Homicide rate a concern for region
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is worried about the growing lack of citizen security in Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly the rise in gun-related killings.
In an essay released on Thursday, the United Nations Development Programme, which aims to decrease poverty and inequality in 170 countries, stated that citizen insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean has long been regarded as a major impediment to development in the region.
“Recent data show that, while homicides have decreased in many countries in recent years,” it added, “Latin America and the Caribbean remain the world’s most violent region, with crime consistently above epidemic levels.”
A homicide rate of more than 10 per 100,000 people is considered an epidemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the UNDP, a number of reasons, including a culture of impunity, inadequate legal systems, a lack of faith in police forces, persistent disparities, and a lack of socioeconomic possibilities, were fostering criminal activity in the region.
It stated that data from three separate sources provided insight into the “shifting landscape of insecurity in the region, as expressed in international homicide rates.”
“Over the last decade, the region’s homicide rates have remained epidemic, with an average increase of 3.7% per year,” it stated. “While Central America used to be the sub-region with the highest homicide rates, we have seen that this profile has shifted in recent years.” In 2022, criminal activity in South America and the Caribbean increased significantly.”
According to the UNDP, structurally weak social protection, gang fragmentation, increased and diversification of cocaine, fentanyl, and other drug production, the effects of COVID-19, and the circulation of weapons in the region “appear to be some of the driving factors contributing to the spread of violence even in previously deemed safe countries.”
Political violence was also mentioned in the study as a source of concern for various countries in the area.
“However, some of the underlying drivers seem to be similar – persistent inequality, weak institutions, poverty, and limited economic opportunities,” it stated. “It is critical to ensure citizen security to address these root causes through informed policies and programs underpinned by effective governance.” It is also critical to strengthen information and data systems in order to effectively diagnose, monitor, and assess the consequences and costs of crime in the region.”
To solve the issue, the UNDP stated that “strong institutions, context-specific policies based on rigorous data, and a human rights-based multisectoral perspective” would be required.
It was observed that, in the end, citizen security required people-centered integrated approaches that included the reformation of social and cultural norms, as well as solutions for peaceful coexistence and resilience at the local and community levels.
According to InSight Crime, a non-profit think tank based in Washington, DC, on organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean, countries in the region will continue to have high murder rates in 2022, as cocaine production reaches new highs, gang fragmentation continues, and the flow of weapons across the region becomes more acute.
