exam ination of trends in Europe and North America show that there are no c onsistent patterns in fluctuations in child homicide rates, and in par ticular, no evidence that fatality statistics have been influenced by the rapid expansion in child protection efforts.