Which of these countries would you be reluctant to visit due to crime concerns?

[TheReckoning]

?

[Silent Hunter]

I would also add the DRC to that list myself.

[SnowLabrador]

All but Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia. Colombia in particular has gotten a lot safer in recent years from what I've heard, and Brazil doesn't have nearly as many guns as the US. Though I did vote for South Africa in this poll, the difference between South Africa and the US is that South Africa has a high violent crime rate, but you know where to go to avoid that crime. By contrast, here mass shootings can happen just about anywhere.

[Red Velvet]

I would only be hesitant to visit Haiti of those, because of the Civil War risk.

I would loooooooove to visit Venezuela, it’s a beautiful country and not really dangerous like people say, it’s just poorer than what it was and with crazy inflation. People are extremely warm.

Colombia is also a great country, which put most of its dangerous reputation in the past too. Tons of spots that are on my “To Go List”.

Some specific places in Mexico and Central America sound dangerous in a way I’m somewhat unfamiliar with (not that it’s much more dangerous, but different), but nothing that would make me not go visit them, though I’m honestly not as curious about going there as I am about exploring South America in it’s entirety.

South Africa I’d 100% go to. Nigeria, why not, though I’d be more cautious based simply on the fact I don’t know much about. Jamaica sounds like a cool and chill Caribbean vacation.

So yeah, honestly only Haiti, because of current situation and risks of worsening.

[Edu]

"Crime concerns" aren't a factor when determining whether to visit somewhere.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Papua New Guinea and Burkina Faso need to be on there.

[CumbrianLefty]

How bad is El Salvador now, given that Bukele has jailed around 1 in 20 of the population?

[Santander]

I have zero interest in Central America, the Caribbean or West Africa. The rest are fine.

[CumbrianLefty]

Answering the actual question, I suspect only Haiti would be a definite "no" at the minute.

[Red Velvet]

Answering the actual question, I suspect only Haiti would be a definite "no" at the minute.

I would love to visit Haiti under different internal conditions, to be clear. It’s the first Free Black Republic in the history of this World, but Western countries - mainly France and USA - made sure to destroy it harshly precisely because of that.

The slaved Africans brought in mass to what is Haiti today rebelled against the White French colonizers and made a country of what was a French exploration colony.

The afterwards was extremely cruel though, because Haiti was completely alone in doing all that, so they got economically and socially isolated by literally every other territory surrounding them, while they were mostly still under Spanish or British control and feared that slaves in their colonies could see Haiti’s example and revolt against them as well.

Not to mention the racism in not wanting to do business or have relations with a Black country, especially at that time. Haitian history is one of extreme geopolitical loneliness even INSIDE Latin America dynamics, which is already the most lonely and isolated region in the world.

Besides this, France demanded Haiti to pay Billions of dollars in reparations for its independence across the years. A full combo of massive debt + geopolitical isolation ensured they never had a chance as the white ones that hold power are especially threatened by black ones taking their power away and therefore feel the instinct it to suffocate them harsher. It’s not a coincidence at all that the poorest country in Latin America is also the blackest one, it’s a project that succeeded.

Just all this unique history that you wouldn’t find literally anywhere else in the planet is why Haiti essentially should be extremely interesting from a touristic POV MUCH more than most of its neighbors, but simultaneously the internal conflict that resulted as part of all this doesn’t make it sustainable for people to really go visit and get to know this history.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

In all fairness, neither of these have a good reputation with regards to crime so i voted for all but Mexico.

Why not Mexico, since i know in Mexico it's the majority of the country but crimes are much lower in Yucatan.

In all fairness i don't have the money to make these travel anyways, and for that reason i cannot really afford being the victim of a crime too, if i committed to a travel in these countries.

It's possible some areas in Brazil or Colombia are better than others, but i'm not aware of it, and generally crime rates in Latin America are way too high. Reputation isn't great.

