In 1980, a civil war, which had been brewing since the 1930s, finally broke out in El Salvador. This war witnessed the deaths of nearly 75,000 people, mainly civilians, until it ended in 1992 (Kane). During those twelve years, thousands of people fled to the United States for reasons ranging from avoiding recruitment into rebel groups or the army, to escaping seeing their last day too early, or to earn money for their families when the main source of income had been cut off (whether because someone lost their job or had been killed) (Blanco). Whatever the reason was, the civil war brought many people to believe that the only way they could have a better and safer life, was by fleeing their homeland.

The people that fled from El Salvador during the period of war included not only families and young people but also army and guerrilla deserters. Many people ended up in Los Angeles at a time when the city was divided into three prominent racial neighborhoods: The Chinese neighborhood, the black neighborhood, and the Latino neighborhood. Like most minorities, the Latino group (which included Salvadorans) lived “marginalized [lives]” (Garsd) which resulted in the formation of self-defense groups attempting to protect their community from anyone attempting to “steal or inflict damage” and any other kind of abuse (Garsd). However, once things started getting out of hand in Los Angeles in the 1990s, the United States started to deport the members of the “self-defense groups,” that had committed various crimes and murders, back to El Salvador (Garsd). (An act, in my opinion, that was extremely negligent on the part of the U.S.)

Once these group members returned to El Salvador, there was no set plan of what to do with them because a police force had barely been set up and the country was still getting back on its feet from the civil war. The members of these groups often were left in limbo due to having been forced out of a place they had begun to call home and feeling like they had no place to return to (many had had families that were killed during the war or families back in the states) (Garsd) and for various reasons, killing and extorting came as an easier way of life than finding jobs and rebuilding communities for themselves. As the years progressed, the “maras” or criminal gangs (for lack of a better translation), gained power by instilling fear into civilians (whether through threats or murders) and by working with police or politicians (Blanco, Christina).

Currently, there are two main rival criminal gangs in El Salvador: Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18. These two rival gangs had been committing a large number of crimes in order to become the top gang in the country (Blanco, Christina) and “for control of territory so that they can expand their extortion rackets, trade in drugs and engage in other forms of organized crime” (Grillo). A truce between the two gangs was made in March 2012 and initially, it appeared that it had been successful because the homicide rates had dropped dramatically (Lohmuller). However, only a year after, the number of homicides has skyrocketed to reach the amount of murders per month seen during the civil war (Watson). It appeared that the period of truce only served as a period where the gangs were strengthening themselves (Blanco, Christina). The month of June 2015 alone saw 677 murders (Watson) and 907 during the month of August 2015 ("El Salvador violence up to civil war-era level - BBC News"). This violence led to “6,656 killings in the country last year”. These numbers have pushed El Salvador to be considered “the world’s most violent country and it’s capital, San Salvador, the world’s most homicidal city” (Muggah).

The criminal gang violence has a large effect on how the citizens of El Salvador live their lives. Young girls throughout the country are being kidnapped and raped, many being forced to become a criminal gang member’s girlfriend (or risk being killed if she refuses), or some, seeing no other option, are fleeing the country. Some girls that do not see fleeing the country as an option, end up locking themselves in their rooms and only ever leave to go to school or to help out around their homes (McEvers and Garsd). People avoid going out once the sun goes down because there is more risk to be outside at night (Blanco, Christina). Even rumors about what might lead to someone’s death can lead people to change their day to day lives. A rumor on social media had been being spread around that only girlfriends of members of either criminal gang were allowed to have blonde or red hair therefore women were rushing into salons to have their hair dyed to a darker color. Although police and criminal gangs denied that the rumors were true, no one is willing to take a chance (WITW Staff).

In the criminal gangs, one can find boys as young as 7 or 8 but the most common ages of entry are between the ages of 12-16 (Garsd). To be initiated into the criminal gangs, boys have to be beaten up by existing members to prove that they have what it takes to join (Blanco, Christina). The reasons people decide to join can vary, but two prominent reasons include wanting to have a family and wanting an identity. Many of the members of the criminal gangs come from abusive and broken homes and believe that by joining these groups, they will finally have the family they always desired. Being that many join at a time when they are still unsure of who they are or what they believe in, joining the criminal gangs gives them a quick identity because all they need to do is wear the clothes, perform the gestures, get the tattoos, etc. (Garsd).

These criminal gangs are performing acts that could be seen as savage. However, unlike what some people seem to suggest, exterminating them is not the answer. They grew up with violence and in a country whose history is surrounded by violence. Many have not known any other life. To counteract the deeds that many are committing, it would be better to give them opportunities (a way out) and give them psychological help. “The violence doesn't exist because of the gangs. The gangs exist because of the violence” (Garsd).

Sources

Blanco, Arnoldo. "Personal Experience During the Civil War." Telephone interview.

Blanco, Christina. "The Current Situation with Gangs in El Salvador." Telephone interview.

"El Salvador Violence up to Civil War-era Level - BBC News." BBC News. 2 Sept. 2015. Web. 1

Garsd, Jasmine. "How El Salvador Fell Into A Web Of Gang Violence." NPR. NPR, 5 Oct. 2015. Web.

Grillo, Ioan. "El Salvador's 'War Without Sense'" Time. Time, 24 July 2015. Web.

Kane, Maureen. "Civil War in El Salvador." Civil War in El Salvador. 1 Dec. 2002. Web.

McEvers, Kelly and Garsd Jasmine. "The Surreal Reasons Girls Are Disappearing In El Salvador: #15Girls." NPR. NPR, 5 Oct. 2015. Web.

Muggah, Robert. "It's Official: San Salvador Is the Murder Capital of the World." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 02 Mar. 2016. Web.

Lohmuller, Michael. "Salvadoran President Rejects Gang Truce, Security Policy Remains Unclear." COHA. 13 June 2014. Web.

WITW Staff. "Women in El Salvador Dye Their Hair to Escape Gang Violence." Women in the World in Association with The New York Times WITW. New York Times, 29 June 2015. Web. 13

Watson, Katy. "Ending the Cycle of Gang Violence in El Salvador - BBC News." BBC News. BBC, 3 Aug. 2015. Web.

Watts, Jonathan. "One Murder Every Hour: How El Salvador Became the Homicide Capital of the World." The Guardian. 22 Aug. 2015. Web.