The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has released its first Caribbean Human Development Report titled “Human Development and the Shift to Better Citizen Security.” Key recommendations from the report include a call on governments to create or invest more in units to address gender-based violence, and address youth violence and street gangs.
20 March 2012: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has released its first Caribbean Human Development Report, titled “Human Development and the Shift to Better Citizen Security,” which covers Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
According to the report, 12 of the 20 most violent countries in the world are in Latin America and the Caribbean. UNDP underscores that crime has become one of the main challenges threatening economies and livelihoods, but that policies and programmes can halt the problem.
Speaking at the launch of the report, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark emphasized that “violence limits people’s choices.” She called for a focus on citizen security and addressing “the causes of this recent increase in violent crime, including social, economic, and political exclusion.”
The report concludes that crime rates can be reversed by balancing legitimate law enforcement and preventive measures, with a stronger focus on prevention. Key recommendations from the report include a call on governments to create or invest more in units to address gender-based violence, and address youth violence and street gangs. [UNDP Press Release] [Publication: Caribbean Human Development Report 2012]