Crime and Violence in Africa: A Pressing Emergency

Countries in Africa have become increasingly concerned with soaring levels of crime and violence. In the past decade, the continent has experienced unprecedented levels of economic development. Despite this progress, however,he region still experiences high levels of poverty, inequality, rampant unemployment, very fast rates of population growth, institutional inefficiencies, and chronic levels of corruption. These socioeconomic problems have historically contributed to creating a fertile environment for issues such as conflict, crime, and violence to emerge. In past decades, these social ills have manifested more intensely through conflict and civil wars that have ravaged the continent. More recently, however, as the number of large-scale civil wars in Africa is declining, the underlying social and economic problems are manifested more through high levels of crime and violence, which come in a variety of forms, such as youth violence, gender-based violence, and, in general, high levels of criminal victimization¿robberies, assaults, and thefts, among others. Addressing these issues should become a top priority for governments in Africa.