A third of the world’s homicides occur in Latin America, a region with just eight percent of the global population.

It’s an eye-opening statistic coming from a report released last month by a think tank based in Rio de Janeiro.

CGTN’s Lucrecia Franco reports.

Follow Lucrecia C. Franco on Twitter @LucreciaFranco

To discuss:

• Antonio Sampaio, a research associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and an expert on Latin America violence.
• Denis Frate, director of the Brazilian Association of Security Professionals.
• Arturo Sarukhan, a former Mexican ambassador to the United States.
• Dr. Gary Slutkin, the founder and CEO of Cure Violence.

For more:

Crime and violence come with a high price tag and for Latin America that amounts to $260 billion each year. A policy intervention addressing a root of the problem: https://t.co/KZGRh3Pcqk

— The Brookings Institution (@BrookingsInst) May 22, 2018

Central Americans are fleeing violence in higher numbers: UNHCR @AJENews https://t.co/XtK0B4DSpV

— MCC Latin America and the Caribbean (@mcc_la) May 23, 2018

According to the Geneva-based @SmallArmsSurvey, 10 of the 25 nations with the highest recorded rates of femicides are in Latin America with another four in the Caribbean. https://t.co/6nOSLlv8BJ

— NBC Latino (@NBCLatino) May 18, 2018