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Homicide rates in Colombia - my cent's worth

Actually, if you regularly read the local newspapers of the (Colombian) city you live in, I've now found it quite easy to analyze the homicides rates/reports and to draw a few conclusions.

True, it's utterly irresponsible to claim that Colombia is NOT a dangerous country. Analyse the homicide rate right, left and center, and those rates are STILL far higher than in the US or Europe.

But if you only take the time to analyse the reports, it's easy to see an overall pattern:

1) Over 5O% of the homicides rate in the six largest Colombian cities appear to be connected with drug activities: Settling accounts, trying to establish a territory, endeavoring to wield influence...

Stay clear off drugs, any drugs, and the homicide rate is suddenly halved...

So what are the remaining 50% of homicide rates all about?

So far as I have been able to ascertain: Politics, money and sex.

a) Politics: Whatever your opinions, ascertaining them is dangerous in Colombia. Whether you're a right-wing or a left-wing supporter, you're ultimately bound to antagonize someone.

In an ideal country, you'd be free to express your political opinions. NOT in Colombia. Thus, increase your life expectancy by staying out of Colombian politics. Not an ideal situation, but certainly a safe option in view of the current situation.

b) Money: Lots of Colombians use the black market to borrow money. Especially the poorer ones. The going rate for such loans is about 2.5% per month. The loan sharks have their reputation to protect. Fall behind your payments and you're in BIG trouble. I've heard of people being murdered because they fell a few thousands pesos in arrears in their monthly repayments. Right now, the system works because the loan sharks have to set exemples. Borrow and pay regularly, and you'll be OK. If you can't pay, you're asking for trouble as the whole system, based on terror, will then collapse.

c) Sex: Say away from married women of from jealous boyfriends/husbands. Don't underestimate the "machismo" factor in Colombia. Most Colombian males will NEVER forgive you for "stealing" their wife or girlfriend. Paying a sicario a few hundred K pesos to avenge themselves (their reputation) is common practice. Just read the newspapers.

These four exemples cover 90% of the homicides cases in Colombia. Which means that there still remains 10% of the cases.

Most of these cases are simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing that you can really do.

The best advice I ever read of PBH was: Just be aware and be alert - at all times. It's not a question of being paranoid, but simply a question of common sense.

By Darloup on Oct 19, 2009, 14:06 in Friendly Talkzone.

billyb says on Oct 19, 2009, 14:07:

"1) Over 5O% of the homicides rate in the six largest Colombian cities appear to be connected to drug activities: Settling accounts, trying to establish a territory, endeavoring to wiel influence..."

Try about 80%

"All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so I never go there" Unkown (at least to me) wise man.

1 funny, 1 helpful.

makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 19, 2009, 14:09:

Darloup
great post and analyse for our chicken farm

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 19, 2009, 14:11:

Billyb: You're probably right about the 80% figure - I was just trying to be conservative ;-)

Better to have tried and failed than having regrets all your life about what you MIGHT have missed

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billyb says on Oct 19, 2009, 14:17:

I was reading a while back where they calculated that 90% of the homicides in Pereira at the time, about 4 years ago, were directly related to a battle (still ongoing) between street level drug gangs fighting for turf (somewhat similar to what is currently going on in Medellin, except there it seems to be for a bit higher level of control). So I am being conservative as well;)

"All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so I never go there" Unkown (at least to me) wise man.

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La_Huella says on Oct 19, 2009, 15:43:

In Bogota, NO WAY 80 or 90%.... domestic violence accounts for at least 50% of murders here...

Statistically almost anywhere in the world the most dangerous thing a woman can do is have a boyfriend or husband :P

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theflatline says on Oct 19, 2009, 15:59:

Rolos are beating their women to death?

Legaleez for Complete Morons - A book for gringos in Colombia for who think they understand the nature of the law in a country where they cannot speak the language.

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 19, 2009, 16:09:

Whether we argue that drug-related homicides account for X%, or whether domestic violence homicides account for X%, I hope we can all agree that, as mentioned in the OP, those drug, political, domestic and financial homicides account for most of the homicides in Colombia.

Stay clear of these topics...

Better to have tried and failed than having regrets all your life about what you MIGHT have missed

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davidslc46 says on Oct 19, 2009, 16:25:

Darloup

Whether we argue that drug-related homicides account for X%, or whether domestic violence homicides account for X%, I hope we can all agree that, as mentioned in the OP, those drug, political, domestic and financial homicides account for most of the homicides in Colombia.

