[System of comparable indicators for peaceful coexistence and citizen security: a consensus among countries]

The Region of the Americas, with a homicide rate of 16.4 per 100,000 population (2004), is the second most violent region in the world, but public policy-making for the prevention of violence and crime is hampered by the absence of reliable and comparable data on the problem's various manifestations. This paper describes a 14-country initiative, sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank in partnership with other regional agencies, to develop-collectively and by consensus- indicators for peaceful coexistence and citizen security that permit comparisons among countries, systematization of methods for the production and collection of pertinent data, the development of regional policies, and the dissemination and sharing of good practices. The selected indicators were homicide, death from road traffic injuries, suicide, death by firearm, sexual crime, family violence, child abuse, robbery, theft, vehicle theft and robbery, abduction, traffic offenses committed while under the influence of alcohol, general victimization, victimization by theft, victimization by robbery, perception of insecurity, perception of fear, confidence in institutions, and justification of the use of violence. For each indicator, agreement was reached on the type of measurement and the minimum variables that should be taken into account to have appropriate criteria for comparison.