crime

Violence on the rise

Domestic violence and crimes committed with firearms are on the rise, said Danilo Toro, director of the Programa de Seguridad Integral (Prosi). Toro attributed the increase to several factors, including school dropout rates, organized crime activity and changes in mores and values.

A recent Prosi study found that 66 percent of people in Panamanian prisons had not graduated from high school. Roughly 43 percent did not complete their elementary school education. Toro mentioned adolescent pregnancy as another likely factor influencing the crime rate.

Toro explained that “sustainable solutions” to the crime problem are those which have medium and long-term effects. “Those who promise quick fixes are at serious risk of violating human rights,” he said.