What Should Be Done to Reduce El Salvador's Homicides?

Christine Wade, Ricardo Cevallos, Adam Blackwell, and Douglas Farah contributed answers to the following questions from the Inter-American Dialogue's Latin America Advisor:

El Salvador suffered its highest monthly homicide rate in a decade in March, with 481 murders. And since the beginning of the year, 23 police officers and six soldiers were killed in confrontations with gang members in the Central American country. In response to the growing homicide rate in El Salvador, where a gang truce broke down last year, President Salvador Sánchez Céren created three new "rapid response" battalions for the army and one for the police. Why is El Salvador's murder rate increasing? Is Sánchez Céren taking the right steps to reverse it? What more should he be doing?

Here was Christine's answer

"What we see today in El Salvador is a result of the failure of previous administrations to address the legacy of societal violence, invest in education and social programs, and implement reforms that would strengthen the rule of law while respecting human rights and address impunity. While some minor advancements were made in these areas during the Funes administration, the reliance on militarized policing by both the Funes and Sánchez Céren administrations is disappointing but unsurprising given the past dependence of such policies. And while militarized policing may be popular, it is also ineffective and counterproductive—not to mention a violation of the peace accords.

The Sánchez Céren administration needs a comprehensive program to address societal violence, impunity and corruption. This is key because anyone who thinks that the violence in El Salvador is just about gangs is kidding themselves. But a comprehensive program in addressing these issues is the long game, and the escalating gang violence in the country demands a short game as well. Stemming the current wave of violence is not only key to saving lives and building public confidence, but is also necessary to create the political space to engage in dialogue to develop a more comprehensive plan. Last week, the administration introduced a draft gang rehabilitation law. At first glance, it appears to be the most comprehensive and promising policy we've seen on gangs to date. If the draft law becomes a reality, it will require sustained domestic and international support to succeed."

You can read the rest of the answers here.