According to the National Children’s Hospital and reports submitted to authorities, eight children have been hospitalized due to gunshot wounds and three have tragically lost their lives this year.
On average, this equates to one child being affected by this type of violence every month.
“There aren’t bullets specifically sized for children; bullets are designed to kill. We increasingly encounter instances where high-caliber, almost military-grade weapons are used, causing even more severe injuries in children,” remarked Marco Vargas of the Trauma Unit at the Children’s Hospital.
Furthermore, Marco noted, “When children are involved, they bleed out to a fatal extent 40% to 60% faster than adults.”
On February 14, the hospital recorded the year’s first case of a child admitted due to a gunshot wound. By October, that number had unfortunately grown to six.
The most recent incident involved a 12-year-old girl from Heredia who was shot last Sunday. She has already undergone two surgeries stemming from the incident.
Disturbingly, this year’s tally of cases has already surpassed 2022’s total of five.
2023 is shaping up to be one of Costa Rica’s most violent years According to the Judicial Investigation Organism (OIJ), 743 homicides had been reported by October 26. In comparison, 2022 concluded with 517 recorded deaths.
In terms of violent episodes impacting children, a notable incident occurred on August 18. In this instance, two children narrowly escaped death when their vehicle, also carrying their father, came under gunfire. The barrage resulted in a 7-year-old boy being struck in the right lung and a 4-year-old girl suffering wounds to her face and upper limbs. Both received medical treatment at the Limón Hospital.
In another heartbreaking incident from March, 8-year-old Samuel Arroyo was mortally wounded by a stray bullet to the chest while he slept at his Zapote residence. He underwent multiple surgeries at the Children’s Hospital before sadly passing away.
April saw another tragic event when a 13-year-old in Villas de Ayarco, Curridabat, was shot in the head. Red Cross responders pronounced him dead at the scene.
In September, a 4-year-old girl from San Pablo de Turrubares was killed by a gunshot wound to the head. Although efforts were made to transport her to a medical facility, she tragically succumbed en route, losing vital signs, purportedly amid a family altercation.
Carlos Jiménez, director of the Children’s Hospital, lamented, “Of the six children we’ve attended to, 40% are innocent victims caught up in the reckless gang conflicts plaguing our nation.”
