FOR YOUR ACTION – EL SALVADOR


For Action Alerts from the ELCA Washington Office, see link at:
http://www.elca.org/advocacy/issues/latinamerica/#colombia

YOUTH GANG VIOLENCE
Youth gang violence is a serious problem in Central America. While rooted in the specific realities of the countries in the region, it is also linked to the problems of Central American immigrant communities in North America, and to the growing global phenomenon of youth gangs. Estimates indicate that there are some 25,000 to 300,000 active gang members in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, which have extended their sphere of influence beyond their traditional urban areas to some of the most remote corners of Central America. The Central American gang phenomenon is also growing in North America, with Central American gangs now active in various parts of the United States (including Los Angeles, the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Chicago, Long Island, Houston, Durham, Omaha and Anchorage), as well as throughout urban and rural areas in Mexico and Canada.
For information, see: http://www.wola.org/gangs/gangs.htm

EFFECTS OF CAFTA
The Central American -Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) passed the US House of Representatives and US Senate in July 2005. As of April 2006, CAFTA has been ratified in every CAFTA country with the exception of Costa Rica. El Salvador implemented CAFTA on March 1, 2006.
For information, see:
http://www.wola.org/economic/cafta.htm 
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/cafta/

MINING EXPLORATION AFFECTS COMMUNITIES
On the heels of the encouraging July announcement by the Ministry of Environment in opposition to the mining process in El Salvador, the anti-mining movement has only accelerated its education and resistance efforts. Correspondingly, the mining companies have only continued their exploration work (the first step in the mining process- before actual extraction/ "exploitation").

For more information, see:
http://www.share-elsalvador.org/news/091406.htm

For general information on letter-writing and/or contact with Congress, see:
http://www.elca.org/advocacy 

or advocacy tools at:
http://www.lawg.org/advtools.htm