Crime In Latin America A Grave Challenge For Public Safety And Economic Growth

Annually, one third of global homicides occur in the Latin America and the Caribbean regions. This alarming statistic was revealed at the Crime In Latin America Conference being hosted by the International Monetary Fund and the Inter American Development Bank. President of the Inter-American Development Bank, Ilan Goldfajn, said vigorous research on crime and violence is important so the issues can be better understood. "The impact of crime in Latin America and the Caribbean is enormous, both in terms of lives lost and unrealised economic development. We know no nation is entirely free from crime and violence but the problem in Latin America is in another dimension." First Deputy Managing Director at the International Monetary Fund, Gita Gopinath, put Mr. Goldfajn's statement into context. "If you look at the region, it represents about ten percent of the world's population but it makes up for one third of the world's homicide rate. As you can see, this is a grim reality for the region. And it's not just a public safety issue but also a very big issue for economic prosperity and economic development which is why we are having this Conference here at the International Monetary Fund." The IDB's President said the research on crime and violence needs to be used by policy makers to reduce the problem. Using Jamaica as an example, he explained the impact research was having on reducing crime. "In Jamaica, the intervention in violence prevention: positive parenting, gang violence, helped reduce violence between gangs in sixty eight percent of the intervening communities. So intervening with the communities led to the gang violence, talking to the parents, looking at preventions, the actual data is sixty eight percent reduction." The Conference, which took place in Washington DC, brought together scholars, researchers and policymakers to discuss strategies for reducing crime and its impact on social and economic development.