Héctor Silva (1964-2011)

Sad news out of El Salvador – Héctor Silva suffered an aortic aneurism and passed away this morning just before noon local time.

La Prensa Grafica is reporting that Dr. Silva, who was the President of FISDEL (Fund for Social Investment and Local Development), collapsed while attending an event at the Casa Presidencial on transparency and anti-corruption policies. He was rushed to the Centro de Diagnóstico where he was pronounced dead.

Dr. Silva had a long and distinguished career serving the people of El Salvador. According to the FISDL website, Dr. Silva graduated from the University of El Salvador medical school in 1972, and completed post-graduate studies in obstetrics and gynecology and public health from the Universities of Michigan and Johns Hopkins in the United States. He spent the early part of his medical career providing medical services to the poorest communities in El Salvador, and served as the director of Maquilishuat, a Salvadoran nonprofit organization.

In the late 1980s, Dr. Silva was the director of the Maternal Infant Medicine department at the National University Medical School. He became a Legislative Assembly representative in 1991, where he served as the head of the Health Commission. In 1997 he was elected Mayor of San Salvador and reelected to a second term in 2000. He was the first mayor of San Salvador elected from the FMLN party, after putting together a coalition of opposition parties. During his six years as mayor, he oversaw the opening of the first landfill in Central America, decentralization of city services, and rehabilitation of the historic downtown area. He made civic participation a priority and enacted several relations that facilitated public input on how city funds were used.  He also made the municipal government more transparent and simplified the administrative process.

In 2003, he returned to the Legislative Assembly and made an unsuccessful run for President in 2004 under a coalition of United Center Democrats and Christian Democratic Party (CDU-PDC).

In 2004, Héctor Silva ran for President of El Salvador under a coalition of United Center Democrats and Cristian Democratic Party (CDU-PDC).

He has served as the President of FISDL since June 2009 when Mauricio Funes became President.

Transnational Movement “Encachimbados” Brings Occupy Protests to El Salvador

by Danielle Mackey

San Salvador

photo credit: Rachel Heidendry

 

The world-wide Occupy Movement arrived to El Salvador on Thanksgiving Day, as a transnational protest in front of the United States Embassy. The movement has designated itself “Los Encachimbados,” which is a colloquial Salvadoran word meaning “indignant.” About 70 people gathered, roughly half Salvadoran and half U.S. citizens.

The group distributed a press release delineating the local context of damage that they believe to be caused by the current international economic system. They call the attention of both the U.S. and Salvadoran governments to the free trade model, regional militarization strategies, and environmental destruction and climate change—all policies that the Encachimbados see as designed by a transnational elite, and which result in a low quality of life for the majority of the population of the Americas.  “People all over the world are tired of these economic and political policies that benefit only 1% of our world. We’re here in front of the U.S. Embassy because no world-wide change can be generated if the U.S. doesn’t change, too,” explains Alfredo Carias, a Salvadoran Encachimbados spokesperson.

The free trade model between Central America and its northern neighbor “is pushing Central American producers out of the market, now that local companies are having to compete directly against U.S. firms without protections, and it has also caused decreased environmental and labor regulations,” says Daniel Burridge, an Encachimbados spokesperson, U.S. citizen and resident of El Salvador. “In the end, the poor and the environment are the ones footing the bill.”

The privileges granted to foreign companies through the active free trade agreement that bonds El Salvador and the United States, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA,) has recently yielded a torrid legal battle. The Salvadoran government faces two lawsuits for a total of almost $200 million for refusing to grant permissions for the companies to carry out open-pit metallic mining in several regions throughout the country. (One of the two cases is still in arbitration; the other is in appeal.)

Surrounding the legal battle is a series of assassinations of four environmental activists, all part of the anti-mining movement. Despite the violence, activists maintain pressure on the Salvadoran government to pass a law banning metallic mineral mining. “I live in a country subject to free trade agreements where mining companies can arrive, rob the few resources that we have, and leave our land contaminated and suffering. I’m here today because I dream of real social change for my country,” explains nineteen year-old Salvadoran citizen and Encachimbados participant, “Lorena.”

