Self published, 2020
Since the global COVID-19 pandemic hit, the world has seen an unprecedented increase in the amount of deaths. All the while, some countries in Latin America have simultaneously seen a dramatic reduction in their homicide rates and this is particularly prominent in the Central American country, El Salvador. For a country like El Salvador where violence is usually rife, this is a much-welcomed change. El Salvador has been perforated with extreme violence and widespread poverty since the end of the violent civil war, which ended in 1992 and since then it has been slow in its recovery- both socially and economically.
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One of the major challenges the country faces is the issue of gang crime. The homicide rates in El Salvador have been some of the highest in the world and it sits alongside countries who are currently in war-zones. In February this year, there were 114 gang-related deaths in the country and in previous months this peaked to a colossal 600. The government implemented a 30-day lockdown on the 21st March in response to the pandemic and since then the murder rates have plummeted to a death rate of 65 in that month. Which may still sound like a lot to some readers, but this is certainly a much-welcomed changed for a country the size of Wales.
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El Salvador was the first country in Latin America to implement such extreme measures in response to the pandemic, despite there having been no confirmed COVID-19 cases. Additionally, the Salvadoran government has imposed evening curfews, travel restrictions and also advised its citizens to stay at home, with only one person per household permitted to leave to buy essentials, such as food and medicine.
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The implementation of these measures was largely influenced by Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s relatively new and reform-orientated president. At aged 38, Bukele is currently the youngest president in Latin America and upon taking office in June 2019, he quickly began to implement a new security plan, called the Territorial Control Plan. This plan has been highly effective in tackling the country’s crime rates and El Salvador has seen a 60% drop in the homicide rates in the first 7 months of him being in office.
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However, Bukele’s approach to governance has been perceived by Western media as controversial and somewhat authoritarian. On the first day of the lockdown, 269 people were arrested and taken against their will to a center for isolation. The conditions in the isolation center are said to be ‘unhygienic and cramped’. Additionally, Human Rights Watch has since called upon Bukele to ensure his lockdown measures are in alignment with current human rights laws, as there were reported incidents of intimidation and violence upon the population by the Salvadoran military.
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Nevertheless, he is seen by the population as a breath of fresh air, a doer and reformer, in a country where the four former presidents have been investigated for corruption. Ultimately, he is a populist who rides the waves of anti-establishment politics, by disrupting the country’s traditional and somewhat ineffective two-party system.
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Bukele has not taken on an easy task of tackling the incessant issue of gang crime in El Salvador. However, Bukele has so far been delivering on the promises he made during his campaign to attract foreign investment. He has secured investments from both China and Mexico, which will help develop the country’s infrastructure and build on initiatives for social development.
Bukele’s approach is undoubtedly controversial, but the decline of homicide rates in the country is unquestionable. Therefore, his unique approach to the management and containment of the pandemic could indeed pave the way for him to implement tighter security measures for the future of the country, particularly regarding gang crime.