AMERICA - Violent deaths: 9 out of 10 occur in situations that are not declared war

Geneva (Agenzia Fides) - Armed violence is both a cause and a consequence of underdevelopment says the report entitled "Global Burden of Armed Violence in 2011" published yesterday, 27 October, in Geneva, which was prepared by 100 member countries of the Geneva Declaration on Violence and Development. From the report, of which a copy was sent to Fides, approximately 526,000 people die violently every year, but only 55,000 of them lose their lives in conflict or in response to a terrorist act. In addition, 396,000 people, including 66,000 women are victims of murder, 54,000 of manslaughter, and 21,000 are killed during operations carried out by the security forces.
"The boundaries between political violence, criminality and interpersonal violence are increasingly blurred, as revealed in the cases of murders linked to drug trafficking in Central America or in the case of pirates involved in the violence in Somalia", said Keith Krause, one of the authors and publishers of the report. 25% of all violent deaths occur in just 14 countries, with an average annual rate of over 30 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, half of which in America. While the victims of armed conflicts often take media headlines, the levels of armed violence in some no conflict declared countries, are similar to those in conflict zones. Between 2004 and 2009, the per capita number of deaths was higher in El Salvador than in Iraq.
Even within the same country there is often a division of criminal episodes. In Mexico, the rate of violent deaths in the country in 2009 rose to 18.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, while in Ciudad Juarez, just north of the country, this rate reached 170.4 per 100,000 inhabitants in the same year, more than 20 times the overall rate.
The global report on gun violence also establishes a correlation between lethal violence and underdevelopment. "The states with high levels of lethal violence often find it difficult to achieve the Millennium Development Goals", said Keith Krause. "We also know that when a country grows in terms of development, it is very likely to show a decrease in the levels of lethal violence ".
Already in 2006, the representatives of the 100 member countries of the Geneva Declaration on Violence and Development had set goals of identifying concrete measures for the prevention and fight against gun violence, and the promotion of sustainable development.
The Catholic Church has long recognized the seriousness of this situation and has proposed as a priority the formation to non-violence (see Fides 19/09/2011), denouncing many intolerable situation (see Fides 01/08/2011). (CE) (Agenzia Fides 28/10/2011)