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The Walk Free Foundation’s 2016 Global Slavery Index (GSI), using data from 167 nationally representative surveys conducted by Gallup, estimated that 45.8 million people in the world were in some form of modern slavery. Fifty-eight percent of those who are in slavery live in India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan. Civil and political protections, social health and economic rights, personal security and refugee populations and conflict are four complex dimensions that impact the vulnerability of people to modern slavery. This report conducted an assessment of government responses of 161 countries. Of these governments: 124 have criminalized human trafficking; 96 have National Action Plans; and 150 provide services to victims of modern slavery.  

According to this publication, Latin American governments are lagging behind the rest of the world with the United Nations’ Security Council’s Agenda on Women, Peace and Security. The region has the highest homicide and feminicide rates in the world. Economic and gender inequality; organized crime; land disputes; and systemic violence are some of the factors that adds to the victimization in the region. The authors argue that national and regional laws will be insufficient in solving this issue; call for gender issues to be included in security agendas; and propose additional methods to fill the gap.

Crime and victimization rates are growing in Latin America; however, 2017 data demonstrates some signs of improvement. One of the top concerns of people in Mexico, Central America, and South America is criminal violence, which will continue to rise unless preventative measures are taken. The approach and priorities of public security from the traditional law and order perspective have changed over the last two decades to include a more people-centered approach of safety and security.

The resurgence of violent conflict in recent years has caused immense human suffering, at enormous social and economic cost. Violent conflicts today have become complex and protracted, involving more non-state groups and regional and international actors, often linked to global challenges from climate change to transnational organized crime. It is increasingly recognized as an obstacle to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

This manual describes ten seminars oriented to provide at-risk youth with the knowledge needed to improve their life skills, perceptions of life as also those of society. It profits from the capacity that sports have to create a sense of support, belonging and loyalty which in turn encourage participants to collaborate, understand and tolerate individuals from different backgrounds. By changing mentalities through education, “Line up, Live up” builds on previous UN experiences in developing and implementing an evidence-based crime, violence and drug use prevention program. The seminars are designed to be accessible and easy to put into place as there’s no need for complex or expensive equipment. It is also desirable to include youth from all genders, sexual orientations, socio-economical backgrounds and cultures in order to create from the beginning an atmosphere of tolerance and empathy.