Homicide in the Context of Killing (USP): Unterschied zwischen den Versionen

== The Frequency of Homicide ==

Homicide is one of the less common causes of death. There are 7.6 billion human beings on earth worldwide (2018). Every year, 130 million babies are born, and 55 million people die. That is 15 000 births and 6 300 deaths each hour, or an annual rate of 1900 births and 800 deaths per 100 000 population. By the way, in 2016, the number of deaths among children under age 5 dropped below 5 million for the first time in modern history — down from 11 million deaths in 1990 and 16.4 million in 1970. But let us come to the relative importance of homicide: Of the 800 deaths per 100 000 population per year, only 6 or 7 are due to homicide, adding up to an absolute number of around half a million homicide victims per year worldwide. That is more than deaths of cancer of the pancreas (330 000), and even much more than deaths due to war and terrorism (even though that number went up by 140 per cent from 2006 to now 150 000) - but it is less than deaths due to breast cancer (571 000) or lung cancer (1.7 million). Compared with the total number of deaths due to non-communicable diseases (36 million) or even with suicide (800 000), homicide is (much) less frequent. Death by war, terrorism, and homicide are comparatively seldom. They seem to be a qualitative problem more than a quantitative one.

:"The study of intentional homicide is relevant not only because it is the study of the ultimate crime, whose ripple effect - efeito cascata - goes far beyond the initial loss of human life, but because lethal violence can create a climate of fear and uncertainty. Intentional homicide also victimizes the family and community of the victim, who can be considered secondary victims, and when justice is not served, impunity can lead to further victimization in the form of the denial of the basic human right to justice." (UNODC)

On the other hand, let us think for a minute. We have heard that the world's population is right now at 7.6 billion. And that quantitatively, homicide does not play a major role. But quantities have two sides. They can be regarded as rates, but also as absolute numbers. In absolute numbers, 500 000 homicide deaths are 500 000. And that is a lot more than the whole world had inhabitants in the middle of the 14th century, namely 370 million in the year 1350.