Introduction:

Child abuse and homicide are highlighted in the spectrum of intrafamily violence due to the severe consequences they generate on health, the economic and social development of a region and the quality of life of children and their families.

Objective:

characterize the physical and sexual abuse, and homicide exercised against children under twelve years old, occurred in the family context in Medellin Colombia, during 2010-2015.

Methodology:

Descriptive study, retrospective and cross-sectional. It was made a descriptive statistical analysis of the occurrence of intrafamily violent events attended by the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Medellín. Results: 3,519 cases of physical and sexual abuse inflicted on children under twelve years old within the family context were reported. Of these, 56.9% of the events correspond to sexual abuse and women are the main victims of this type of abuse; men are the most affected in physical abuse. Children between six and eleven years old are the most vulnerable. Nine cases of homicide were reported, of which seven were committed against women and five of these were perpetrated by the victims' stepfather.

Conclusions:

Intrafamily child abuse is a persistent problem in Medellín, and this is demonstrated by the high cases recorded. However, there have been few cases of child homicide, this does not diminish the importance and the number should not be underestimated, because of the enormous consequences they have for society.