HUMAN RIGHTS IN CENTRAL AMERICA Shaina Aber Policy
HUMAN RIGHTS IN CENTRAL AMERICA Shaina Aber Policy Director, National Advocacy Office, Jesuit Conference
Current U. S. Policy Toward Central America • Military and Security Assistance for over a decade drug interdictions + police/military assistance • Development Assistance on the table “Plan Biden” vs. Alliance for Prosperity • Border Militarization to “stem the tide”
What We See • Violence – Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador are three of the most violent countries in the world Chart Source: Center for American Progress
What We See • In July 2014, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women noted that violent deaths of women in Honduras increased 263. 4 percent between 2005 and 2013. Chart Source: La Voz del Pueblo Toolkit
What We See • Impunity, Corruption, and Complicity – 5% conviction rate for murders in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras – In each country, examples of corruption at local and national level • Particularly true for Guatemala and Honduras • El Salvador – troubling militarization of society in response to rampant gang violence
What We See • Migration of People in Need of Protection – # of refugees arriving from C. America to the U. S. has decreased since last year, but crisis continues • Interception of refugees and migrants before reaching the U. S. border • Vulnerable people being returned without due process and sometimes resulting in grave harm and even death
Solutions • Stop harmful military resourcing, including on the borders of Guatemala, Honduras and Mex • Focus on building the capacity of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala to respond to the human security and development needs of their people through civil society and state institutions • Provide Central Americans who arrive at the US border with due process and stop the use of immigration detention
Questions?
- Slides: 8