Despite representing just 8% of the world’s population, the region accounts for nearly one-third of global homicides.
Breaking Latin America’s Cycle of Low Growth and Violence
North and Sub-Saharran Africa are poorer than Latin America but have much less murder going on. What’s going on in Latin America?
Your linked article says this:
macroeconomic instability often fuels spikes in violence: a recession in LAC is associated with a 6 percent increase in homicides the following year, while inflation spikes above 10 percent are linked to a 10 percent rise in homicides the year after. Growing inequality further exacerbates the link between economic stagnation and crime.
sound economic policy plays a preventive role. Stability, low inflation, robust social safety nets, and opportunities that reduce inequality and expand access to education and employment are critical to breaking the cycle of violence and stagnation. Financial authorities are also uniquely positioned to weaken criminal networks by addressing illicit markets, curtailing financial flows, and tackling money laundering—cutting off resources that sustain organized crime.
because the impact of crime extends far beyond direct economic costs, economic policymakers must adopt a broader role by targeting high-risk groups, improving crime monitoring, and enhancing interagency coordination.
In Rosario province, Argentina implemented a comprehensive strategy to combat crime, including territorial control of high-risk neighborhoods by the Federal Police, stricter prison systems for high-profile offenders, and collective prosecution of criminal groups under new legislation like the anti-mafia law. These efforts, alongside progress on a juvenile penal code to deter drug traffickers from recruiting minors, have led to 65% reduction homicides in 11 months. In Honduras, strategic security reforms contributed to a 14% decline in the homicide rate and an 8% increase in public confidence in law enforcement.
Those are relative explanations as in relative to the region. Compare it to Africa where the crime rate and murder rate is quite different despite there being active wars on the continent. Violence is of course present but not at the same level as in South America.
This is entirely speculation but the fact that there are active wars in the continent might affect how the data is classified. I don’t know how the article you posted defines homicide. There are some rules here https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/statistics/iccs.html and it seems that deaths during war conflicts might not be counted as intentional homicides. Latin America hasn’t had many wars but had/has many conflicts involving guerrillas, cartels and political groups. Is it possible that many of the resulting deaths are counted as homicides whereas similar violence in Africa is counted as, for example, civil war deaths?
macroeconomic instability often fuels spikes in violence: a recession in LAC is associated with a 6 percent increase in homicides the following year, while inflation spikes above 10 percent are linked to a 10 percent rise in homicides the year after. Growing inequality further exacerbates the link between economic stagnation and crime.
if things are static in africa, then the base level of violence may be maintained, wheras increases in factors can lead to increases in violence.
Life has the same value to every living human. Everybody has got only one, and without it, there isn’t much else.
But some do not recognize it (until late in their life).
Life has the same value to every living human.
That’s an extreme oversimplification, and that way of looking at it completely ignores people with depression and people committing suicide.
Obviously a life with more suffering is more likely to cause depression, and a life in depression is subjectively worth less.a life in depression is subjectively worth less.
Most people have their sufferings. In the end, most people even die from some suffering or other. That is just a part of life, and you cannot substract it away from it.
I don’t know why depression should be so different from all other diseases or troubles. I don’t know why it should affect the value of life? How would you value a life with no arms and legs, for example? How would the person with no arms and legs value their own life? Have you ever asked one?
Most people have their sufferings. In the end, most people even die from some suffering or other. That is just a part of life
I think you skipped an interim there.
I don’t know why depression should be so different from all other diseases or troubles.
Other diseases can cause depression, but it is only when depression hits the subjective value of your life really degrades.
You seem to think that…
SUBJECTIVE
… deserves so many capital letters AND is the only thing that counts. Well, then maybe I should officially allow you to NOT read my texts anymore.
I get the point you’re making but in the context of the OP the reply didn’t seem too far off. Yours though is getting pretty close to declaring a depression epidemic in Latin America, I presume because your saw red in their reply
No that was a generalization, not specifically in the context of OP. Life definitely doesn’t have the same value to all individuals as u/Zwuzelmaus claims. That is NOT specifically related to Latin America.
Regarding that read my response in the main thread.
The article doesn’t seem to show any context to this, are equally poor countries on other continents better or worse?
My guess is the main problems are probably poverty inequality and corruption. Catholicism may also be a problem, as every crime can be absolved by the church, and Catholics may believe themselves free from the ultimate personal consequences of their crimes.
So the corruption and inequality may create a sense of need for many people to need to balance the injustice, and combined with a lack of perceived ultimate consequence may be a toxic cocktail that stimulate violent crime.This however is pure speculation on my part. But it seems evident there must be some kind of social factor to cause things to be so bad. And it seems to me that statistically poverty and Catholicism combined promotes this.
