Despite accounting for 10% of the world’s homicides, according to UN data, Brazil is still in search of effective strategies to reduce killings. A work developed by researchers from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (Uerj) suggests that stricter firearm control has a positive impact, while voluntary weapon surrender programs show little effect. Homicide investigations and laws like the Maria da Penha Act, which addresses gender violence and femicide, are seen as promising measures. However, isolated prevention programs have not proven effective in the short term.
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Recent Study
A recent study conducted by researchers Ignacio Cano, Emiliano Rugido, and Doriam Borges from the Laboratory for Violence Analysis at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (Uerj) was released on Tuesday, 8 October. The study analyzed 65 different initiatives to identify what works and what doesn’t. The researchers focused on short-term assessments, acknowledging the lack of long-term evaluations on the subject in Brazil.
What Works
Proximity policing, such as Rio de Janeiro’s Pacifying Police Units (UPPs), was highlighted as an example of an effective measure, with multiple studies showing positive results. However, the reduction in homicides following the implementation of UPPs should not be seen as a one-size-fits-all solution for other areas.
What Doesn’t Work
Counterproductive examples include the use of military forces in police operations, as seen in Cali, Colombia, and Mexico’s militarized approach to drug trafficking under President Felipe Calderón from 2006 to 2012. In Mexico, two studies during Calderón’s presidency showed that targeting organized crime leaders through arrests or killings led to increased violence due to power struggles and reorganization.
Social Prevention
Although social prevention programs alone have not led to significant reductions in homicides, combining these initiatives with police interventions in high-homicide areas appears promising. Notable examples include Fica Vivo!, in Minas Gerais; Pacto pela Vida, in Pernambuco; Estado Presente, in Espírito Santo, and community-based prevention programs in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama.
Lack of Research
The study also highlights the shortage of evaluations for homicide reduction policies in Latin America, particularly in Brazil, which, due to its size and complexity, serves as a key testing ground for public safety studies.
Focus on the War on Drugs
In Brazil, President Dilma Rousseff’s administration came close to launching a national homicide reduction plan, but the initiative was never fully realized. In Latin America, there is a general tendency to prioritize drug and narcotrafficking policies over homicide reduction efforts.
Analysis:
Although the region faces alarming homicide rates, the lack of effective programs and the scarcity of research on the subject indicate that homicide reduction has not received the necessary priority from governments and society. Brazil, responsible for 10% of global homicides, is seen as a public safety testing ground but still lacks a consolidated and sustained national strategy to address the issue. Isolated initiatives, such as gun control and proximity policing programs, show promising results, but long-term action plans that combine social prevention with qualified repression are still missing.
The tendency to prioritize the fight against drug trafficking, rather than focusing on reducing homicides/gun violence, reflects a political choice that often shifts the focus of public security to issues of organized crime.
The shortage of long-term policies and in-depth research on the impact of these measures reinforces the perception that Latin America, despite being the most violent region in the world, has not given adequate importance to homicide reduction.
Source: Folha de São Paulo.
