Organised violence is ravaging Central America and displacing thousands

[Judi Lynn]

Robert Muggah

Thursday 29 June 2017 08.52 EDT


A silent emergency is spreading across Central America and Mexico. Unprecedented numbers of men, women and children are fleeing the region’s violence-plagued cities and towns. They are seeking asylum in neighbouring countries, or are searching for safer ground closer to home. Two main factors are driving this displacement surge: organised violence and deportations.

The sheer scale of population displacement is breathtaking. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled the so-called northern triangle – El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – over the past five years. More than 161,000 people from these three countries applied for asylum to the US between 2011-2016. At least 714,000 more are internally displaced.

A significant number of the displaced are using illegal means to move, including human smuggling networks. Many never make it to their intended destination; at least 75,000 people have gone missing from Mexico and northern triangle countries over the past 15 years. Women and girls are especially vulnerable (pdf) to victimisation of all types.

Central Americans and Mexicans have good reason to seek sanctuary. Cities across the region are routinely among the most murderous in the world. The intensity and organisation of violence is staggering: 43 of the 50 most homicidal urban centres on the planet are located in Latin America and the Caribbean.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jun/29/organised-violence-is-ravaging-central-america-and-displacing-thousands