ABSTRACT
Objectives. To examine homicide rates in Cali, Colombia, during the 1993-2018 period, using information derived from an interagency surveillance system. Methods. We used homicide data from Cali's Epidemiological Surveillance System to examine homicide trends by victim's age and sex, time, and type of method used. We estimated trend changes and the annual percentage changes using joinpoint regression analyses. Results. Homicide rates per 100 000 inhabitants dropped from 102 in 1993 to 47.8 in 2018. We observed reductions in homicide rates across age and sex groups. Most homicide victims were men aged 20 to 39 years from poor, marginalized areas. Firearms were used in 84.9% of all cases. The average annual percentage change for the entire period was -3.6 (95% confidence interval = -6.7, -0.4). Conclusions. Fluctuations in homicide rates in Cali show a clear epidemic pattern, occurring concurrently with the "crack epidemic" in different countries. Reliable and timely information provided by an Epidemiological Surveillance System allowed opportune formulation of public policies to reduce the impact of violence in Cali.
Subject(s)
Homicide/trends , Violence/trends , Adolescent , Adult , Age Distribution , Bayes Theorem , Child , Colombia/epidemiology , Female , Firearms/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Poverty , Sex Distribution , Young AdultSubject(s)
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , Colombia/epidemiology , Humans , VaccinationABSTRACT
Héctor Abad-Gómez, Colombian physician, university professor, journalist and human rights defender, was murdered in Medellín in 1987. He was a pioneer public health activist engaged in various fields. While being student his restless and dissatisfied mind, led him to fight for a better and safer water and food. He specialized in the University of Minnesota (USA), at his return to the country he led the establishment of the Rural Medical Service. Forced to exile for several years he was WHO consultant to several countries in the Americas and Asia. In 1956 he founded the Preventive Medicine and Public Health Department of the University of Antioquia. He carried out the first recorded mass community vaccination against polio in the world. He initiated a community health agents program known as "Rural health promoters" that later would be implemented nationally. In 1962 he first proposed the application of epidemiological methods to study violence; he was visiting professor at the University of California; he coined the term "polyiatry" for a specialty dedicated to the health populations; he was director of the Colombian National School of Public Health that currently bears his name. Héctor Abad-Gómez ventured into political life, in accordance with Virchow dictum that "politics is medicine on a large scale". The lives of both have interesting similarities except for the tragic and premature death of the former that still receives rejection today in social, political and academic levels, both in Colombia and abroad.
Subject(s)
Human Rights , Physicians , History, 20th Century , Humans , Politics , Public Health , ViolenceABSTRACT
The Region of the Americas, with a homicide rate of 16.4 per 100,000 population (2004), is the second most violent region in the world, but public policy-making for the prevention of violence and crime is hampered by the absence of reliable and comparable data on the problem's various manifestations. This paper describes a 14-country initiative, sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank in partnership with other regional agencies, to develop-collectively and by consensus- indicators for peaceful coexistence and citizen security that permit comparisons among countries, systematization of methods for the production and collection of pertinent data, the development of regional policies, and the dissemination and sharing of good practices. The selected indicators were homicide, death from road traffic injuries, suicide, death by firearm, sexual crime, family violence, child abuse, robbery, theft, vehicle theft and robbery, abduction, traffic offenses committed while under the influence of alcohol, general victimization, victimization by theft, victimization by robbery, perception of insecurity, perception of fear, confidence in institutions, and justification of the use of violence. For each indicator, agreement was reached on the type of measurement and the minimum variables that should be taken into account to have appropriate criteria for comparison.
Subject(s)
Crime/prevention & control , Data Collection/methods , International Cooperation , Public Policy , Safety , Caribbean Region , Cause of Death , Central America , Humans , Sex Offenses/prevention & control , South America , Violence/prevention & controlABSTRACT
La región de las Américas, con una tasa de homicidios de 16,4 por 100 000 habitantes (2004), es la segunda más violenta del mundo, pero la formulación de políticas públicas de prevención de violencia y delincuencia se ve obstaculizada por la ausencia de datos confiables y comparables sobre las diferentes manifestaciones del problema. El presente trabajo detalla un esfuerzo realizado por 14 países, patrocinado por el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo y en asocio con otros organismos regionales, para desarrollar -de manera colectiva y consensuada- indicadores de convivencia y seguridad ciudadana que permitan comparaciones entre países, sistematizar métodos de producción y recolección de los datos pertinentes, generar políticas regionales y difundir e intercambiar buenas prácticas identificadas. Los indicadores escogidos fueron homicidio, muerte por lesiones de tránsito, suicidio, muerte por arma de fuego, delito sexual, violencia intrafamiliar, maltrato infantil, hurto, robo, hurto/robo de vehículos, secuestro, infracción de tránsito bajo efectos del alcohol, victimización general, victimización por robo, victimización por hurto, percepción de inseguridad, percepción de miedo, confianza en las instituciones y justificación del uso de violencia. Para cada indicador se acordó la forma de medición y las variables mínimas que deben tenerse en cuenta para contar con criterios de comparación apropiados.
The Region of the Americas, with a homicide rate of 16.4 per 100,000 population (2004), is the second most violent region in the world, but public policy-making for the prevention of violence and crime is hampered by the absence of reliable and comparable data on the problem's various manifestations. This paper describes a 14-country initiative, sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank in part-nership with other regional agencies, to develop-collectively and by consensus- indicators for peaceful coexistence and citizen security that permit comparisons among countries, systematization of methods for the production and collection of pertinent data, the development of regional policies, and the dissemination and sharing of good practices. The selected indicators were homicide, death from road traffic injuries, suicide, death by firearm, sexual crime, family violence, child abuse, robbery, theft, vehicle theft and robbery, abduction, traffic offenses committed while under the influence of alcohol, general victimization, victimization by theft, victimization by robbery, perception of insecurity, perception of fear, confidence in institutions, and justification of the use of violence. For each indicator, agreement was reached on the type of measurement and the minimum variables that should be taken into account to have appropriate criteria for comparison.