Crisis Prevention and Recovery

Youth and Armed Violence Prevention in El Salvador

KEY STATISTICS ON ARMED VIOLENCE

In 2006, the homicide rate was 67.8 for 100,000 inhabitants, making El Salvador one of the most violent countries in the world.

Concentrated in cities, 80 percent of the victims of armed violence are between the age of 19 and 35.

The large majority of the homicides are caused by small arms and light weapons.

While armed violence affects more men (89 percent) than women (11 percent), the ratio of violence against women is estimated to have doubled in recent years from 6.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 1999 to 12.4 in 2006.

According to a study commissioned by UNDP El Salvador, the economic cost of armed violence reached an estimated USD 1.7 million in 2003, representing 11.5 percent of the country’s GDP for that year.

UNDP IN ACTION

In this context, UNDP has been supporting a programme for a 'Society Without Violence' with a particular focus on providing community-based youth groups (including girls) with the necessary space to discuss their concerns and identify solutions by and for themselves.

The project, Prevention and Response to Violence and Juvenile Delinquency at the Local Level, was developed in the framework of the Society Without Violence Programme. It has been implemented in seven municipalities with a high youth population. There, the project supported violence prevention in schools and helped create youth centres where needed. These centres gave the opportunity to disaffected youth to express their views and organize their own recreational activities.

Particular attention was placed on making sure girls could benefit from the initiative. At the start of the project, many young girls did not want to become members of the youth centres as their parents feared that they could be attacked on their way home from the centre. The project staff had to work with the parents to reassure them and show them the benefits of their girls’ attendance. Through theatre and other artistic activities, the project was also able to further sensitize the community about a number of traditionally sensitive issues, such as domestic violence.

Photo caption: Drawing from a child in El Salvador. Source: UNDP/El Salvador