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El Salvador Research Paper

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Problem St­­­­­­atement
The twelve-year civil war in El Salvador displaced thousands from their homeland leading many to flee as refugees and from political persecution to neighboring countries like the United States. Today an estimated quarter of the Salvadoran population are living outside the country’s borders (Perla, 2009). Although Salvadorans in the United States have gone from a refugee population, it is evident that the long-term effects from the civil war are still present today. Today’s higher education system has yet to address those long-term effects by failing to understand the Salvadoran experience.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this study is to profoundly understand and explore the effects of trauma and war experience in …show more content…

Salvadoran Refugee Experience
During the 1980’s, the country’s civil war caused thousands of Salvadorans to flee their homeland in search of a more politically stable country (Menjivar, 2000). Ironically, despite the signing of the Peace Accords that ended the war almost two and a half decades ago, today thousands of Salvadorans still continue to seek safety and refuge in the U.S. and in other countries (Menjivar, 2000)
Historically, migration has played a key role in Salvadoran history yet events during the late 20th century increased the number of people emigrating out of El Salvador. In an attempt to escape the violence and repression caused by the civil war, thousands of Salvadorans fled to other countries where many ended up in refugee camps.(Menjivar, 2000) From the late 1970s onward, migration trends within and from El Salvador changed drastically. People became displaced after fleeing from conflict areas; “some fled to adjacent regions such as Honduras or Guatemala, and others crossed two international borders (to Mexico) or three (to the United States)” (Menjivar, 2000). Migration to the United States continued to increase drastically from the 1960s to 1980s. During the 1980’s thousands of Salvadorans fled in hopes of escaping the violence and repression caused by the civil war. Beth Baker-Cristales (2004) explains how the civil war displaced thousands of Salvadorans, many who were sent to refugee camps in

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