Crime

In the past years El Salvador has experienced high crime rates including gang-related crimes and juvenile delinquency. Some say that this was a result of the deportation of thousands of Salvadorans from the U.S, the majority of whom were members of MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha, MS, or La Mara), in the mid-90s. The gangs in which Salvadorans had been involved in the United States began to show up in El Salvador.

Today El Salvador experiences some of the highest murder rates in the Latin America; it is also considered an epicenter of the gang crisis, along with Guatemala and Honduras. In response to this, the government has set up countless programs to try to guide the youth away from gang membership; so far its efforts have not produced any quick results.

One of the government programs was a gang-reform called “Super Mano Dura” (Super Firm Hand). Super Mano Dura had little success and was highly criticized by the U.N. It saw temporary success in 2004 but then saw a rise in crime after 2005. In 2004, the rate of intentional homicides per 100,000 citizens was 41, with 60% of the homicides committed were gang-related.

The Salvadoran government reported that the Super Mano Dura gang legislation led to a 14% drop in murders in 2004. However, El Salvador recorded a total of 552 murders in January and February 2005 alone. In addition, crime rose 7.5% in just a year, from 2005-2006.

Homicides are among the highest with respect to the overall crime rate. Intentional homicides reported in 2006 reached up to 3,928 from 3,778 in 2005, and a rate of 35 violent deaths per every 100,000 people.

The well most known maras are Mara Salvatrucha and their rivals Calle 18; maras are, or at least were, hunted by death squads including Sombra Negra. New rivals also include the former rising mara, The Rebels 13.

Prostitution

In El Salvador, prostitution itself is not illegal, but the law prohibits inducing, facilitating, promoting or giving incentives to a person to work as a prostitute (operating brothels or prostitution rings is illegal). The prostitution of children (those under 18) is illegal. Prostitution is common in San Salvador.

Child prostitution is a problem. An NGO study in 1998 indicated that at least 44 % of the estimated 1,300 prostitutes in 3 major red light districts of San Salvador were between the ages of 13 and 18. Among all prostitutes of the country, between 10 and 25 percent of visible prostitutes are minors, and an estimated 40 percent of the hidden prostitutes who cater to upper-class clients are believed to be minors, according to a UNICEF study released in 2000.