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The Northern Triangle: The Most Violent Region in the World

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Posted: February 24th, 2016

After 10,500 unaccompanied minors crossed the U.S.-Mexico border, seeking asylum in October and November, many asked, what kind of parents would send their children on such a dangerous journey to an uncertain future?  Well, when you’re from the world’s most violent region not at war, the cost-benefit calculus changes. 

In 2015, the Northern Triangle region, which is comprised of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, totaled 17,422 homicides. Although Guatemala and Honduras have seen some improvements in levels of violence over the last year, the region as a whole saw an 11 percent rise in homicide rates since 2014, and these three countries still individually rank in the top five countries with the most homicides in the world.  In comparison, there were approximately 1,700 homicides in 2014 in California, which has just about the same population as the Northern Triangle counties combined.

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