| Overview : Crime and violence in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean is negatively impacting women, youth and the economic well-being of these small, open, societies. The 2012 UNDP Caribbean Human Development Report (CHDR) entitled Human Development and the Shift to Better Citizen Security, found that increasing cases of violent crimes, particularly among youth, coincide with negative economic and social indicators in the Caribbean. While the region still boasts relatively high political stability, there is a growing concern that the needs of marginalized groups have not been adequately addressed. Women, children and youth (15 to 29) have been consistently identified as being the most vulnerable. To reduce these rising levels of crime and violence in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean, there is an urgent need for countries to make the shift from state to a citizen security, as well as ensure that greater emphasis is placed on social crime prevention, institutional strengthening, reforming the criminal justice system, and the empowerment of youth and women. Critical to undertaking this shift is an understanding of the magnitude drivers and risk factors contributing towards increasing levels of crime and violence, to design evidenced based policy and programmatic responses. |