The militarization strategies embraced by the U.S. and Salvadoran governments, according to the Encachimbados’ press release, “criminalize social protest, subject national security systems to intervention and supervision by the U.S. government and facilitate violent repression of activities that jeopardize the interests of global capital.” Two days prior to the Encachimbados protest, in a move that many qualify as a militaristic violation of the Salvadoran Peace Accords, President Mauricio Funes swore in a new Minister of Security and Justice, the retired army general David Munguía Payés. Evidence published by the El Faro newspaper reveals that the firing of the previous minister and the selection of a retired army general to replace him was a decision made under pressure from the U.S. government. This has led others to criticize the decision as a violation of Salvadoran state sovereignty.

The military has played a large role in the daily lives of Salvadoran citizens since 2009, when President Funes deployed the army to patrol alongside the Civilian National Police force in especially violent zones around the country. Many civil society organizations have decried this decision as unconstitutional, and have noted that it follows the tone set by the U.S.-funded Merida Plan, which presses for militarized public security policies for the treatment of common delinquency, gang activity, and drug trafficking. However, troop deployment has not decreased the homicide rate in El Salvador, which has held steady at 12 assassinations daily. “Soldiers have no ability to make arrests or bring charges against anyone; the fact is that they really are for intimidation purposes,” explains Burridge, who also works in social services in a marginalized urban neighborhood known as La Chacra. In fact, within the first fifteen months of the new policy, the Human Rights Ombudsman received 158 formal reports of human rights violations against the civilian population by patrolling soldiers.

Though a brutal civil war ended about two decades ago, the legacy of violence and militarism continues to plague El Salvador, and in 2009, it was classified by the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development as the most violent nation in the world. The Encachimbados movement stresses that the militaristic policies fashioned by the transnational elite foment the daily violence that haunts Salvadorans.  “We’re here today in front of the U.S. Embassy because the U.S. is largely responsible for the problems we face here,” explains U.S. citizen and Salvadoran resident, Christine Damon. “For instance, I work in youth security. The U.S War on Drugs and export of small and large arms is directly contributing to the deaths of the twelve mostly-young men who die daily here. Furthermore, the 1% is not interested in changing this reality. It’s convenient for youth to be in poverty, to be excluded, to not be paying attention. I’m here… because I question this reality.” Damon, who holds the hand of her 8 year old son as she speaks, adds, “I want him to grow up in a safer world. Until there is a more just distribution of resources, that simply will not happen.”

The Encachimbados movement cites its third major concern as environmental destruction and climate change. El Salvador is classified as the most vulnerable country in the world to natural disasters, “but the amount of greenhouse gases that it emits is almost nothing, whereas one-third of greenhouse gases worldwide are emitted by the US,” explains Burridge. While carbon emissions continue to wreak havoc in vulnerable places like Central America, he continues, “the U.S. also continues to block meaningful action to regulate greenhouse gases.” Tropical Depression 12-E recently swept through Central America, dumping record amounts of rain on El Salvador and causing 34 deaths, 50,000 evacuations, and an estimated $840 million of losses in infrastructure and agriculture.

photo credit: Rachel Heidendry

The Encachimbados participants emphasize that they are part of a worldwide transnational social movement, coming together to cast an analytical eye on the status quo for the majority world population and to posit alternatives. “Our capitalist system classifies human beings as a means to profit, and this has us enslaved,” argues Eric Rivera, a 23 year old Salvadoran journalism student. “Our economic system oppresses us psychologically, spiritually, in our private lives, in our professional lives. We have to propose a new form of life; one that is based on solidarity, mutual support between people, and one which is organized horizontally,” To his left, another voice chimes in: “I want a world that’s not so centered on consumerism. I want our focus to be on recognition of each other as human beings,” muses 20 year old electrical engineering student Marvin Marmol.

The Encachimbados’ Thanksgiving Day appearance was the beginning of a growing movement in El Salvador. “We will be permanently mobilized to build a global system that tries to promote the interests of the 99% of humanity and the interests of the Mother Earth,” says Burridge. “Be on the lookout for us in the future.”

Photo credit: Rachel Heidendry

Salvadoran Political Institutions, Part One: New Voters and Local Voting Locations

Before the rain started falling two weeks ago, dumping over 50 inches of rain on El Salvador and causing extreme flooding around the country, we began working on a series of articles regarding recent reforms to the Electoral Code. We will continue to report on the flooding and cleanup efforts, but we don’t want to do so at the cost of discussing other important issues in El Salvador – of which there are many.

