Photo credit: Wilfredo Díaz/IPS

One of the unforeseen consequences of the pervasive gang violence in Central America is child migration. In recent years, gangs have increased their influence in Central America, with Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador all experiencing a severe increase in gang activity. The northern triangle is currently the most violent region in the world. As gangs gain more power, it has become increasingly difficult to protect youth from their reach, as many are persistently threatened to join.

While some youth are forced to join a gang; others are kidnapped, assaulted, killed, or are caught in the cross-fire. This unfortunate reality has caused many families in El Salvador to flee, and are called “los desplazados” or “the displaced.”  As noted in the article by El Faro (translated by Insight Crime), many have fled “because they don’t want their children to become gang members; so that their daughters are not raped or abused; because the bullets pass by too closely; because they are accused of working for the police or a rival gang.” Families are forced to desert their homes, facing severely harsh circumstances. The situation is amplified for children who have no other option than to leave on their own.

Many child migrants from Central America attempt to flee to the U.S. hoping to escape gang violence, domestic violence, or be reunited with immigrant parents. Many are unable to make it all the way to the U.S. and end up in Mexico, where they are either deported back to their home countries or are left vulnerable to situations similar of violence, lack of education and formal employment opportunities, physical and sexual abuse, and economic exploitation. According to Mexico’s National Migration Institute (IMN), 3,391 children from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were deported from Mexico this year, as of July 2012. Of those deported, nearly 83% were unaccompanied.

There has also been an increase in child migrants from Central America entering the U.S., coupled with a decrease in Mexican child migrants. This rise in child migration poses many challenges for the U.S. Since these children have crossed several countries to arrive in the U.S., it is more difficult to deport them. The refugee offices must shelter the children for a few days in order to run background checks and try and relocate them, something that has recently strained their capacity. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement estimates that they usually process between 7,000 and 8,000 children annually; that number is set to double by the end of this year. There has been an increase in the U.S. budget for protecting unaccompanied child migrants; an issue that prior to 2003 was unaddressed.

Check out this short video piece by El Faro about the los desplazados abandoning their homes and fleeing gang violence in Lourdes, a town in Colon, one of the most violence municipalities in El Salvador.

Seattle International Foundation supports organizations based in Central America working to address issues of youth violence and citizen insecurity by providing economic and leadership opportunities for at-risk youth.  : Ashoka, COMUNICANDONOS, Global Visionaries, OYE Adelante Jovenes, Servicio Social Pasionista, and TeenSmart International.