Violence in Brazil grew again in 2020 after two consecutive years of decline. Despite the restrictions implemented in the country to face the coronavirus pandemic, murders in the country increased by 4.7% compared to 2019 and there was one homicide every 10 minutes.

According to data from the Brazilian Public Safety Yearbook released this Thursday, more than 50,000 people died violently in the country last year and the crisis that caused the arrival of covid in the country influenced this.

Neither the strict social confinement that was experienced between mid-March and May of last year, when the covid began to grow in the country, nor the restriction measures established throughout 2020 to stop the spread of the virus prevented about 6 people die violently every hour in the South American giant.

In 2017, Brazil broke the record for intentional violent deaths with 64,078 homicides.

The number fell to 57,592 murders in 2018 and left 47,773 victims in 2019, a number that rose again last year, with a rate of 23.6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.

Quarantine and homicides

The data from the Yearbook, compiled from official sources and analyzed by the Brazilian Public Security Forum for 15 years, indicates that the dynamics of criminal groups changed with the pandemic as they saw decreased the possibilities of carrying out crimes such as robberies and thefts, which fell with social confinement.

In March and April, when the strictest restriction was experienced in the country, the highest peak in homicides of the entire year was recorded with about 4,800 people each month.

The socioeconomic crisis unleashed by the pandemic, the increase in unemployment and the worsening mental health of the population could "indirectly aggravate the curve of lethal violence," according to the report.

To this were added other factors: more than 30,000 prisoners -including some considered dangerous- were released or sent to a semi-open regime to reduce overcrowding in prisons and thus prevent a greater number of infections.

In addition, 29.5% of effective Police personnel had to isolate themselves due to covid-19 and there was a "significant" increase in weapons in circulation.

More weapons on the street

According to the report, 78% of violent deaths in Brazil were caused by firearms.

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— Giuseppe The Meatball CrimiVaroli Thu Mar 18 06:30:06 +0000 2021