“To guarantee Salvadoran society the autonomous and effective administration of democratic electoral processes; a reliable electoral register; prompt execution of the judicial aspects of the electoral process; full exercise of political rights and the promotion of a democratic civic culture.”

-The “Mission” of El Salvador’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE)

“The Electoral Register that we have audited is, in general terms, a reliable instrument. This consideration is accompanied, as is often the case in the international experience, with some challenges to improve upon.”

-Pablo Gutiérrez, Director of the Department for Electoral Cooperation and Observation at the Organization of America States (OEA), in a 2007 audit of El Salvador’s Electoral Register, quoted in the TSE 2009 annual report

On March 11, 2012, Salvadorans will cast votes for all 84 seats in the Legislative Assembly, and mayor in each of the 262 municipalities. As the parliamentary and municipal elections approach, Voices will be considering a variety of topics relating to Salvadoran political institutions and the pursuit of democracy.

Today’s installment examines new voter registration and attempts to bring voting centers closer to homes. In both areas, we look at recent attempts to improve voter participation.

New Voters – More than 75 percent of potential new voters ineligible to vote

On the 2012 election calendar, voter registration was set to close on September 12, 2011 180 days before the March elections. However, the Electoral Code says that any Salvadoran turning 18 years old after registration closes and before the election takes place will be included in the Electoral Register and eligible to vote provided that they register for a national identification card, or DUI, before the September 12 deadline.

While more than 58,000 Salvadorans will turn 18 during that window of time, fewer than 14,000, or 23.8 percent of these potential new voters registered for a DUI and will be eligible to participate, according to the National Citizens Registry (RNPN). The other 76.2 percent did not register for a DUI before a modified September 19 deadline, despite a registration campaign by the TSE.

The TSE praised the registration in a recent statement. “We are very satisfied with this campaign,” said TSE President Eugenio Chicas, referring to a three-week-long effort to register prospective voters. RNPN President Fernando Arturo Batlle Portillo similarly called the registration “successful,” even though 44,000 Salvadorans that could be participating in the March elections will not be.

This year’s campaign is better than some in the past. According to the TSE, the 2008 campaign leading up to 2009 national elections lasted four months and only registered 6,000 new voters out of 50,000 potential voters. In that light, the campaign can be seen as an improvement. However, as TuCanalLocal points out, the official 2009 TSE report lists 14,695 new voters under the age of 18, significantly more than the 6,000 claimed by TSE.

Nonetheless, Chicas said that more could be done to incorporate new voters who should be able to participate in elections. “The challenge remains significant and we should continue our efforts. I believe that we still lack work on a community level, we need more time and resources.”

The June-July 2011 constitutional standoff between the judicial and legislative branches is one problem with registration this year. The campaign to register new voters was scheduled to begin on August 12 and end 31 days later on September 12. However, the Legislative Assembly took longer to approve the budget for the General Election Plan (PLAGEL) than expected, pushing the start of the campaign back to August 29.

To compensate for the delay, the Assembly granted a one-week extension for voter registration, but the campaign still lost 10 days, lasting 21 days instead of the 31 days planned. Many of the new voters registered during this extension period – 7,000 new voters registered by September 12, according to the RNPN. Between September 12 and September 19, an additional 7,000 registered, with almost 5,000 registering on September 19^th alone.

While 44,000 eligible youth will be sitting out the March 2012 elections, El Salvador now has 14,000 new names on the voter registry.

Local Voting Locations, or El Voto Residencial

“The current electoral model in El Salvador … concentrates voting locations in urban centers … without considering the distance that the voter will have to travel.” (TSE, “Concepts of residential voting”)

El Salvador is one of the last Latin American countries without a “residential voting” electoral model. For some citizens, the nearest voting location is 70-kilometers away. For many, the trek can be expensive, difficult, and a disincentive to vote.

The TSE is planning to implement a residential voting program throughout El Salvador over the course of the 2012 and 2014 elections, fulfilling political promises made continually since 1994. Under the new system, the TSE will open voting locations based on proximity to voters to facilitate access and improve electoral participation.

