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Yesterday, the INEGI released numbers that show that public perception in regards to insecurity in Mexico is starting to decrease. In July, 73.9% of the population over 18 said they considered that their cities are insecure; this is only a 0.7% decrease , compared to the previous trimester but 2 points less than the index registered in 2018, 75.9%. Although there might not be evidence of a lower number of crimes , it is likely that the announcement of the deployment of the National Guard influenced society's perception.
In contrast with p ublic perception , there has been an alarming increase in regards to the perception of violence against women . After comparing the perception of insecurity between men and women, women perceive more violence and the gap has been increasing. In 2018, 79.6% of women considered that the place where they lived was insecure, in contrast with 71.3% of males; there was an 8.3 point gap between both genders. In 2019 , the female and male perception slightly decreased, 78.7% against 68.2%, the gap increased by 10.5%. The insecurity perception decreased, but now for everyone.
Another alarming sign is the constant mention of the same location in these indexes. In the last five polls released by the INEGI , Ecatepec is always among the five most insecure places; it was also been named the most dangerous place twice. Ecatepec is followed by Villahermosa , in the state of Tabasco , one of the most insecure regions in the country since the insecurity perception indexes are always above 90%. What strategies have local authorities adopted to change public perception ? It seems like in the last year, the problem hasn't been a priority or the plans implemented have failed.
The poll results show numbers that are quite close to reality, which, in theory, should be used to promote the implementation of public policies to solve specific issues.
The study presented by the INEGI shows two alarming realities. On one hand, women don't feel as safe as men do, and on the other, there are cities that show apathy to eradicate the insecurity atmosphere in the region, to say the least.
Every government should aim to guarantee the security of its inhabitants. Nevertheless, the results published by the INEGI show that the government is indebted to society.
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