Uruguay strengthens crime measurement with launch of new National Victimization Survey
On November 29, Uruguay took a crucial step towards strengthening its crime and security perception measurement system with the launch of the new National Victimization Survey, an effort led by the National Statistics Institute (INE) in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior. This progress was made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Center of Excellence for Statistical Information on Government, Public Safety, Victimization and Justice (CoE), which provided technical assistance to align the survey with the international standards of the VICLAC Initiative (Crime Victimization Survey in Latin America and the Caribbean).
The presentation workshop, organized by INE, was attended by representatives of civil society, academia and government entities related to security. Under the direction of Diego Aboal, Director of INE, and Diego Sanjurjo, Coordinator of Integral and Preventive Security Strategies of the Ministry of the Interior, they highlighted the advances in the integration of the questionnaire, which position Uruguay as a regional leader in the measurement of crime.In their interventions, both stressed the importance of having tools that allow the analysis of victimization in accordance with international standards, while adapting them to the local realities of the country.
The day included the participation of the CoE, represented by its Coordinator Adriana Oropeza, who presented the fundamentals of the VICLAC Initiative: international standards, links with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the work stages necessary to implement the survey. During the question and answer session, participants shared their comments on the proposal and Justo Rojas, CoE technician, addressed doubts related to the implementation of the questionnaire and shared experiences from other countries.
Among the examples highlighted were the differentiation of urban and rural contexts in Colombia, the weapons possession module in Saint Lucia, and the categorization of stolen vehicles in the Dominican Republic.
The workshop concluded with a clear agreement: to continue working in the coming months to carry out the National Victimization Survey, integrating the particular conditions of Uruguay while respecting the international standards of the United Nations. This collective achievement, led by INE and the Ministry of Interior, with the technical support of the CoE, not only strengthens the country’s capacity to monitor and prevent crime, but also positions Uruguay as a benchmark in the region for the construction of reliable and high quality security statistics.