Crime, Violence and Well-Being

Abstract

Latin Americans are exposed to high levels of violence associated to gangs, organized crime and even domestic violence. It is shown that victimization impacts negatively on the well-being of Latin Americans and that its impact is very large in the case of women. Exposure to victimization is concentrated in particular areas of the region; however, fear of crime is widely spread in many Latin American countries and it also impacts negatively on well-being. It is also shown that domestic violence has a very large impact the well-being of women.