The initiative began in 2006, when the TSE implemented a “Voto Residencial” (Residential Voting) pilot program in seven municipalities. In 2009, the TSE expanded the pilot program to the Department of Cuscatlán, scaling up from 7 to 23 total municipalities. In the March 2012 elections, 185 of El Salvador’s 262 municipalities in central and eastern El Salvador are expected to participate in the program, plus key urban areas of San Salvador and Santa Tecla.

Reports on the 2006 and 2009 pilot initiatives demonstrate the impact of the program on the participating municipalities. Under the program, 18 voting centers grew to 73, averaging between two and ten centers per municipality.

The program had a positive effect on voter participation. In the 2004 presidential elections, 70 percent of Salvadorans on the Electoral Register in Cuscatlán cast a vote compared a national average of 67 percent. In the 2006 parliamentary elections, Cuscatlán had 63.5 percent electoral participation compared to a national average of 54 percent. In 2009, the pilot program in Cuscatlán had 65.5 percent participation in parliamentary elections and 71.5 percent participation in presidential elections compared to 54 and 63 percent respectively on the national level. While national participation remained the same or fell, participation in Cuscatlán, already higher than the national average, rose in both presidential and parliamentary elections.

Additionally, the program is expected to facilitate voting access for many of the most vulnerable members of Salvadoran society, including the elderly, persons with disabilities, and those without the financial means to travel a longer distance.

When voting centers are closer to home, it is also more difficult for political interests to perpetrate electoral fraud by bringing in people from other communities, or as has been alleged in previous elections, from Honduras or Nicaragua. Citizens are more able to police the voting registry and identify people that are not from their community.

Poco a poco, Salvadoran institutions are working together, or in some instances forcing other branches of government, to reform the electoral system so that more people vote, and to ensure their votes are counted. The campaign to register new, young voters and expanding voting centers are only two of the most recent reforms. In the coming weeks and months we will explore reforms to the ballot that voters will use once they are in the booths, efforts to decentralize power once held by political parties, and other changes.

Lower Lempa Flood Update – Monday Afternoon

Voices staff was able to get back down to the Lower Lempa this afternoon to coordinate with rescue efforts and get more information about the conditions. Here is the latest.

Currently there are 686 families from the Lower Lempa in the San Marcos shelter, with hundreds of other families from the region in the Tierra Blanca and Jiquilisco shelters. Though these families are safe from floodwaters, conditions in the shelters are bad. There are few mattresses or blankets, and food is scarce. Our staff is working with shelter organizers to provide meals and secure appropriate bedding and clothing.

For our readers from the South Bay Sanctuary Covenant, your partner community of Comunidad Octavio Ortiz (La Canoa) has sent 42 families to the shelter in San Marcos. The other 50 families are in the community shelter where they are safe, but completely cut off from assistance. Members of a military team are stuck in the community with them.

For other partners with ties to Amando Lopez – many families made it to the Jiquilisco shelter but many others remain in the community shelter, cut off from any assistance. They are safe for the time being, but are unable to evacuate.

This afternoon a member of Voices staff came across an agricultural cooperative in Mata de Piña where workers were trying to salvage their corn crop that they were almost ready to harvest. Members of the cooperative were working in waist-deep water, picking, shucking, and grinding corn in hopes of salvaging something. This is a bleak reminder of what is to come in the weeks and months ahead. The region has lost all its crops and will be dependent on food aide programs for the foreseeable future. Today – we’ll just focus on the basics… food, clothing, and shelter.

Rescue teams are currently evacuating approximately 160 people from Nueva Esperanza, where flood levels have now reached 1.5 meters (5 feet) deep.  Mayor Barahona of Jiquilisco is trying to evacuate everyone out, but efforts are slow due to the high water.

We have also heard an unconfirmed report that a boat carrying five people overturned and four people have drowned. Again, that report is unconfirmed and we are trying to get more details.

The September 15^th Dam continues to release at 7200 cubic meters/sec, which is extremely high – as we’ve mentioned before, 2500 cm/sec triggers a red alert for flooding. We’ve been monitoring the river levels on the United States Geological Service page (link), and as of 2:00 pm Eastern Time the river remains 10.5 meters (34 feet) above normal.

