METHODOLOGY |
Crime and violence amongst youth (15-29 years) is one of the key bottlenecks to development in the Caribbean. 1 While there is a dearth of timely, disaggregated and comprehensive youth crime data, some existing information suggests that youth are both the greatest perpetrators and victims of violent crimes in the region (ibid). Economic challenges, including a rigid and inflexible labour market, have contributed to a cycle in which young people struggling with the lack of economic opportunities turn to illegal activities and crime. Prolonged social protection challenges result in increases in youth crime, violence, and victimization further down the line. 2 Gender also appears to be a critical factor; while males appear to be both the majority of victims and perpetrators of violent crimes, females are much more likely to be victims than they are to be perpetrators. In addition to the chronic problem of youth crime and violence, trafficking in persons (TIP) appears to be becoming more prevalent in the Caribbean, most recently linked to the crisis of forced migration from Venezuela. While the paucity of crime data is also present regarding human trafficking, anecdotal evidence suggests that youth are among the most impacted by these crimes. 3 Survey analysis 4 of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) also points to cross-country differences based on idiosyncratic push and pull factors that vary between countries. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these underlying issues: preliminary findings from a recent global report 5 suggest that trafficking has been pushed further underground, creating a more insidious threat to potential victims and to countries’ achievement of their SDG targets. The CariSECURE 2.0 project responds to the citizen security issues of youth crime and violence, and TIP by employing a multi-pronged, human rights-based approach designed to improve national capacities for crime reduction, building upon the data gathering and analytical capacities provided to national police forces under the CariSECURE 1.0 project. The project will take a targeted approach, working with key countries in the region according to the specific needs and capacities identified during the implementation of CariSECURE 1.0. Specifically, the project will work at the regional, national, and community levels in Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada to respond to and reduce youth involvement in crime and violence by continuing to build national capacities for evidence-based decision-making among stakeholders in the youth sector. The project will also develop and implement Trafficking in Persons reduction initiatives while bolstering state capacity to facilitate timely and effective prosecution, with an initial focus on Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. An innovative approach to the design of evidence-based, sensitive and human-rights-based policies on
1 Crime and Youth Unemployment in the Caribbean, Wong, J and Ramakrishnan, IMF, 2017 2 The Challenges of Protecting Youth From Crime and Violence in a Pandemic, UNODC, 2021 3 United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, Combating child sex tourism. 2013 4 Exploratory Assessment of Trafficking in Persons in the Caribbean Region, IOM, 2010 5 The Effects of the COVID19 Pandemic on Trafficking in Persons and Responses to the Challenges, UNODC, 2021
A Media Analysis of the Coverage of Youth Involvement in Crime and Violence and Trafficking in Persons (June 2021 to June 2023) in the Eastern Caribbean 3
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