At least 16,506 violent deaths have occurred in Venezuela this year, the Venezuelan Violence Observatory (OVV) reported this Friday, which means a homicide rate of 60.3 per 100,000 people, yet 21% less. than in 2018.
Despite the fall and a reduction in homicides for the third year in a row, the non-profit non-governmental organization (OVV), which conducted the study with eight universities in the country, indicates that Venezuela remains the nation «more Latin America and perhaps the world.
According to one of OVV’s regional coordinators, the least violent state is Merida (west), with a rate of 31 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
The least violent state continues to outperform the results of the most violent regions in other countries, such as Colombia or Mexico, with a rate of 25/29 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively.
According to NGOs, the reduction in the homicide rate is due to the humanitarian crisis situation in the country, “the widespread destruction of economic activity, the increased territorial control of organized crime gangs, the emigration of criminals and the reduction of people in public spaces’.
Among the more than 16,000 violent deaths, 6588 homicides were committed by criminals, with a rate of 24 victims per 100,000 inhabitants.
NGO data also indicate that 5,282 deaths were reported due to resistance to authority, particularly homicides by state security forces, excessive use of force or extrajudicial killings.
The rate of police violence exceeds the threshold established by the World Health Organization (WHO), being 19 per 100,000 inhabitants.
The study also highlights the suicide rate that, according to Roberto León, has increased over the past three years, ranging from nine to 10 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
Suicides, according to the director of the observatory, are also related to living conditions in the country.
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