These central and south american countries really are not that bad or dangerous. Propaganda, a lot stemming from our side, has us believing that they are incredibly dangerous and you're very likely to be kidnapped if you even visit. This isn't true.

For perspective, try to find what other countries say about the US. They tell tourists that if you visit US, it's likely you'll become a victim of a mass shooting. They rank us the same as they rank south american countries, which they have a similar view on as US does. That should be all you need to see to understand that it's all propaganda.

You can safely visit these countries. And these people can safely live in those countries. It's fine.