Sweet sixteen

The body of a 16-year-old boy who was shot dead is examined by doctors in the emergency room of a hospital near Petare slums in Caracas November 22, 2009. Battling with one of the world's highest murder rates, violent crime consistently registers as Venezuelans' main concern in opinion polls. Gun laws are lax in the South American oil exporter and the government estimates there are 6 million firearms circulating among the population of about 28 million.



[Photo: REUTERS]


-Diane