Family Violence and Child Abuse in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Case of Colombia and Mexico

The report analyzes the impact of child abuse on children's educational outcomes and adult labor wages, using a human capital framework. It finds robust evidence of the impacts of child violence on school attendance and educational attainment in Colombia and on adult wages in Mexico City. The study also conveys the difficulty of studying the subject. Data limitations are probably behind the lack of significant findings for impacts on wages in Colombia and on education in Mexico City. Despite these difficulties, this report underscores the importance for economic and social development of better documenting family violence against children in the region.