I tend to agree,

On PBH I can only honestly remember these last few months the french guy in Bello and the Chinese couple in Bogota. And we really do not know about what caused them to be targeted.

The increase in street robberies reported in El poblado should have concerned any gringos there. I maybe wrong, but I do not see where those continued beyond that week period.

But regardless of reason people are getting whacked all over Medellin at a very high rate.

While I absolutely have no real sense of what this all means to me personally, I have decided to wait a year or two before pushing my young girls to come down from USA and play in my neighborgood.

David

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Patricio says on Oct 19, 2009, 17:30:

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Morrongo says on Oct 19, 2009, 17:40:

A point not mentioned. In the mix of robberies, there is a strong possibility if you are on the end of that crime, that you are going to meet your maker. Dead tongues don't speak.
Robberies count for quite a few percent...on the stats

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La_Huella says on Oct 19, 2009, 17:55:

No way the percentage is that high.... in BOG there are a lot of murders that are domestically related. I'd bet at least 50% in fact.

Statistically the most dangerous thing a woman can do here is have a husband or a boyfriend....

That's why I think monogamy and the nuclear family are one big piece of shit... we HAVE to do better than this...

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oneforyourmillion says on Oct 19, 2009, 19:04:

Pretty funny since a gringo walking down the street is already arguing politics in the eys of a lot of people so the match is already lit. Which makes it real easy to touch off a fuse and well there you go.

Of course in the US if you avoid those things, same things happen.

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kramer says on Oct 19, 2009, 23:19:

Most USA murders are also felon on felon, meaning that this sort of analysis does not really make Colombia safer, relatively speaking, to a country like the USA.

A few years back, back when Baltimore, Maryland was the murder capital of America on a per capita basis, the city council considered an advertising campaign explaining that the city was not as dangerous as it seems (in the end, they decided against the campaign). Statistics showed that over 90% of the murders were convicted felon killing convicted felon, or the person killed was murdered during the commission of a felony.

Kramer

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 20, 2009, 05:26:

SAPO
2,5% at the moment is too high, you can sue this person. A friend who payed 4 % sued and won and got his money back.

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 20, 2009, 05:32:

sapo
you might be wrong with 2,7 on your credit card, it might be 2,07%

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 20, 2009, 05:47:

sapo
be carefull with this, why should a person borrow for 2,3 or more when he can get it at a bank for 1,3? He will do it because he is reported or something like this.

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 20, 2009, 05:59:

sapo
ask in Bancolombia. I borrow at the moment for the company in 1,2%, I made a leasing for 2 cars at 1,2% too. I ask about 2 weeks ago what`s the rate fro borrowing for an apartment and this was the answer 1,2%

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 20, 2009, 06:10:

sapo
a friend of has done it and won the case.

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 20, 2009, 06:13:

sapo
he had a loan with 3,5 or 4 %

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 20, 2009, 06:13:

I was looking at the creditcard of my wife Colpatria intereses de mora 2,07%

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 20, 2009, 06:17:

sapo
I can not talk about the coast, I know Medellin and what`s here on the market.

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 20, 2009, 06:22:

sapo
send me the money, just look at elcolombiano, prestamos con hipoteca 2% mensual.

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makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 20, 2009, 07:04:

sapo
you are right prestadiario is different. And I don`t have to know every corner from Barranquilla.

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oneforyourmillion says on Oct 20, 2009, 07:16:

I know a loan shark getting 25%, it is not uncommon like Sapo said and that is a month. If you own something he will give it and take it. These guys do require that you have a business but there are others that just take your ass and 20% is very common.

Once again very few on here are street savy, they think they are but really they are lost. Sapo nice to see is not. He is on the money

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Rocco81 says on Oct 20, 2009, 08:50:

Good post overall...asside from the %'s Darloudp gives, the point is no matter what country you are in tell me how and why people get killed?

1.Drugs and other black market / criminal activities.
2. Pu$$y

These 2 account for the majority of killings in 1st and 3rd world countries..drugs, loansharking, prostitution, infidelity...

3. Politics will get you killed fast in many 3rd world countries but not so much in 1st world - Remember though, in less stable societies we see that crime and politics aren't often that far apart so refer to point No.1

Sic semper tyrannis

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Gator says on Oct 20, 2009, 10:38:

I think Mark Twain hit it best: "There are three kinds of liars: liars, damn liars and people who deal in statistics."

"Bene, cum Latine nescias, nolo manus meas in te maculare" .

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