Experts, academics discuss region's crime, violence at IDB meeting

Experts and academics will gather at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) this week in the US capital, Washington DC.

They will discuss new data showing the impact of crime and violence on Latin America and the Caribbean. The event will be held under the theme:“The costs of crime and violence in Latin America and the Caribbean: Methodological Innovations and New Dimensions”. The meeting will take place at the IDB's headquarters Thursday and Friday.

The IDB has said the studies will look at the impact of crime in areas ranging from property values to domestic violence in seven countries of the region.

The multilateral agency says Latin America and the Caribbean suffer from some of the world’s highest rates of homicide and other crimes, and is home to 20 of the world’s most violent cities.