Trends and differences in homicide mortality in Colombia and Mexico, 1990-2016: Two Realities, One Problem

Abstract

Colombia and Mexico are among the countries in the region with the highest rates of homicide mortality and are also the drug traffickers in the world. The objective of this study was to analyze the trends and differences in homicide mortality in Colombia and Mexico between 1990 and 2016. Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study, we report mortality rates and trends in years of life lost to homicides. This study looked at injuries occurring because of interpersonal violence, which was divided into three types (firearm, sharp object, and others). The homicide mortality rate steadily decreased since 1992 in Colombia, while in Mexico, it varied over time. This rate in Colombia has not been reduced to Mexico’s level, and in turn, Mexico has not had a mortality rate as high as Colombia’s. Throughout the period, in both countries, the years of life lost rate decreased (52% in Colombia and 18.6% in Mexico); however, between 2002 and 2016, the years of life lost rate from homicides was reduced in all age groups in Colombia, and in Mexico, they increased notably, mainly between 15 and 54 years of age. Public health plays a central role in abating interpersonal violence through the prevention of risk factors, and through making information available so that decision-makers can create public policies using evidence-based arguments. The Global Burden of Disease Study is a crucial resource that can be used to define, describe, and evaluate the consequences of homicides and help direct efforts and resources to the most vulnerable groups.

Trend Analysis of Homicide Mortality and Years of Life Lost in the South of Iran, 2004-2019

“… 17 In another study, mortality rates due to homicide decreased in Colombia and Mexico between 1996 and 2016. This trend decreased from 67 per 100 000 in 1990 to 34.3 per 100 000 in 2016 in Colombia, and it decreased from 18.8 per 100 000 in 1990 to 16.4 per 100 000 in Mexico in 2016, 18 which is consistent with the results of the current study. In our study, the mortality rate due to homicide decreased from 3.8 per 100 000 in 2004 to 2.3 per 100 000 in 2019 (a 40.00% decrease).…”

Multicenter epidemiological study of maxillofacial trauma: a one-year retrospective-descriptive assessment of 1356 cases in a Colombian metropolitan region.

“…17,23, 26 It is important to point out that the rate of falls may have been overestimated as some patients may not always report an IPV event as the true cause of their injury, thus reporting a fall injury instead. 28 Although IPV has had a profound negative impact on Colombian society, 29 in this study IPV, including intra-familial and gender-based violence, fights and assaults, blunt trauma, firearms and stab wounds, was listed third in the etiology of MFT. This finding contrasts with previous studies undertaken in many developed nations, 12,17,30 where the primary cause of MFT was IPV.…”

Tendencia de las inequidades en homicidios en México para el periodo de 2000 a 2021: análisis ecológico longitudinal

“…Este incremento en la tasa de homicidios en México se ha relacionado con la respuesta pública para contener el crimen organizado, y en particular se han documentado incrementos asociados a una mayor participación de las fuerzas armadas en actividades de seguridad pública (2,4,7). Se ha señalado que el incremento en la tasa de homicidios se relaciona con las acciones gubernamentales de incrementar y fortalecer los operativos de seguridad pública, en particular los implementados por las fuerzas armadas, para contrarrestar la violencia y las actividades de los cárteles de la droga, generando un ciclo de violencia a lo largo del país, y que ha incidido en una reducción en la esperanza de vida (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8). El incremento en las tasas de homicidio se ha documentado tanto para hombres como para mujeres, si bien las causas de estos homicidios difieren entre sexos, siendo para el caso de los hombres más asociado con la violencia por el tráfico de drogas (9,10).…”

“…Este incremento no es resultado de una tendencia lineal: la tasa de homicidios en México tuvo una tendencia decreciente entre 1990 y 2006, y a partir de ese año dicha tendencia se revirtió y ha ido al alza ( 2 , 4 – 6 ). Este incremento en la tasa de homicidios en México se ha relacionado con la respuesta pública para contener el crimen organizado, y en particular se han documentado incrementos asociados a una mayor participación de las fuerzas armadas en actividades de seguridad pública ( 2 , 4 , 7 ).…”