Even the USA has somewhat of a reputation too to a lesser extent, but crime isn't the reason why i wouldn't visit it. I guess you just have to avoid some neighbourhoods tho like in Chicago, New York, Houston etc. like in every city, and also avoid some states because of hostile perception from some inhabitants like the Deep South.

Reminder that the question is where you would be reluctant and in all of these nations it is a factor. Doesn't mean i'll never visit them, but atm not, i don't have any plans. I prioritize the east also a bit more than going west.

[buritobr]

I have been living in Rio de Janeiro for 12 years and I was robbed "only" once, at 9pm of a saturday at downtown, when I was walking to the metro station. I should have taken a taxi instead of trying to go back home by metro.

But I understand the foreigners who are reluctant to visit Rio de Janeiro due to crime concerns. The number of foreign tourists killed in robbery attempts is not low. I believe this problem exists because foreign tourists are favorite targets of robbers. Maybe because they think these tourists are not willing to spend hours in the police station in order to register the crime. And many of these tourists are not used to robbery, so, they try to fight against the robber or to run away. This is dangerous. Don't do it. Always give what the robber require because he can have a gun or a knife. Then, you go to the police station.

It is relatively safe to walk around the beaches in Leme, Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon only during the day and during the early hours of the evening, when many people are jogging too. Some years ago, an Argentine tourist was killed at Copacabana beach at 2am.

It is better to go to the downtown only in the weekdays during the daylight, when people are working there. It is better to avoid downtown in the weekend even during the daylight.

[wnwnwn]

Fellow latinos, we know how to take care of ourselves in the street in ways the first world average users of this forum don´t.

[Red Velvet]

I have been living in Rio de Janeiro for 12 years and I was robbed "only" once, at 9pm of a saturday at downtown, when I was walking to the metro station. I should have taken a taxi instead of trying to go back home by metro.

But I understand the foreigners who are reluctant to visit Rio de Janeiro due to crime concerns. The number of foreign tourists killed in robbery attempts is not low. I believe this problem exists because foreign tourists are favorite targets of robbers. Maybe because they think these tourists are not willing to spend hours in the police station in order to register the crime. And many of these tourists are not used to robbery, so, they try to fight against the robber or to run away. This is dangerous. Don't do it. Always give what the robber require because he can have a gun or a knife. Then, you go to the police station.

It is relatively safe to walk around the beaches in Leme, Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon only during the day and during the early hours of the evening, when many people are jogging too. Some years ago, an Argentine tourist was killed at Copacabana beach at 2am.

It is better to go to the downtown only in the weekdays during the daylight, when people are working there. It is better to avoid downtown in the weekend even during the daylight.

I’ve never been robbed and I’m 29. However there has been 2 failed attempts where I might easily have been robbed if I acted differently.

First time was in Copacabana, almost a decade ago I believe, a guy came from behind and wrapped his arms around my neck and said to give him my phone or else he would put his knife inside me. It was in a street somewhat desert but I tried reasoning with him for a bit: “ Man…” while we were walking and we quickly arrived in an area with more bars and people so he gave up and walked in front of me. When we arrived at a traffic light he said for me to be okay that he wouldn’t do anything to me. I just said thanks and crossed the street with my phone with me.

Second time happened this year! In Lagoa, also in a more deserted area without many people. I was doing exercises and walking around the Lagoon at night and I was sometimes taking my phone off to take pictures. So one time that I did that, there was a boy walking behind me. I expected him to keep walking past me so that I could take a picture of the Lagoon but he simply went towards me without saying anything, grabbed my phone and tried to take it off from my hand, hitting my back as well with the other hand (not sure what was the intention with that, maybe to scare me!). I was bigger than him though and didn’t drop my phone, so my reaction was to angrily scream at him. He got scared and started running away and I simply kept my walking.

Important to stress that I always walk with my Iphone in my hands, listening to music in my airpods when I go walking around, which is on a weekly basis. Which everyone always advises me NOT to, but I’m too stubborn and confident (or just dumb tbh) to do so anyway. If I didn’t have this custom, even these 2 attempts might have never happened in the three decades I live here.