Railroad bridge crossing the Lempa River taken on Thursday. Since then the river level has risen and is currently 5 feet from the bottom of the bridge

To put this in perspective, for readers who are familiar with the old railroad bridge that spans the Lempa River in San Marcos, the river is approximately 5 feet from the bottom of the bridge.

The international press finally began reporting on this story late yesterday. A couple hours ago the Christian Science Monitor posted a story written by Tim Muth (of Tim’s Blog fame) detailing the disaster. We are grateful that Tim list Voices on the Border as one of the organizations to consider for donations.

Please contribute today! Readers of this blog have been very generous in the past couple of days, but the needs are overwhelming. Thousands of people are in need of food, clothing and shelter. We will make another wire transfer down to El Salvador tomorrow morning. Please help us raise another $5000 between now and then to support local efforts. The Donate Now Button is at the top of this page, and it will only take a moment of your time.

Thank you!

Flood Update – Friday 10-14

Our staff in the Lower Lempa this morning reports that there are no real changes since yesterday’s update. The focus continues to be evacuating the Lotes and Babilonia communities.

Yesterday afternoon our staff went to inspect sections of the levees and report that huge sections have been washed away. One reason that Lotes and Bablonia have been so devastated is that there is a 25-meter (82 feet) hole in the levee and part of the Lempa River is being diverted inland. The River is going down some so the volume of water is not as great as it was yesterday, but flooding remains serious.

La Prensa Grafica is reporting this morning that 7 people throughout El Salvador have been killed in landslides and flooding, while 8000 have been evacuated to emergency shelters. The municipality of San Francisco Menéndez, Auachapan, where 6000 people have been evacuated to emergency shelters, is among the hardest hit communities. Yesterday, the Legislative Assembly passed a resolution declaring a state of emergency and public disaster in five of El Salvador’s fourteen provinces: Ahuachapán, Sonsonate, La Libertad, La Paz, and Usulután. This releases government emergency funds to aid in the rescue and recovery. La Prensa Grafica is also reporting that El Salvador’s Ministry of Civil Protection has released $837,559 for the relief effort.

The weather forecast for the weekend is for more rain, which means the threat of flooding and landslides will remain high.

Thanks to all who have contributed in the past couple of days to flood relief!

We have not reached our goal of $3000 and ask those who have not contributed to click on the Donate Now button at the top-right of this page. Many people remain in shelters and need immediate assistance. We are targeting our efforts to communities such as Amando Lopez, where 93 people are in a shelter with very few resources. Thank you!

Flood Update for Lower Lempa of El Salvador

Voices staff attended a meeting in the Lower Lempa this afternoon to get an update on the flooding in the region.

Community leaders are reporting that the September 15^th Dam just up the Lempa River was releasing water at 5500 cubic meters/second last night between 9 pm and 4 am this morning. This report has not been verified by government officials in charge of the Dam, who report that they have been releasing water at 4000 cm/s. The flow has remained around 4500 cm/s throughout the day. Regardless of the whether the flow last night was 5500 or 4500 cm/s, the results have been fairly devastating. The Lempa River is currently flowing over the levee in the northern top of the Namcuchaname Forest and the levee in the community of El Marillo. The levee breech has sent a large current of water through the community and completely flooded the main road cutting off access to the communities downstream. As we reported earlier, the Lempa River has also breeched the levee in the Lotes and Babilonia communities.

As of this afternoon, the focus of the evacuations is on the Lotes and Babilonia communities, which have been flooded since yesterday. However, the Civil Protection Agency and other government officials have called on ALL communities in the Lower Lempa, from San Marcos on down, to evacuate. Their plan is to move all residents to a shelter in San Marcos. When that is full they will take people to Tierra Blanca and then on to Jiquilisco. Civil Protection has set up a command post in Ciudad Romero where they are coordinating evacuation and relief efforts. According to our field staff, many government and international agencies are present, including the police, military, Red Cross, Comandos de Salvamento, the mayor’s office, and many, many others. The good news is that they are coordinating better than in past emergencies.

As of this afternoon, most Community Boards are holding off on the evacuations to see if the flooding becomes more severe. In past floods, when the river breeches the levees upstream, the water is directed across land to the Jiquilisco Bay, sparing communities such as La Canoa and Amando Lopez. The community boards stressed that having to evacuate is very traumatic for a family, and they want to make sure that it is completely necessary before mobilizing their neighbors.

