Where are the most dangerous places on earth? If, you’re a man: the Americas and Africa. If you’re a woman: home.
Almost half a million people (437,000) across the world lost their lives in 2012 as a result of intentional homicide, according to a new study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Globally, some 80 per cent of homicide victims and 95 per cent of perpetrators are men. Almost 15 per cent of all homicides stem from domestic violence (63,600). However, the overwhelming majority – almost 70 per cent – of domestic violence fatalities are women (43,600). Over half of all homicide victims are under 30 years of age, with children under the age of 15 accounting for just over 8 per cent of all homicides (36,000).
Almost 750 million people live in countries with the highest homicide rates in the world – namely the Americas and Africa – meaning that almost half of all homicide occurs in countries that are home to just 11 per cent of the earth’s population. At the opposite end of the spectrum, 3 billion people – mainly in Europe, Asia and Oceania- live in countries where homicide rates are relatively low.
The global average murder rate stands at 6.2 per 100,000 population, but Southern Africa and Central America recorded more than four times that number (30 and 26 victims per 100,000 population respectively), the highest in the world. Meanwhile, with rates some five times lower than the global average, East Asia, Southern Europe and Western Europe recorded the lowest homicide levels in 2012.
Worryingly, homicide levels in North Africa, East Africa and parts of South Asia are rising amid social and political instability. In an encouraging trend, South Africa, which has consistently high rates of homicide, saw the homicide rate halve from 64.5 per 100,000 in 1995 to 31.0 per 100,000 in 2012.
Homicides linked to gangs and organized criminal groups accounted for 30 per cent of all homicides in the Americas compared to below 1 per cent in Asia, Europe and Oceania. While surges in homicide are often linked to this type of violence, the Americas saw homicide levels five to eight times higher than Europe and Asia since the 1950s.
April 15th, 2014 at 8:16 am
Interesting points on Africa and America vs the rest of the world. Naturally, murder rates are something that I have monitored, them being so close to home. Interesting points on the UN’s report though.
We mustn’t forget all the political violence between the ANC and the IFP in the first half of the 90’s, that accounts for a lot of those stats. The ANC government also fiddles the numbers to improve the perception people have of them, crime is also seriously under reported in SA and a lot of the police are illiterate so even some reported crimes are never noted, this is prooved by the homocide rates calculated by home affairs as well as the Medical Research Council, that both show 50% higher homicide rates than the SAPS figures. Interpols figures are double the governments figures for ’95.
Also the “homicide” rates have been seperated. Domestic violence no longer falls under homicide as an example. So has South Africa’s homicide rate dropped since we were in civil war, where burning bodies were lining the street? Most probably. Is that decrease the full 50% the ANC are now using as electioneering fodder? I highly doubt it. Is enough being done to prevent law abiding citizens from being forced into cerfew and having to constantly watch their backs? Absolutely not.
I personally think this “report” does a huge amount of harm. The government will now decide to sit back on their laurels and give them reason to decrease their policing force to the 30% they’ve been considering. We need… deserve, to live in a country where, when 1 person is hacked to death in a public street, creates an outcry and makes international news.
April 15th, 2014 at 1:34 pm
Hi, Gareth.
In all countries, crime statistics are problematic because most crimes are not reported to the police for all sorts of reasons. In the UK, we have an annual crime survey which asks a random sample of people if they have experienced a crime in the last 12 months. The figures produced by the survey are much higher than the official crime figures from the police. If the methods of compiling the separate figures are consistent. at least one can see trends.
Generally murder figures are firmer since people tend to report murders and they are hard to hide. In most industrialised countries, murder rates are falling but the reason is disputed.
I think that the situation in South Africa is a special case and you are right to highlight some of the complications and the cover up of the true picture.
Roger