Homicides are down in Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, but rising in Costa Rica
The first quarter this year yielded positive figures in three countries where the InfoSegura Regional Project is being implemented. According to data provided by the institutions responsible for citizen security and justice, between January and March, records show fewer victims than in the same period the previous year, eight in Belize, 132 in Guatemala and 236 in Honduras. However, in Costa Rica, there were 58 more intentional homicides compared to the first quarter in 2022.
As for the gender of the victims, violent deaths of women decreased in Belize and Guatemala, but rose in Costa Rica and Honduras. Young people are still the primary victims of murder in the four countries, and firearms are present in most violent incidents on record.
Belize
Between January and March 2023, 19 victims were registered, which means that, on average, six fatalities each month were murdered. Out of a total of 18 victims of homicide, one was female, according to Belize Crime Observatory data.
Young people continue to be the main victims of murder: One out of every two victims of murder were between 18 and 29 years of age. Some nine in 10 murders were committed using a firearm.
Costa Rica
During the first quarter in 2023, records showed 212 intentional homicides, as per data provided by the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ Spanish acronym). Out of the total number of victims, 183 were men and 29 women, 19 more compared to the same period in 2022.
With regard to victim profile, one out of every two victims were young men between 15 and 34 years of age. As for method or weapon, a firearm was used in 8 out of 10 intentional homicides.
Guatemala
In the first quarter of 2023, the National Civil Police registered 675 victims of homicide, a 16.4 per cent decrease in comparison with the same period the previous year. The homicide trend in August 2022 through March 2023 registered a shift, with a reversal in the upward trend that had started when pandemic-related restrictions were lifted.
During the first quarter in 2023, there was a noticeable decline in homicides of women of up to 26.1 per cent. These figures are similar to those recorded in 2020. In addition, there was a 14.7 per cent reduction in homicides of men
Honduras
Between January and March 2023, all crime incidences decreased with regard to the same period in 2022, according to the different institutions in the Technical Working Group on Violent Deaths. Homicides showed a reduction of 26 per cent, road traffic accident-fatalities decreased 19 per cent, and suicides 31 per cent.
In this period, 88 per cent of homicides (a total of 622) involved men, these decreased 29.7 per cent (243 fewer victims) with regard to the same period in 2022. For their part, violent deaths of women (a total of 86) represent 12 per cent, that is 8.9 per cent more compared to the first quarter in 2022.
See the analysis on El Salvador
The InfoSegura Regional Project is the first regional strategic partnership of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for policymaking and implementation to address matters of citizen security in Central America and the Dominican Republic. One of the project’s main contributions is regular and systematic analysis of information and data to hep design people-centered solutions.
