By Alberto Brunori, the Regional Representative for Central America and the English-speaking Caribbean of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
People in the Caribbean face some of the highest levels of violence in the world. Of the 22 Latin American and Caribbean countries surveyed in 2020 by the independent think-tank Insight crime, three Caribbean countries ranked in the top-six with the most violence. Jamaica tops the list with the highest numbers of murders (46.5) per 100 000 inhabitants, with Trinidad & Tobago (28.2) and Belize (24.3) ranking respectively as the fourth and sixth.
The Caribbean region is in fact particularly exposed to the presence of organized crime groups, which contributes in part to high violence levels. While Caribbean countries are not the only ones facing this threat, the characteristics of Small Island Development States (SIDS) pose specific challenges in implementing effective responses. High crime rates impact the lives of everyone. However, women, ethnic minorities, migrants, young men, and people living in poverty are amongst those most at risk of falling victims to human rights violations stemming from insecurity.