Salvadoran Civil War and Children In the movie, “Voces Inocentes” Chava, an 11 year old boy from Cuscatancingo in El Salvador, lives with his mother and siblings in the middle of a war between the Salvadoran military and the El Salvador guerrillas. Chava’s father left to the United States when Chava was about 5 years old. Chava’s mother makes a living to provide for her family by sewing clothes, and Chava sells the clothes and also helps by announcing the bus stations to make money when he isn’t attending school. Since Chava is about to turn 12, he will soon be recruited by the Salvadoran military. While attending school he has seen fellow classmates be recruited to the army as soon as they turn 12. Then his uncle Beto visits and tries to convince …show more content…
Many children are more subject to death and injury because certain weapons can hurt children more severely than adults. Also, children are more affected because during times of war adults love and attention can sometimes become scarce, which can cause them to make unwise decisions. After a war, such as the Salvadoran Civil War, there are many long lasting effects especially on the children because they grow up with the conflict. Which then usually causes them to continue the conflict. For example, in the Gaza-Israel conflict children lost their families and their opportunity to go to school, and because of this they face many psychological issues. Often times when the children are recruited into the war they are forced to fight from the front lines against their friends and families, and this can cause them to turn to alcohol or drug use later.¹ Many of the psychological effects are linked to physical effects, and can then cause them to continue the war into their adulthood because that is what they learned growing up. This often leads to a continuous cycle of
Over the course of history, the United States has a reputation of getting involved with other nations to sort out disputes, arguments, conflicts, wars, etc. One specific example of U.S. Military Involvement is the 1980 El Salvador Civil War. The El Salvador Civil War was a civil war that lasted from 1980 to about 1992. The war slowly arose due to little uprisings in society, promises to improve economy and lifestyles that were never fulfilled, and the push of communism beliefs onto the people who didn’t believe in them. The U.S. Military would not get involved unless their is a violation of human rights, or if mankind is being put into harm's way. The U.S. involved themselves in the Civil War of El Salvador because they had enough evidence and support for specific claims, had the appropriate authority, and fought for an outcome that suited the needs of humanity.
Today’s violence in El Salvador consists of ruthless gang members. According to CRS (Congressional Research Service) about 30,000 kids have joined the maras and it will continue to increase. Due to the gang violence, children are fleeing the country to prevent from becoming victims or recruited, furthermore families are streaming into the U.S to seek asylum. Alike today, El Salvador experienced the same immigration crisis back in 1980 when the civil war was the cause for Salvadorans to immigrate to the United Sates. Repression and violation of human rights was the root cause, now gang violence is the root cause striking a similar pattern of the effects of violence. In 1980, El Salvador’s right-wing government had death squads to kill citizens for suspicion of supporting a social reform. Military soldiers attacked many villages, including El Mozote in which men, women, and children were tortured and subjected to sexual violence.
The film Voces Inocentes was based on the true story of a young Chava and his friends growing up in El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War and illustrates the extreme and devastating realties of the civil war, particularly regarding the use of child soldiers. The film opens following several soldiers marching four young boys along a road in the pouring rain as they cry. The camera shows the solemn group passing a mother, who protectively guards her infant son, even picking him up as she watches with concern as the soldiers lead the young boys past. Soon, the voice of the young narrator woefully states, “I am so thirsty and my feet hurt. I have rocks in my shoes. They’re going to kill us for sure. Why do they want to kill us if we
Given these circumstances, El Salvador’s economy was largely shaped by the Guatemalan elite. Although, Guatemala had size and power, El Salvador was able to resist takeovers but it left them tough and often violent, leaving the perfect atmosphere to foster El Salvador’s gangs. Likewise, El Salvador has also had a history of violence because of the Salvadoran Civil War that lasted from 1979 to 1992. This civil war took the lives of approximately 80,000 soldiers and civilians in El Salvador (Wood, 1). The Civil War separated families as some were granted temporary protection in the United States during the war, and while others lived as undocumented migrants. Once the war ended, many migrants were sent back to El Salvador where conditions were not good. With a government recovering from a war, gangs saw an opportunity to build and start battling for territory. There are an estimated 25,000 gang members at large in El Salvador, while roughly another 9,000 are in prison (Guillermoprieto, 2). The two major gangs that rule El Salvador are MS13, which stands for Mara Salvatrucha, and Barrio 18, which references “18th Street” in Los
During the war, a significant amount of things happen to different groups of families in their homeland. There are soldiers that are fighting for the protection of their families and there are many families that are doing anything in their power to stay safe through the chaos. Yet a number of the individuals involved in the conflict have a tendency to try and escape the madness. In spite of the madness, some children have the advantage to escape yet they are equally impacted with long term trauma by the war as those who did not have the opportunity to depart.
