The Reality of Gender Inequality and Violence in El Salvador

I have always been a strong believer in women’s rights. Gender inequality strikes a nerve within me for the reason that I am partly still astonished this discussion still persists. Women on a global scale have suffered immensely from the lack of even just basic human rights. This inequality is a worldwide cultural phenomenon that women are less valued than men and at times seen and treated as possessions rather than human beings. In the United States, this long going fight has slowly but surely made progression. However, in other parts of the world this matter is only getting worse; much, much worse.

El Salvador is the smallest populated country in Central America, with only about six million people residing there. However as dense as it is, it has the highest rate of femicide in the world.

The killing of women just because they are women.

The topic I have chosen, gender inequality and violence in El Salvador, is a relevant issue that has been going on for years with no resolution. It is controversial because it challenges a whole country’s perception of women, an ideal so harshly embedded within their culture. Aside from women, violence in El Salvador is astonishingly extreme in all aspects of society. I chose this as my topic of choice because I find it fascinating and simultaneously horrifying to know of the brutality that goes on within this country. For the people who live there, walking down the street and encountering corpses is very normal. I cannot ever imagine living in such a place, or feeling hopeless and imprisoned in my own home.

In El Salvador, sexism is very much valued as thousands celebrate “machismo,” or agrressive male pride. It is because of this violent male culture that women are facing extreme bloodshed. However, to make matters worse there is also no guaranteed protection from the state. The ineffectiveness of institutions and impunity is what makes violence against women socially acceptable and normalized. Women are continually raped, torutured, murdered, and then discarded like litter along the streets and alleyways. This horrific mistreatment even dates back to the brutal civil war in El Salvador that ended a generation ago. The road to any long term solution is a very long one, as the problem is a very rooted social dynamic.

In this small Central American country, it is very much like a war zone. There was 1,399 murders in just the first two months of 2016, turning what many call home into the most violent peacetime nation in the world. It is also on it’s way to holding the highest murder rates, with an average of 24 people killed in a day. However, this number always varies as many murders go unreported.

This violence that has now become the social norm links to the rivalry between the youth gangs Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. These gangs control all the major cities, targeting the poorest neighborhoods. As a response, the government of El Salvador has tried multiple efforts in order to restrain this brutality. Cops and soldiers have joined in the bloodshed themselves by executing gang members, but it only makes matters worse as it fuels the blood thirst within the gangs. As a result, violence only continues to persist within the country in all facets of society.

The gang culture in EL Salvador is very real and visible, but the violence against women is something in itself that continues to be overlooked. While this small Central American country focuses on the violence instituted by gangs and organized crime groups, gender inequality seems to always be the elephant in the room. Certainly, there is a significant difference on how violence affects women over men.

In gang controlled neighborhoods, young girls expect they will be raped, kidnapped, or murdered. Gang members call them “novias de las pandillas,” or girlfriends of the gangs. Out of fear, girls will stay at home and hide as a survival strategy. In other cases, family members will pressure them to become pregnant by their “boyfriends,” rather than be claimed by gang members. Primarily, sexual violence was committed at home by a family member. Now, it is occurring and increasing by not only gangs but even security forces. With no protection, they are not left with much choice but to hide or give in to them. Ultimately, whatever decision they make will determine the rest of their lives. But even then, their fate lies heavily within the heart of Salvadorian tradition and culture.