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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 9:39 pm
Time: 9:39 pm
Results for pandillas
2 results foundAuthor: Sida Title: Maras and Youth Gangs, Community and Police in Central America Summary: The presence of criminal youth gangs – called pandillas in Spanish – has long since become an almost permanent feature of everyday life in Central America even if their number, geographical distribution and exact character have varied over the time and from country to country. However, during the last decade a qualitatively different kind of criminal youth gang has developed and firmly established themselves in three countries of the region – El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. This new type of gang – called maras – has rapidly become a major concern for the governments of these countries and a source of deep fear among the population living on the outskirts of cities and in poorer urban districts. The maras consist of groups of youths aged 8 to 35 who aim to control whole neighbourhoods or territories, making membership of the mara their lifestyle and identity, and crime their way of life. There are many different branches of maras, although the two most feared and well-known are the Mara 18 and the Mara Salvatrucha, both originating in the city of Los Angeles, USA. Estimates of the number of mara members in Central America vary widely, but the figure is likely to be in the range of 70,000 to 100,000, with the highest number present in Honduras, followed by El Salvador and then Guatemala. Maras constitute an urban sub-culture of a special kind, giving their members not only a sense of belonging but also of protection, pride and power. Their identity is reinforced by special rites, by a terminology of their own and self-invented symbols, such as their numerous and very visible tattoos. Solidarity with the mara is of supreme value, and to betray the group may be punishable by death. Mara members do not dedicate themselves to crime exclusively – they also participate in the normal labour market and share many leisure time interests with other young people. However, their criminal activities are frequent and include extortion, armed robbery, assault and kidnapping, as well as – increasingly, it seems – retailing drugs on the street. Murder is commonplace and may also be committed as a reference for power and controlling group behaviour. They have also been linked to lucrative border-crossing arrangements (from Guatemala to Mexico), trafficking in human beings as well as in arms, and it also appears that they are used as professional “torpedoes” and killers by groups of organized crime. Their main fight is against rival gangs for control of territory, which is generally identified by graffiti. In this fight, anyone – of any age – who has a friend or family member belonging to a rival gang may be “marked” (raped, or severely hurt) or even killed – in order to humiliate the enemy and convey a message to them. In the three Central American countries which are most affected, a considerable number of municipalities and/or city blocks are effectively under the control of different maras. Details: Stockholm, Sweden: Sida, 2008. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 21, 2013 at: http://www.sida.se/Global/About%20Sida/Nyhetsarkiv/Nyhetsarkiv%202009/Dokument/Maras_and_Youth_Gangs,_Community_and_Police_in_Central_America%5B1%5D.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Central America URL: http://www.sida.se/Global/About%20Sida/Nyhetsarkiv/Nyhetsarkiv%202009/Dokument/Maras_and_Youth_Gangs,_Community_and_Police_in_Central_America%5B1%5D.pdf Shelf Number: 129119 Keywords: Gang ViolenceMarasPandillasViolent CrimesYouth Gangs (Central America) |
Author: Carranza, Marlon Title: Detention or Death: Where the “pandillero” kids of El Salvador are heading Summary: This report focuses on organised territorial youth gangs, known as ‘maras’ or ‘pandillas.’ The two pandillas focused on were: Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS) and Barrio 18. Part One gives a contextualised summary of these groups. Part Two takes a closer look at the human face of this phenomenon, with profiles of individuals involved. Part Three examines possible solutions to the problem, with an evaluation of relevant social programmes and policies. A full-length version of the report summarised in this chapter can be found at www.coav.org.br. Details: COAV (Children and youth in Organised Armed Violence’), 2004. 22p. (Executive Summary; Full Report in Spanish at www.coav.org.br) Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 26, 2013 at: http://www.coav.org.br/publique/media/elsalvadoring.pdf Year: 2004 Country: El Salvador URL: http://www.coav.org.br/publique/media/elsalvadoring.pdf Shelf Number: 129163 Keywords: Gang ViolenceMarasPandillasYouth Gangs (El Salvador) |