More data, sharper legal weapons needed

The Twelfth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice released a report by the Secretary-General on the State of crime and criminal justice worldwide. The report was introduced by Steven Malby of UNODC’s Division of Policy Analysis and Public Affairs.

The meeting is stressing the need to boost international cooperation mechanism to control transnational crime, the importance of criminal justice for strengthening the rule of law, and crime prevention initiatives for guaranteeing development.

In a message delivered by Mr. John Sandage, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon urged all states to “ratify and implement the Palermo Convention and protocols, and to establish a mechanism to review implementation.” The UN Secretary General statement stressed that “sharpening legal weapons is must, we are all affected by crime, we have a shared responsibility to act”.

The representative of Republic of Korea urged states parties to the Transnational Organized Crime Convention to facilitate the quick return of stolen assets and to help states build the required capacity. The speaker stressed the importance of inter-agency cooperation and long-term technical assistance to improve overall capacity of criminal justice systems, calling for international and regional cooperation

Social inclusion as crime prevention

The representative of Argentina, speaking for the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, expressed its concern with the need to strengthen the Palermo Convention, and suggested States consider developing a mechanism to monitor its implementation, and that of other international treaties.

The representative of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean states also stressed the importance of social inclusion in public life, distancing children and young people from crime by stepping up education to address poverty and social exclusion, while promoting knowledge and the use of UN rules and norms. The State media and private sector must be included in the process, he said.

Decline in homicides and property crime, but need for more data

According to the State of Crime and Criminal Justice Report, there has been a decline in homicide rates over the past five years most notably in parts of Europe, South America and Asia, excepting in nations with drug trafficking cartels, where there was an increase.

But the intentional homicide still overshadows deaths in conflict, according to Mr. Malby, claiming the lives of an estimated 490,000 annually, almost 10 times the estimated number of direct conflict-related cases every year.  Intentional homicide in Central, South America the Caribbean and parts of Africa are ‘typically’ five to ten times higher than rates elsewhere.

Common crime seems to be falling too, crimes against property, especially in Europe. But the UN points out that the lack of standard definitions of crimes across nations hinders surveys and data gathering.

According to the report, there has been a world wide increase in kidnappings and in piracy of sea vessels, offenses often associated with organized crime and drug trafficking.

With respect to human trafficking the report highlights the fact that it is rarely prosecuted and the real scale of the issue is still undetermined. In 2006 a UNODC report found 21,000 victims in 111 countries. Most of those convicted for crimes of trafficking are women, and women also make 2/3 of trafficking victims.

Read Further:

The State of Crime and Criminal Justice Worldwide, by UN Secretary-General Report issued for the Crime Congress 2010