So far, the Amando Lopes board has helped evacuate 20 pregnant women, small children and some older men, and taken them to the community shelter. The community board is still working to acquire the beds, water, and food needed to keep the evacuees comfortable.

This is by all measures a devastating flood and appears to be the worst in several years. We are still trying to reach our goal of raising $3000 and need your help in doing so. The government is providing many services to the evacuees, but there are still many immediate needs that have not been met.

Flood Update – Help Now!

Our local sources in the Lower Lempa are reporting this morning that the communities of Los Lotes and Babilonia are experiencing extreme flooding and rescue teams have been trying to evacuate residents. While some have made it to shelters others remain trapped. The only road into the area is on the levee, which has holes and is too instable to traverse at this point.  A report in the La Prensa Grafica says that members of the Red Cross and Comandos de Salvamento are going to try and evacuate those stranded by boat or helicopter. La Prensa Grafica is reporting that a total of 43 families mainly in La Canoa and El Angel have been evacuated, totaling 124 people.

Over 4000 people have been evacuated from their homes in San Salvador, La Paz, San Vicente, Sonsonate, and Usulután, and the risk of more flooding and landslides remains high.

One of the main concerns remains the Lempa River. According to the SNET, at 6 am this morning the river was still rising in San Marcos Lempa. The latest report was that the September 15 Dam was releasing 5000 cm/sec, beyond what the levees that protect the Lower Lempa can withstand.

Our goal is to Raise $3000 by the close of business today to provide assistance to those affected by the flooding. Please help us by clicking on the donate now button to the right of this post.

We’ll provide more information throughout the day. We are also posting photos and updates on Facebook.

Fiestas Agostinas in El Salvador

Yesterday marked the first day of the August vacations in El Salvador.  In the capital, the celebrations began at 5:00 this morning when people gathered around the Plaza Las Américas to sing in commemoration of their patron, Divine Savior of the World (Divino Salvador del Mundo), after whom the city and country are named.  At the center of the plaza is the Monument to the Savior of the World (a giant statue of Jesus Christ standing atop the globe), which is a national symbol of El Salvador.  Later that day, there was a procession from the statue to Cuzcatlán Park featuring floats and costumed revelers.

Although the festival itself is of a religious nature, this week is also a time for secular retreat.  Last year, about 70,000 Salvadorans left the country for vacation, most of them to other parts of Central America.  Additionally, over 19,000 Salvadorans living abroad returned to the country.

The religious events of the week will culminate with a Saturday evening mass celebrating the Transfiguration of Jesus, a miracle in the Gospels and Catholic feast.  This feast is celebrated every year on August 6, and holds particular significance for El Salvador as it also commemorates the victory of the Spanish over the indigenous Cuscaltecos in 1526. Elsalvador.com provides a full list of the week’s festivities on their website.  Security will be tight all week, with the National Civl Police deploying 20,600 officers to patrol the areas in which the main festivities will take place.  Last year, 78 homicideswere committed during the festival, down 26% from the year before, and San Salvador’s Mayor Quijano has stated that safety will be a top priority.

The National Civil Police was featured prominently in the August 1st parade. Photo credit- La Prensa Gráfica

US Ambassador to El Salvador Attacked for Support of LGBT Rights

Mari Carmen Aponte, the United States Ambassador to El Salvador has come under attack this month by various pro-life and pro-family groups, notably the Catholic Church, after authoring an article in support of LGBT rights in El Salvador. Aponte called for the elimination of prejudice against LGBT individuals, noting that the impetus for change is not just the responsibility of the government, but requires the cooperation of its people as well.In her article, Aponte championed the celebration of the “diversity of the Americas.”

The coalition of pro-life/pro-family groups opposed to Aponte’s ideas is comprised of 22 Salvadoran organizations, and 20 other organizations from the Americas and Europe. The group is accusing Aponte of violating international rules of diplomacy and international rights as stated in the Vienna Convention of the United Nations Assembly. This Convention provides that diplomats must abstain from interfering in the internal affairs of other states or countries, while simultaneously respecting the character of said states.

