UN Report Notes High Number Of Deaths Due To Homicides In 2021

More people were killed due to homicide than armed conflict and terrorism combined in 2021, with an average of 52 lives lost per hour worldwide, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a report published on Friday. The Global Study on Homicide analyzes the complex dynamics behind these violent deaths and includes a special section on how organized crime is driving death rates up in Latin America and the Caribbean. The report examines homicides related to criminal activities and interpersonal conflict, as well as “socio-politically motivated homicides” such as the deliberate killing of human rights activists, humanitarian workers and journalists. Consideration is also given to the impacts of “megatrends” – such as climate change, demographic changes, inequality, urbanization and technological shifts – and how they might influence homicide rates. ‘A sombre reminder’ UNODC chief Ghada Waly said the loss of thousands of lives each year to homicide is “a sombre reminder” of the collective failure of the international community to reduce all forms of violence by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “The complex web of factors fuelling homicide deaths worldwide, from gender-based violence against women and girls, to organized crime and gang violence,...