As the largest Latin American country with an estimated population of 202.7 million inhabitants, Brazil is a country rich with land and culture, being home to the world's second largest river and being the largest Portuguese-speaking country. Its culture is diverse and admired on many aspects, especially its annual musical festival in Rio de Janeiro. However, regardless of its admired history and culture, Brazil has had a continuing issue with violent crime throughout the country and crime rates are at an all-time high. Between the years 1980 and 2010, there have been 1.09 million homicides in Brazil, and those just include the ones recorded, not the estimated amount of homicides. The violence in Brazil has affected social and political issues, as well public health problems. The question is, why is crime a continuing issue? And why do the crime rates in Brazil continue to stay at high levels, and why have they increased dramatically in the last three decades? There are many historical correlations between crime and other social and political issues that have affected crime rates today, such as income inequality among citizens and youth, drug use and trafficking, and police violence towards Brazilian inhabitants. .
The statistics regarding Brazil's crime, specifically intentional homicides, have staggering results. In the last three decades, Brazil's crime rates have more than doubled in a number of different crimes. The intentional homicide rate went from 11.7 in 1980, to 25.2 in 2012 per 100,000 population compared to the global homicide rate of just 6.2; it peaked in 2003 however with a recorded homicide rate of 28.9 according to the Department of Public Health Information (DATASUS). The sexual violence rate per 100,000 population is similar, being 23.03 in 2011. Sexual violence means rapes and sexual assaults of men and women, including those against children as well. The assault rate is even more staggering with a rate of 368.
