Juárez violence leaves thousands of children orphaned, traumatized

As an epidemic of violence spreads through this border city of 1.3 million, more and more children are left without one or both parents. Therapists estimate that about 10,000 children have been orphaned because of drug-cartel violence that exploded in 2008. Since then more than 6,600 people have been killed in Juárez, giving the city the unwelcome designation as the world's homicide capital. Juan González, director of a nonprofit organization that offers psychotherapy for low-income families, said the majority of murder victims were parents of at least two children. Most of those killed were between the ages of 20 and 39. Juárez, a place where murders routinely go unsolved, generally is not equipped to provide psychological treatment for children who become orphans. This means that more violence could be simmering just below the surface, González said...more