Homicides rose more sharply in La Matanza than in any other part of Buenos Aires Province last year, with 155 recorded — 11 more than in 2023.
A report by the Buenos Aires Province Public Prosecutor’s Office, accessed by Agencia Noticias Argentinas, reveals that 848 murders took place in 2024, 17.6 percent of which occurred in La Matanza.
Of those victims, 83.6 percent were men and 16.4 percent were women — a category that includes trans and travesti individuals, according to the report.
The data shows violence is hitting hardest in the Conurbano, the ring of municipalities that encircles Buenos Aires City.
La Matanza, in the western Conurbano, is the most populous municipality in the province, with more than two million residents.
Its name — which translates literally as “the slaughter” — dates back to a 16th-century battle between Spanish conquistadors and Indigenous peoples along the banks of the nearby river.
“The judicial departments with the highest homicide rates in 2024 were La Matanza, at 8.11 percent [per 100,000 inhabitants]; Moreno–General Rodríguez, 7.69 percent; Lomas de Zamora, 6.07 percent; and San Martín, 5.87 percent,” the provincial report states.
In Greater Buenos Aires, La Plata and Mar del Plata, the homicide rate was 5.48 victims per 100,000 inhabitants, while in the province's interior, the figure was significantly lower at 2.42.
Over the course of the year, authorities launched 1,896 preliminary criminal investigations (IPPs) for intentional homicides. Of those, 42.9 percent were homicides and 57.1 percent were attempted homicides.
In 56.8 percent of cases, the killing took place in a public space. Another 33.7 percent occurred inside a residence.
Public-space killings most often stemmed from interpersonal disputes, which accounted for 29.4 percent of those cases. Robberies were the second most common cause, at 14.3 percent.
Within homes, 28.8 percent of killings were femicides. Other causes included interpersonal conflict (16.1 percent), robbery (15.7 percent) and domestic violence (12.4 percent).
One especially alarming finding emerged when analysing the motives behind homicides: 70.5 percent of female victims were killed in femicides.
Firearms were the most common weapon used in the killings, involved in 59.1 percent of cases. Improvised weapons — including sharp or blunt objects, physical force or fire — accounted for 19.0 percent.
Among the 1,168 individuals charged or identified in these cases, 92.3 percent were adults, while just 7.7 percent were minors.
– TIMES/NA
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