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Filicide

Filicide is the act of a parent killing his or her own son or daughter. The term can also be applied to the parent who has committed such an act. The word filicide derives from the Latin word filius meaning "son".

In some cultures, killing a daughter who has disgraced the family is a common occurrence (see honor killing).

A 1999 US Department of Justice Study concluded that between 1976 and 1997 in the US, mothers were responsible for a higher share of children killed during infancy while fathers were more likely to have been responsible for the murders of children age 8 or older. Furthermore, 52% of the children killed by their mothers were male, while 57% of the children killed by their fathers were male.

Sometimes there is a combination of murder and suicide in filicide cases.

Contents

Known or suspected filicides

Filicides in fiction

Related terms

Compare with child murder (the killing of an unrelated child), prolicide (the killing of offspring), infanticide (intentionally causing the death of an infant), abortion (the killing of a fetus), patricide (the killing of a parent by his or her child), and fratricide and sororicide (the killing of one's sibling). Also consider filial cruelty (cruelty toward one's own child) and child cruelty (cruelty toward an unrelated child).

See also

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Last updated: 05-12-2005 19:57:57
Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04