Minors victims of homicide in Milan (Italy): 1993-2017

Abstract

This study aims to examine the phenomenon of homicide with victims under 18 years-old in a wide and multiethnic metropolitan
area in the north of Italy. We’re dealing with a type of crime that generates a widespread alarm and a common concern.
The data analysis, approached with a multidisciplinary strategy, presented in this paper is based on forensic reports of the Institute
of Legal Medicine of the University of Milan, to provide a detailed framework of the homicides of minors that took place in
the territorial jurisdiction of Milan and Monza Prosecutor’s Office between 1993 and 2017. Quantitative and qualitative analysis
were conducted regarding victims’ socio-demographic characteristics (gender, age, nationality), weapons used, places and modality
of body discovery, murderers, motives of the killing and type of relationship between offenders and victims. Purpose of this
paper is to compare the present set of data with the ones provided by the international literature, as well as make some criminological
observations on this matter with a view to preventing the phenomenon. To this end, some representative case studies
have been added, their characteristics and also the relationships between offender and victim have been discussed.