By Bianca Oliveira
SAO PAULO – “The dispute over drug trafficking points of sale, the increased circulation of firearms and the hate speech that has taken over the country in recent years” are the three elements highlighted by the specialist in public security, Daniel Cerqueira, in an interview to Dire news agency , to explain the increase in violence in Brazil even during the pandemic.
In 2020, the number of violent deaths rose 5% in the country and more than half of the states registered an increase in the indicators, as pointed out by the Violence Monitor, a partnership between the G1 news portal, the Center for the Study of Violence at the University of São Paulo Paulo (NEV-USP: Núcleo de Estudos da Violência da Universidade de São Paulo) and the Brazilian Public Security Forum (FBSP: Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública).
Due to social isolation, a reduction in violence rates was expected, as seen in Central American countries with similar patterns to Brazil, such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. However, the impacts of the economic crisis also hit illegal markets, generating a war of factions linked to drug trafficking.
“There was a bad economic situation in productive sectors and also in illegal sectors. In drug retail the movement apparently fell and there was an incentive for small factions to invade the point of others”, explains Cerqueira, member of the FBSP Council.
Drug trafficking, however, accounts for 30% to 40% of deaths, according to the expert. He calls attention to the increase in crimes linked to interpersonal issues, such as violence against women and passionate crimes.
“Hate speech is not only on social networks, it increases this drive to resolve everything on the basis of violence and sabotages the possibility of building an effective public security policy, which involves democratic institutions that guarantee citizenship rights”, he analyzes .
This hate speech, coupled with the increased circulation of firearms in society,