"Sitting on a bench in the centre of the capital Santiago, Fernando Carrasco peers over his shoulder as a man with a large duffel bag takes a seat nearby. The 62-year-old grandfather clutches his cellphone tightly. He lowers his voice. These days you can't wander the streets after nine at night in the [urban] core, he says. It's dangerous everywhere. On the bus. On the subway. It didn't used to be like that."
"Chile has charted high if not first in world rankings about countries most preoccupied with violence. The research firm Ipsos found that, as of last year, the proportion of Chileans afraid of crime remained double the global average, at a rate of 63 percent. Chile is one of the most fearful countries in the world, said Daniel Johnson, the executive director of Fundacion Paz Ciudadana, an organisation that monitors the issue."
Public fear of violent crime has become the defining issue in Chile's presidential runoff between far-right lawmaker Jose Antonio Kast and centre-left candidate Jeannette Jara. Many Chileans report heightened personal insecurity in everyday settings such as buses, subways and city streets, and routine activities are being curtailed after dark. Polling and research show Chileans' fear of crime is far above the global average, with Ipsos finding a 63 percent fear rate and Fundacion Paz Ciudadana describing the country as among the most fearful in the world. Rising concern over security is reshaping electoral dynamics.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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