Some tourists are much more stupid than me though and I don’t consider myself a careful person at all. I’ve seen gringos do stuff like taking their backpacks with valuable belongings to a PACKED Copacabana beach and when wanting to enter the sea, they leave their belongings ALONE by themselves on the sand while the full group enters water. Without even asking someone else to take care of them.

In a beach with thousands of people, you only need a single person with bad intentions to take that away. I saw this group of Americans get stolen this way once and I couldn’t even feel sorry for them tbh. It’s already dumb to take your work computer to the beach, but to leave it alone on the sand made me really curious about which city these guys came from to have a level of confidence and security this high.

[Red Velvet]

Fellow latinos, we know how to take care of ourselves in the street in ways the first world average users of this forum don´t.

Ohhhh there was actually a 3rd attempt of “robbing” me but it happened in USA, in Midtown of Manhattan, NYC.

I don’t even consider a “robbing” attempt though, the guy actually just tried to play a con on me. Very different style from what I am used to hahaha.

I came out from this Restaurant in Midtown, NYC and when crossing a street this guy bumped into me and fell on the middle of the street. I felt very bad even if it wasn’t my fault (I guess he was very dramatic falling hahaha) and started apologizing. I helped him get up and stated slapping his pants on his legs and his butt to clean up the dirt I though came from the street. He looked with no reaction, kinda surprised by my reaction me thinks.

So I kept walking back to my hotel and a minute later the guy appeared to talk to me, he was following me. He showed me his broken glasses and said something I didn’t really understand (his accent was hard for me to understand) but I assumed that he had broken his glasses with the fall and was requesting money to fix it, so I just kept walking showing him that I didn’t understand what he was saying.

So he said something I did understand “Things are crazy, man” and went back. When I arrived at the hotel I was somewhat suspicious of what happened and researching about it I discovered that was actually a common con in New York City, where a guy will bump into you and then show a pair of broken stuff, usually glasses, that were already previously broken simply to demand money for it. In some cases that people refuse, they make a scandal about it or so.

I felt sympathy for the guy because he came to talk with me in a way that was actually very educated and didn’t make a scandal, probably because he didn’t expect me to be so polite by helping get up and slapping his pants to clean them. Maybe he also noticed that I didn’t speak English that well to understand him.

But yeah, there was also this in NYC and I spent only two weeks there. I lived in Europe (Spain) for a year and nothing if the kind happened. There were some sketchy and deserted places in NYC at night where I did feel somewhat unsafe but in Spain I could walk around at night and even in deserted areas I didn’t really feel that scared.

[Red Velvet]

Btw, NYC was an interesting city full of stuff but there were weird moments there where I think some local people saw me as extraordinarily nice for just doing basic stuff. Cleaning the guys pants with my hands to his shock was only one thing.

I am not sure if that says something of NYC specifically (where people are known to be more closed and minding their business) or USA in general as that’s the only city I went to. But I remember at this small market this cashier lady being surprised at me picking the stuff from the shopping bag when I saw that she had some physical trouble picking it, smiling at me and being unusually nice as if it didn’t happen usually. When I said thanks as “goodbye” she responded with: “No, Thank you!” without me understanding what so out of normal I did.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Other: USA.

[Zinneke]

Only Haiti. All the others are the equivalent of a calm Sunday morning in Brussels-North.

[Red Velvet]

Not a robbery attempt case, but also related to urban violence anyway, there was a 4th case I went through as well, going back to home from university in the bus in Rio.

The highway in Linha Vermelha (“Red Line Highway”) is next to a favela so during this one time there was some chasing conflict with shoot-outs between the police and criminals that was happening IN the highway. It was the only time I ever got to be in the middle of a shoot-out, everyone in the bus went to lie down on the floor to protect themselves from strayed bullets and I kept seated normally because I didn’t understand what was going on and I also hearing music so I didn’t really hear the gun shots.