The coalition further argued that in “not accepting the legitimacy of ‘sexual diversity’ does not mean [they] are violating any human right.” The coalition rejects the notion that Aponte is defining the progress of human rights in El Salvador as the acceptance and promotion of LGBT issues. The group stated that they “prefer to feel proudly ‘old fashioned,’ keep [their] moral values…and preserve their families,” and to decide what is right and wrong themselves.

Members of the coalition feel as if Aponte has completely disregarded and undervalued their Christian values, which they find very offensive. They argue that it is wrong for Aponte to lecture organizations, citizens and the government of El Salvador from a pedestal and with a tone of moral superiority when in the United States abortion, which they do not support, is legal and accepted by many.

While Aponte and the groups agree that violence against LGBT communities needs to be curbed, the coalitions deny that this means they must accept and approve of gay marriage. Officials from the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador claim that Aponte’s comment was not pertaining to foreign culture and laws, but it was instead a reinstatement of U.S. policy. President Obama, and Secretary Hilary Clinton have been explicit in their support the respect of rights for the LGBT community, a position that Aponte was merely echoing and doing her job as a US ambassador to explain to those outside the US border.

This disagreement, along with the June 15th Gay Pride March in San Salvador, has highlighted how sensitive the issues surrounding Salvadoran LGBT rights are.  In the coming weeks, Voices will be writing a short series of articles about the everyday realities of members of the LGBT community in the country. Stay tuned!

The Salvadoran Cyber Situation- Internet Use Fails to Keep Up with that of Peers

Internet service in El Salvador has progressed and developed significantly since its introduction to the Salvadoran public in 1995.  Initially, the government was in control of the Internet, which had the express purpose of being a military and scientific network.  In addition, Salvadorans were only able to send and receive emails once per day and at a steep price until privatization and free market competition emerged in 2000 and made Internet services more accessible.

Currently, over a million Salvadorans have Facebook accounts and the country ranks 74 in total number of accounts out of the 213 countries with access to the social networking site.  Facebook is among the most visited websites in El Salvador, along with Google and Youtube.

Members of Voices on the Border partner communities in Morazán and the Lower Lempa region of Usulután are typical examples of Internet users in rural Salvadoran Communities. Due to the cost, any individuals do not own personal computers, but instead access the Internet from cyber-cafés, where computers are provided and a small Internet access fee is paid per hour of usage.  Those using the services of cyber-cafés tend to be under the age of 30 and are mostly young university students, as the Internet is a relatively new technology that has not been adopted by many members of the adult community.  The youth tend to go to cyber-cafés if they have a few spare quarters to spend, primarily to access Facebook, which serves as a cheap, simple way to chat with friends.

In addition, community members in the Lower Lempa and in Morazán alike tend to prioritize mobile phones over computers.  They rely heavily on their mobile phones for calls, texts, music, and even for use as flashlights.  Although some individuals do not have a lot of money to spend on luxury items, it is not unheard of for them to own a smart phone from which they can access the Internet and their email accounts.  However many smart phone owners are among the wealthy, which is the same demographic that represents the main users of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

The Global Information Technology Report of the 2010-2011 year provided a comparative insight into the progress of El Salvador’s technological development.  The rankings provided are out of 139 countries and El Salvador ranked 82^nd in the category of Global Competitive Index, 69^th in the Accessibility of Digital Content and 87^th in the use of Virtual Social Networks.  The report also estimates that 12.1 out 100 Salvadorans are Internet users.

One of the most significant indicators included in the report is the “Network Readiness Index” (NRI).  The NRI assesses the degree to which countries across the world leverage information and communication technologies for enhanced competitiveness.  The NRI framework consists of assessments of a country’s market, political and regulatory infrastructure, as well as individual, business and government usage of these technologies.

Interestingly, El Salvador is ranked 92nd out of 139 countries according to the 2010-11 Network Readiness Index.  It is citied as an example of a country that has failed to “keep up with its peers.”  El Salvador is among the six countries that have declined significantly in rank since the 2006-7 report (where it ranked 61/122) and at which time it belonged to the same decile as China (ranked 59^th).

As the influence and usage of the Internet continues to spread throughout El Salvador, through the increased prevalence of cyber-cafés, and the diminishing costs of basic technology, it will likely become easier for El Salvador to harness the power of the Internet and use it to enhance its competitiveness in the global market.