Throughout the centuries of time, war has affected everyone. this truth is evident in Tim O' Brian's "The Things They Carried". however even to this day war affects more than the soldiers and their families, war affects t civilians that are caught in the crossfire. Many children and families are killed or wounded. children are left as orphans expected to fend for themselves. this is depicted in both the articles and the book.
Visualize men with guns breaking down your door and pointing them at your family. Now imagine these men taking your children, forcing them to serve in their military force. In only an instant, your children are gone and you are left with no knowledge of the fate of your kids. As terrifying and seemingly impossible as this imagined scenario may be, it is a stark reality for many families in third world countries. Where families fear not if their children will be taken but when those doors will be broken down, and their screaming children will be dragged out through the front door. The parents know that they cannot not stop these men even if they attempt to. Yet, in an unreasonable twist becoming a child soldier is not only a gamble with the reaper, but it is also a chance to survive. Enough food to survive is more or less guaranteed, while back at home the odds of surviving are insurmountably against them. Becoming a child soldier is a double edged sword that is neither ally nor enemy to the children. These children are abused and coerced into staying with the men who ripped them from their families. Those that attempt to escape or resist are torn down brutally in order to be rebuilt, while those that embrace it sacrifice their humanity and risk the onset of psychologically damaging PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Militias and rebel forces, strained on man power, turn to child soldiers as a cheap and readily available replacement source. Trained to become war hardened
Experiencing war at such a tender age can affect one's mine in the long term, resulting in them to perceive the world with anger affecting ones desire of happiness due to experiencing a loss of innocence.
To get a proper understanding of El Salvador’s civil war we need to begin in the 1930s, the Salvadoran government was generating a lot of profit from goods being sold, unfortunately the wealth was only given to 2% of the population. Augustin Marti formed the socialist party that led peasants and indigenous against the government. When the government heard this they gave the approval for military death squads, which would kill anyone who looked
Children's mental health during the war, and especially after, is in a fragile sometimes even dangerous state. There have been multiple studies done by Harvard University on children after the war. The results have opened up new paths and ideas on how to possibly help the children. There are two studies that were carried out about this case. Throughout the first study, it was discovered that child soldiers who originated from communities where they felt accepted and or were able to stay in school were generally less depressed, more confident, and had positive behavior along with enthusiastic attitudes.
The Reagan administration substantially increased both military and economic aid to El Salvador. The civil war raged on in El Salvador, fueled by U.S. aid to the Salvadoran military. The government harshly repressed dissent, and at least 70,000 people lost their lives in killings and bombing raids waged against civilians throughout the countryside. The country's infrastructure had crumbled, and the nation. The government military also start force recruitment to the children who are already twelve years old for becoming the child soldier. so does the geurillas.
El Salvador is a small, Central American, Hispanic speaking country, which borders with Honduras, Guatemala and the Pacific Ocean and has currently a population of 6.4 million. In the late 1880s coffee was the major export product and it became 95% of the country’s income. This wealth although was unequally distributed and as a result it was concentrated only on the 2% of the population.
“For child soldiers, everyday is a living nightmare” (Chatterjee, 2012). Child soldiers are children under the age of 18 who are used in the military for any source of benefit. Child soldiers worldwide have become a huge issue, leading to many unnecessary deaths as well as lifelong mental trauma. According to “For Child Soldiers, Every Day is a Living Nightmare” 90% of the child soldiers in Liberia show post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as 65% showing depression post-war. Developing these mental illnesses makes the rest of a child’s life a living hell, not to mention their inability to get a job or provide for themselves or their family. Mental illness is probably the best thing you can come out of the war with. An article written in SOS Children’s Villages charity called “Children in Conflict: Child Soldiers” states that over the last 10 years: over 2 million children have been killed, over 1 million children have been orphaned, and over 6 million children have been injured or even disabled, and over 10 million children have struggled with psychological trauma due to war.
The main focus of this movie were the boys of El Salvador. They were being recruited by the army to become soldiers. One crucial scene in the movie was when the Chava’s friend Antonio, who was recruited to become a soldier, came back when Chava and his friends were playing. This scene showed how much brainwash happens when the army trains the little boys to become soldiers. Chava
Children are most affected by this as it is difficult to survive wars. Many have had health problems or even suicidal tendencies. Children shouldn't be subjected to such horror, and it must be combatted.