Associated Press (AP) kunne i går fortælle (via Google), at Venezuela forventes at forbyde både voldelige computerspil, men også voldeligt legetøj senere denne uge. Venezuela har igennem de senere år oplevet en ganske mærkbar stigning i antallet af voldsepisoder og mord og går derfor lidt mere drastisk til værks end hvad man normalt ser. Du bør dog huske på, at artiklen er forfattet af en amerikansk journalist. USA ikke ligefrem er bedste venner med Hugo Chavez’ Venezuela efter han nationaliserede amerikanske “interesser” i stor stil. Holder mordstatistikkerne stik, er der dog tale om ganske voldsomme tal.
In a bid to curb that trend, Venezuela’s National Assembly is on track to prohibit violent video games and toys. The proposed legislation, which received initial approval in September, is expected to get a final vote in the coming weeks.
Parents applaud the proposed ban. But critics argue the bill is little more than a public relations stunt by supporters of President Hugo Chavez to camouflage his government’s inability to deal with Venezuela’s rampant violent crime — the country’s most pressing problem according to public opinion polls.
Chavez’s government stopped releasing complete annual murder figures in 2005 amid rising concerns. But last year, the Justice Ministry said homicides averaged 152 a week, or roughly 7,900 for the year. That’s more than five times the murder rate in Texas, which has roughly the same population as Venezuela.

























