At least two children stabbed to death every month in England, study finds

At least two children die from knife wounds every month in England, a national study has found.

First-of-its-kind analysis revealed a rise in stabbing deaths among under-17s, increasing from 21 in 2019/20 to 36 in 2023/24.

Most were boys aged around 14, and most were from areas with greater levels of poverty.

Using data from the National Child Mortality Database, as well as hospital, social care, and police data, researchers at Bristol Medical School found 90% of the 145 total deaths across the five-year period were male.

Around a third of those who died (32%) were black and another third (31%) were white, while 110 (75%) were from the most poverty-stricken areas of the country.

Analysed on a population basis, those of black or black British ethnicity were around 13 times more likely to die of a knife-related injury than children and young people who were white.

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'Urgent need' for early intervention

Researchers also noted a history of domestic violence and abuse among many of the victims: a quarter lived with an adult with mental illness and a third lived in a household with substance abuse.

The involvement of gangs was mentioned in a third of the case files.

Lead author Dr Tom Roberts, an A&E clinician at North Bristol NHS Trust, said the data revealed an "urgent need" to support children facing adversity as they grow up.

He warned: "Despite frequent contact with services, many children received no targeted support for adverse childhood experiences, especially domestic violence and abuse, revealing major gaps in early intervention."

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