[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 49 (Monday, March 31, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E449-E450]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




ON RISING VIOLENT CRIME IN THE CARIBEEAN AND WHAT SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT 
                                   IT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 31, 2008

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the 
pressing matter of increasing violent crime in the Caribbean and to 
introduce a New York CARIB News editorial that eloquently elucidates 
the problems and speaks to possible solutions. A conflux of drugs, 
guns, disaffected youth, and poverty has gripped the area's island 
nations, particularly Jamaica, with a world-leading 59 homicides for 
every 100,000 people. This is an issue neither solely endemic, nor of 
sole concern, to the Caribbean. The international community, rather, 
must accept its contribution to the problem, in the way of an 
aggressive international drug trade and the rampant sale of small arms. 
The Caribbean itself must do its part to draw its youth away from 
criminality and hopelessness, and invest in their educations and 
financial security.

Guns, Drugs and Murder a Lethal Combination in Caribbean--Where Is the 
                International Community and Gun Makers?

       ``The Caribbean Sun, sea and murder.''
       That unsettling headline atop an equally disturbing story 
     about violence in the Caribbean was summarized in a shocking 
     fashion by The Economist, one of the English language's 
     leading weekly news publications.
       ``Indeed,'' it stated, ``the Caribbean better known for its 
     blue skies, cricket and rum punch, is the world leader in 
     violent crime.''
       While that may be something of an over-statement, the fact 
     of the matter is that the picture is deeply troubling and 
     needs urgent attention, not simply by Caribbean governments 
     but the international community.
       Some numbing figures tell much of the story about homicides 
     in a part of the world where people and their government are 
     wedded to law and order, tranquility and democracy. With 59 
     homicides for every 100,000 persons in the country, Jamaica 
     heads the list as ``the world's most murderous country,'' 
     according to the magazine. Some distance away were St. 
     Vincent & the Grenadines 36; Belize 33; St. Kitts-Nevis 32; 
     Trinidad and Tobago 30; the Bahamas 25; and Antigua & Barbuda 
     23 for every 100,000 persons.
       It's not difficult to figure out why this tragic situation 
     has evolved in a part of the world that's known as a bit of 
     paradise on earth. Drugs, guns and disaffected youth sum up 
     the story. Add poverty to the mix and the situation comes 
     into proper perspective.
       The Caribbean has been the soft underbelly of the 
     international drug trade for decades. Illegal narcotics, 
     especially cocaine and some heroin are ferried through the 
     region from South America by Colombia, Bolivia and Venezuela 
     and destined for North America and Europe.
       In addition, some Caribbean states, including Jamaica and 
     St. Vincent & the Grenadines are considered by law 
     enforcement authorities in the United States and Canada as 
     significant marijuana growers.
       Because guns and ammunition are companions in the nefarious 
     drug trade, it shouldn't come as a surprise to learn there is 
     a flood of small arms in the region. Almost every country has 
     reported a rising incidence of the use of guns in criminal 
     activity. Law enforcement authorities are reporting more and 
     more cases of drug-related offences in which guns are a 
     factor. Next are the armed robberies; kidnappings, shootings, 
     and as the story indicated homicides.
       The countries seem unable to stem the drug tide and the 
     importation of guns. With wide open waterways and beaches, 
     most of them find it virtually impossible to put a dent in 
     violent crime. Perhaps the most dramatic and frightening 
     incident in recent years was the massacre in Lusignan, the 
     East Coast Demerara village of East Indians late last month. 
     Eleven men, women and children were slaughtered in their 
     homes by criminals. The killing of a soldier by a merciless 
     gang brought the death toll to an appalling dozen persons. 
     What then can be and must be done?

[[Page E450]]

       Caribbean governments are already diverting scarce 
     resources from education, health, roads, bridges, services to 
     the elderly and the youth in order to boost law enforcement. 
     They recognize two things: (1) their nationals and businesses 
     must be able to feel safe on the streets, stores, offices, 
     factories and homes, and (2) the vital tourism industry can 
     be undermined if visitors stop going to the beautiful 
     destinations because of a fear of crime.
       Interestingly, crime and violence aren't always seen by the 
     populace as pressing issues. They barely registered on the 
     political radar screens during recently general election 
     campaigns in the Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados. But in 
     Trinidad and Tobago where kidnappings and killings drive fear 
     into people's hearts, there are growing calls for the use of 
     capital punishment as something of a deterrent.
       Already, the prisons in almost every nation are overcrowded 
     and except for the acquisition of sophisticated equipment, 
     more powerful guns and better training of cops, there is 
     nothing that the countries have not already tried.
       Crime has featured prominent at the summits of the region's 
     heads of government and the subject is expected to be raised 
     again.
       But the international community must also do its part. 
     Until the United States and Europe in particular address the 
     issue of the demand for illegal narcotics, the Caribbean 
     would remain highly vulnerable. Washington must also re-
     evaluate its stance at the United Nations and elsewhere on 
     the sale of small arms. The Caribbean isn't a producer or 
     exporter of guns, yet deadly weapons are in the hands of 
     people everywhere. At a time when the U.S. is said to be 
     fighting terrorists at home, most of the guns being used to 
     kill people next door in its neighbors have a made in U.S. 
     label on them.
       The world's rich countries can ill-afford to turn a blind 
     eye to the peril caused by the twin evils of guns and drugs.
       Of course, the Caribbean must deal with the problem of 
     disaffected poor youths, most of them males, who have 
     seemingly lost their way and have little desire for an 
     education that would enable them to become productive 
     citizens. That's a dangerous trend because in the years 
     ahead, the islands and coastal states would have hundreds of 
     thousands of people who are unprepared for the challenges of 
     life in a highly sophisticated world. That would heighten 
     frustration and can lead to more crime.
       Bringing back hanging isn't going to solve anything. The 
     death penalty has never been an effective deterrent to curb 
     crime.
       The international community must consider rising crime in 
     developing countries as a global issue that requires 
     financial and other resources. The poorer states too must 
     join hands to tackle the problem.
       Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados are acting wisely 
     in strengthening their coast guard and other security forces 
     to ``choke the influx of drugs, and guns,'' recognizing that 
     success in a few countries would simply mean the narcotics 
     merchants would find another route to ply their trade.

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