Crime And Victimization

Historically, higher crime rates have been associated with higher inequality and poverty. Nevertheless, there remains an ambiguity over the most prominent socioeconomic factors that increase crime rates, and consequently individual victimization. Among the numerous shocks households face in developing countries, crime and violence continue to be an economic and social challenge for many communities. Crime imposes high economic costs to the public and private sectors. It lowers public and foreign investment (high incidence of theft and corruption), it reduces economic activity (safety of commuting from one location to the other), and it harbors black markets (weapon trade, drug consumption, etc). Moreover, exposure to violent crime costs lives, and increases permanent health problems. For example, domestic violence against women during pregnancy is shown to have adverse risk effects on children’s health (Walsh 2008).