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Article Excerpt
El Salvador's anti-gang law is set to expire July 2, leaving authorities pondering what to do with a measure that got President Antonio Saca lots of votes in the March 21 elections, but which turned out to be a disaster as an approach to crime and violence.
The drastic law, promoted by the rightist Alianza Republicana Nacional (ARENA) as a vote getter among voters longing for security (see NotiCen, 2003-08-28), drew criticism even from the international community. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said the law, in effect since April, violates the UN Convention on the Rights of Children. EL Salvador is a signatory to the convention. UNICEF representative in El Salvador Juan Carlos Espinola said the law, which allows minors from 12 to 18 years of age to be tried as adults, is incompatible not only with the UN convention but also with El Salvador's Ley del Minor Infractor (youth-offender law) as well.
The anti-gang law makes it a crime even to belong to a gang, leaving all youth at risk, since "a group of minors can be arrested for being together on a corner or for having tattoos," said Espinola. The expiring law followed a six-month law...
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