US Infant Homicide Rates Doubled from 1970-2000: ‘The rate of infant homicides in the US has more than doubled over the last 30 years, according to a new report by Child Trends, a not-for-profit research organization in Washington, DC.

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“Although tragic, the numbers of children who die each year from infant homicide do not indicate that a huge social epidemic is taking place. Nonetheless, the data offer important information that may be useful in trying to reduce the numbers of infants who are victims of homicide each year,” said Brett Brown, director of social research for the organization and a project director of Child Trends DataBank.

Brown explained that, most likely, two factors play a role in the increase in the number of infant homicides. For one, more babies are being born to unwed teens, who are known to be at highest risk for infant homicide, Brown told Reuters Health in an interview.

Secondly, the reporting of infant homicides has become more accurate over the last 30 years, Brown pointed out.’ Yahoo! News