Crime & violence in Latin America & The Caribbean
By Chaka Phillips From Latin Post
How to cope with it using a human face
The underlying causes of crime and violence in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region stems from drugs, inflation, poverty, unemployment, and lack of social inclusion.
The United Nations (UN) stated in a 2007 report on “Crime and Development in Central America” that it’s geographical position is what makes them exposed to the world’s largest suppliers and consumers of cocaine. This could make Central America vulnerable to crime and influenced by crime. Plus, the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) Caribbean Human Development Report, launched in 2012, states that drug-trafficking and organized crime generate violence.
According to the World Bank, Latin America accounts for 30 percent of the world’s homicides. A Latin American security expert for the World Bank stated that the LAC region represents 9 percent of the global population. And, that seven out of ten countries with the world’s highest homicide rates are from that region.
In Central America, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize and Guatemala, all have high crime rates; as well as in South America: Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil. In addition, Jamaica in the Caribbean.
There is also victimization rates, persons who suffered from any type of crime, which are highest in Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Argentina.
The Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID), a blog that writes about the Inter-Development Bank, delves deeper. The BID blog reports on social, and economic issues affecting the LAC region.
BID says that seeing the big picture is one of the more effective ways to helping and understanding a country’s development which will in turn make it less violent. BID’s supposition is that social inclusion might or might not be linked to the crime rate affecting the LAC region.
In the Americas Quarterly Social Inclusion Index (AQS), BID reported that some LAC countries with some social inclusion had higher rates of economic growth, lower levels of poverty, greater access to education, formal employment, and respect for political, civil and human rights.
According to the AQS, Chile, and Uruguay, had the highest levels of social inclusion: lower levels of poverty, access to education, and formal employment.
But those countries with the highest rates of violence, also had the lowest rates of social inclusion, such as Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Along with those three countries, Panama, and Costa Rica, they are all tied to overall rates of social inclusion that include women’s rights, and LGBT rights.
Costa Rica practices social inclusion, but still have high rates of violence. El Salvador and Panama have high scores in social inclusion, but both have the lowest scores for LGBT rights and low rates of violence. Brazil has high scores in social inclusion for women’s rights, but they have medium scores in terms of violence.
BID, and the World Bank along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which are part of the UN, can all agree that lack of security, less economic opportunities, and, lack of social development and rights, also contribute to the crime rates in the LAC region.
They propose more community involvement; utilizing some of the U.S. crime prevention strategies; focusing on geographical areas and population groups at greater risk, particularly young people; establishing laws that protect women against domestic and sexual violence; and ensuring that governments provide information on rates of violence.
Currently, the governments of countries such as Brazil, El Salvador and Jamaica, to name a few, have launched large poverty reduction programs to lower the illiteracy rates among adolescents; promote income-generating projects; increase the role of women in society; and increase family income. All of these programs have been implemented, along with strengthening the police institution to overcome crime.
Flickr / puamelia
For more on this story go to:
