Most homicides in Morocco are committed by partners and family members, a study finds

Criminal activities kill more people than armed conflicts, a UN study concluded this week. The study published, Monday, by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) comes with shocking findings. It reveals that 464,000 people were killed in homicides in 2017 while only 86,000 lost their lives in armed conflicts during the same year.

Morocco is no exception in this respect, according to the report expanded into a special six-booklet format. Data compiled by the United Nations office features a series of statistics on the North African Kingdom.

In the Kingdom, most homicides are committed by an intimate partner of a family member, the Global Study on Homicide reported. Available data from 2016 shows that the highest share of homicides by type in Morocco is at around 29%. Similar shares are recorded in Canada, France and Sri Lanka.

8% of homicides in the North African Kingdom are caused by robbery, the second highest type of criminal activities leading to death in the country. Homicides committed by organized crime gangs is at 3%.

Killing under the influence of alcohol

Furthermore, the survey indicates that 3% of homicides in the Kingdom are committed with firearms, according to data from 2015. The similar share is recorded in South Korea. Highest shares, exceeding 80%, are registered in Jamaica, El Salvador and Puerto Rico.

In Morocco almost 100% of the share of people victims of homicide linked to gangs are men. Moreover, latest available data compiled by the report show that 19% of homicide perpetrators were under the influence of alcohol when they committed their crimes. In Algeria, only 12% of homicide perpetrators acted while drunk. The highest percentage for this category is recorded in Belarus.

According to the UN report, «the upward homicide trend in North Africa is based on just two cities and countries : Algiers, Algeria and Casablanca, Morocco».

Globally, the study warns that the largest share of intentional homicide in 2017 was «registered in the Americas (37 per cent), followed by Africa, which accounted for just over a third (35 per cent) of the total».

«Despite its large population, Asia accounted for less than a quarter of the total (23 per cent), while Europe (4.7 per cent) and Oceania (0.2 per cent) accounted for by far the smallest shares», the same source added.