When people take to the streets in protest against soaring murder rate, then you know the country is in trouble.
A country of 30 million people, Venezuela sees 10,000 people murdered on its streets every year. A corrupt police system has been of little help, pushing people to take justice in their own hands and it is said that in recent times, you can get a person killed for as little as $50 (roughly Rs 2000). This despite laws being made stringent to ensure that only police officers can get gun licences.
Its capital Caracas has the highest murder rate among the mega cities of the world. A US State Department travel advisory says: ‘Travel to and from Maiquetia Airport, the international airport serving Caracas can be dangerous. Travellers at the airport have been victims of personal property theft, as well as mugging and 'express kidnapping' in which individuals are taken to make purchases or to withdraw as much money as possible from ATMs, often at gunpoint.’
Image: A man holds on to a hostage held in a branch of the Banco Provincial in Altagracia de Orituco, in the state of Guarico.
Photograph: Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images
Also see: The Gujarat Riots
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