Digital Library

The demographic composition and the steady economic growth in Latin America have led to broad access to internet and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT’s) in the region. Indeed, Latin America leads the way in the developing world on the percentage of the population connected to the Net. Nearly half of the population is connected and progress has been made to deliver 3G and 4G connections to marginalized areas. Governments, activists, citizens and international organizations have used this advantage to promote accountability and effectiveness in the policing effort. As citizens produce and consume more information in the internet, virtual communities and initiatives have been created to share experiences and data on crime and violence. However, these technologies have also been used by criminal organizations to broaden their influence and business. The present article looks to the characteristics of “digitally enhanced violence prevention” in the region using the cases of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

The 2010 earthquake in Haiti left the already impoverished country in a state of crisis. As years passed by reconstruction seemed like an unattainable task and violence, crime and poverty where taking away the happiness and hopes of the Haitian people. The destruction of the education system and therefore the weakening of the system meant a condition of ignorance on many topics, being sexual education one of the most affected. When institutions can’t cope the needs of the citizens and there’s a misconception of what sexuality means, sex is then transformed as an exchangeable good. Women, adolescents and girls found themselves in an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and impunity which normalizes violence in all of its forms, being sexual violence the most relevant one. The work of the Canadian and Haitian Red Cross has been to put in place cultural programs that de-normalize violence and empower young leaders to be agents of transformation in their communities.

Violence expresses itself through different forms depending on the life stage of a person. Bullying as a mean of discrimination is one of the most common violent practices found in schools all over the Americas. The difference between Bullying and other forms of violence consists in the systematic process of depreciation (and even de-humanization) of a student to the point the victim believes suicide is the only way out. As with other forms of violence, vulnerable communities such as the LGBTQ bear an unfair share of the consequences. The following two papers provide tools to school administrators and stake-holders for creating safe learning environments, in which vulnerable communities and different students can feel included. Though it may not cause the majority of violent deaths in the Americas, harassment in schools has profound and serious consequences for future generations and national economies.

Las primeras aproximaciones que tiene una persona con la sociedad en sus primeros años de infancia se dan en el marco de su ambiente familiar y escolar. Es en estos donde se aprenden e interiorizan los principios, normas y reglas por medio de las cuales se convive en la sociedad donde se vive. La reproducción de prácticas de segregación, desigualdad, maltrato y machismo en las instituciones educativas latinoamericanas lleva a índices de violencia infantil preocupantes. Dicha violencia funciona también como un mecanismo de perpetuación de las situaciones de segregación y desigualdad, llevando a las sociedades latinoamericanas a un círculo vicioso de violencia y exclusión.

"Preventing and reducing violence is not only necessary, it is achievable. There are many examples of successful efforts to lower lethal violence. Declines of between 10-15 percent per year have been documented around the world, including in Latin America. The Instinct for Life campaign has set a goal of reducing the homicide rates of seven countries by 50 percent over the next 10 years. To achieve this goal this would require7 percent annual declines in the most violence-affected countries, states and cities. If successful, it could save as many as 365,000 lives."