When I realized what was really happening, things had already ended (not sure if police caught who they wanted or if they escaped into the favela), so I kept seated in the bus waiting to get home while people were getting up from the bus floor.

A 5th story I have to tell is not of a specific or even direct moment of danger, but when changing the air-conditioner of my bedroom one time, located under my window, I found a gun bullet inside it. Probably a strayed bullet that came from somewhere in the past and I never really got aware of it. I kept thinking about what if it had entered the window and happened to hit me instead.

[buritobr]

Some Latin American big cities have lower murders/100K inhabitants ratio than some American big cities

[Edu]

Some Latin American big cities have lower murders/100K inhabitants ratio than some American big cities

And it's outdated, last I checked the City of Buenos Aires had a homicide rate of about 3.5 per 100 000

[2952-0-0]

I felt safer walking around a very desperately poor neighbourhood in Cuba, than when I was walking around Philly at night.

[Red Velvet]

Some Latin American big cities have lower murders/100K inhabitants ratio than some American big cities

That graphic is correct, but I would stress some things:

A) São Paulo state is the safest state in Brazil in per capita data. São Paulo and Santa Catarina states both have less than 10 homicide rate (well below the Brazilian average of 23), but states in the North and Northeast can consistently have averages higher than 30!

Rio de Janeiro state, a touristic postcard, has an average rate of 28, which I consider pretty high for Southeast and South Brazil. Sure, the poorer suburban metropolitan area surrounding Rio in its outskirts pushes the state average up a lot, but the Rio de Janeiro city itself (which is what people tend to visit) is still usually around 19-20.

So if you put Rio instead of São Paulo in that graph, it would only be safer than Philadelphia; Las Vegas and Minneapolis. And if you included the ENTIRE metropolitan area of Rio with all its adjacent municipalities that are more dangerous, it would still only be safer than Philadelphia.

And like I said, there are definitely many cities with a higher rate than Rio in the Northern part of the country, Rio only stands out as somewhat more dangerous when analyzing Southern Brazil of which is a part of.

B) USA isn’t like Europe (I have experience of visiting both places) and it IS a quite violent country despite having more money, so some major cities in LatAm being on par with or safer than many US big urban center’s doesn’t really say anything tbh.

And even that data in this graph is more focused on big cities, US interior areas outside of big cities ARE known to be significantly safer than their big city counterparts, reducing the overall homicide rate average. Gap between city and interior is significantly more reduced in LatAm, some interior small towns won’t necessarily be safer than the big city.

So it’s somewhat like taking some of the worst of a country (USA) and comparing it with what are far from the worst in LatAm, which makes the graphic a bit misleading but still useful in providing some level of perspective that US is on some levels at least on par with the violence that exists in LatAm

C) The most dangerous cities in the world are in the Americas (both USA and Latin America), so comparing both is kinda useless anyway unless you want to show snobby Americans that their country isn’t thaaaat much safer as they tend to believe.

That some major cities in LatAm are safer than some major cities in USA doesn’t really prove how safe Latin America is because the USA isn’t considered a safe country to begin with. Both USA and Latin America are at minimum places where you don’t have the same freedom of movement like you have in Europe for example.

One thing I don’t understand though is why St. Louis in USA wasn’t included in the graphic, as that’s the most dangerous US city and the only one from USA in the top 20 highest homicide rates with an absurd high average of 80 murders per capita, occupying 10th place and being higher than Brazilian most dangerous major city (Natal in 12th). This video is more useful because it shows many Latin American cities instead of only one and as I said São Paulo is one of the safest cities in Brazil, probably the same for Mexico City in Mexico, etc:

Still, the video doesn’t show ALL cities, only ones with significant amount of population, therefore being a comparison of big cities only. If you compared smaller towns with low population instead there sure would be much more sketchier places in LatAm as the US interior areas outside big cities tend to be relatively safe.