How Poverty Affects Crime And Violence In Venezuela Essay Example

Have you ever been so hungry that you are willing to risk your life just to get food? This is the daily life of people living in Venezuela. According to Noelani Kirschner, "ninety-one percent of people live in poverty, and nearly a third of people are food insecure or malnourished.” In recent years with the rise of Covid 19, many people are not able to find work, and this has caused them to steal and join gangs for the sake of survival. Lastly, since many people are in poverty, there have not been many items to steal, and this has caused them to go to extreme measures. Poverty affects crime and violence by causing large-scale corruption, an ever-increasing crime rate, which ultimately leads to the economic collapse of the country.                                                                                                                      

To begin, armed groups and political corruption have become a very big problem in recent years. According to the world report “a special police force, and others have killed and tortured with impunity in low-income communities, instilling fear and maintaining social control.” This shows how people in power have taken advantage of the situation, and have used it to their advantage. High-level government officials also committed serious crimes. According to the US Department of Justice, “Maduro and other elected officials used the US banking system to move their dirty money from South America and further enrich themselves.” High-level officials used their positions in government to illegally transfer their ill-gotten gains, which shows why corruption is still very rampant in Venezuela. Overall, these issues are still very prominent in Venezuela and show no signs of abating.

 Furthermore, other crimes including robbery have also become necessary for people to survive. “They end up doing things such as stealing a car, kidnapping, and even murder – because they say they have no other choice,” says Ciara Nugent. People steal items and commit other crimes, mainly for the sake of survival. This also explains why robberies and other crimes have become so widespread. According to Beth Meth Shredian,” Fewer bank robberies are occurring because there’s not much cash left in the banks. Besides, who can afford to save?” Poverty has affected the entire population, even thieves. Robberies have become much more difficult, leading to other forms of serious crimes. Robberies and other crimes have become a necessity for some of these people, but violent crimes are growing at an even faster rate. 

All of the major problems in Venezuela including, robberies, corruption, and violence have mainly been caused by hyperinflation and government overspending. According to BBC.com,” years of lack of investment in infrastructure further exacerbated by the more recent US sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector which has crippled this key industry, and provides almost all of Venezuela's government revenue.” Economic mismanagement has caused the country to lose most of its revenue. In addition, the government   did not invest enough into the economy. Instead, Maduro abused his power as the president and took the money for himself. “Billions of dollars are being stolen or are otherwise unaccounted for. Resources have been squandered,  enriching high-level officials and their cronies” says Gustavo Coronel. The president and other corrupt government officials have abused their power, and this is why the country is in this position. In conclusion, government corruption,  mismanagement, and overspending are mainly what started the economic collapse of the country. 

Overall, Poverty affects crime and violence by causing large-scale government corruption, increasing other forms of crimes, and ultimately leading to the collapse of the country. According to Lord Acton,” The proverb, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” means that whenever a person has power over other people or things, it makes him/her corrupt. It morally destroys their nature and fills them with destructive pride.” This shows how power corrupts a person and morally destroys them, and this is exactly what happened to president Nicolas Maduro. His want for power is what made the country collapse, and this shows how Nicaulaud Maduros is not to be trusted.