Colombia continues to struggle with violence.

The author discusses the public health problem of violence in Colombia. He mentions that many of those murdered are young men residing in urban areas and that many have been killed due to the country's ongoing civil war. He notes that a recent decrease in the homicide rate in Colombia has been attributed to the policies of its president, Alvaro Uribe. The disbanding of some paramilitary groups has led those fighters to turn to crime and population displacement contributes to the crime rate. Gang violence, alcohol use and a culture of violence are explored.