4 states in Mexico inherit violence and unsafety

Corruption, mistrust, unsafety, poverty, violence against women, suicide, kidnapping, gangs, street and transport theft are only some of the crimes mentioned by residents of Oaxaca, Veracruz, Tamaulipas and Sonora, states where the governorship has been renewed, after last year’s electoral process, and where key issues were inherited to the incoming administrations.

According to the Comprehensive Diagnostic 2016, which was performed in the ocassion of the National Program for the Prevention of Violence and Delinquency (PRONAPRED), organized by the Ministry of Interior (SEGOB), residents from these states feel that unsafety and violence simply won’t curb.

In municipalities like Boca del Río, Veracruz, and capital city of Oaxaca, Oaxaca, residents have high levels of mistrust of police, as they linked them with criminals or have been victims or witnesses to abuse of authority and corruption from police force themselves.

In Sonora, people note the high levels of corruption, gangs and school dropout as well as high rates of violence against women. Here 65.3% of women have been victims of violence at least once in their lifetime.

In Tamaulipas, citizens live in fear of been “picked up”, which is the Mexican term for kidnapped, robbed or to be caught amidst a shooting: “Residents are afraid of walking the streets, there are many wastelands and places with lots of weed which can prompt to criminal activity. Residents fear that unsafety can spread from criminal events taking place elsewhere in their city”, notes the diagnostic.

The four states have recently seen a rise in drug dealing, prostitution and drug abuse among the young people, as well as armed robbery and house break-ins.