Facing the Challenges of Crime and Violence 1

The Latin American region has the dubious distinction of having the highest rates of crime and violence in the world. Homicide rates usually are considered to be the most reliable indicator of crime, since few murders go unreported. According to an extensive study by the World Bank of homicide rates for 1970–1994, the world average was 6.8 per 100,000. ² The homicide rate in Latin America is estimated at 30 murders per 100,000 per year, whereas it stands at about 5.5 in the United States and about 2.0 in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Switzerland. The Pan American Health Organization, which reports a lower average for Latin America as a whole of 20 per 100,000 people, ³ says that “violence is one of the main causes of death in the Hemisphere … [I]n some countries, violence is the main cause of death and in others it is the leading cause of injuries and disability.” ⁴ In the region there are 140,000 homicides each year. ⁵ According to this and other indicators, violence in Latin America is five times higher than in most other places in the world. ⁶ Moreover, the homicide rates are not only consistently higher in Latin America, but also the differences with the rest of the world are growing larger. ⁷ Figure 6.1 Intentional homicide rates per 100,000 inhabitants by region and sub-region. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315815183/56142aba-4d84-4ac3-88e9-a86e92256298/content/fig6_1_B.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>