The ILO Office for Central America, Haiti, Panama and the Dominican Republic, with the support of the ILO Regional Initiative Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labor, presented the report "New forms of child labor" at a special event organized by the National Association of Private Enterprise (ANEP) at the Hotel Sheraton Presidente in San Salvador on January 24.

The report consists of the bibliographic collection of one of the most sensitive realities in the countries of the Northern Triangle, in this case of El Salvador, with the aim of making visible the early recruitment of children and adolescents to carry out illegal activities of gangs or gangs. maras.

Carmen Moreno, director of the ILO Office, said that the study reveals a reality that is a consequence of the violence and insecurity suffered by El Salvador and other Central American countries. Children and adolescents recruited by gangs are victims of the worst forms of child labor and are not usually reflected in the statistics; therefore, they are often excluded from policies for the protection of children and adolescents. In this framework, the study represents an opportunity to promote the design of strategies that include this population in policies for the prevention and eradication of child labor.

According to the analysis, in El Salvador, the economic context and the situation of violence promote the forced recruitment of minors to commit different types of crimes and maintain the internal structures and organizations of the gangs, as well as to ensure their survival. This has led to reflection on the role of children within the gangs, not only as a criminal organization but as a new form of labor exploitation.

This practice constitutes part of the worst forms of child labor, for linking children and adolescents with situations of forced labor, prostitution and slavery; damaging their health, safety and morale. However, the power of the gangs in some territories is such that it is increasingly easier for them to recruit minors, especially male children and from marginal urban areas.

Along these lines, to better understand the reality of child labor in the gangs, the study begins with a reference to the context of children in the country, addressing the favorable conditions and difficulties for the development and fulfillment of their rights. Then, the main characteristics of the gangs and the situation of violence in El Salvador are described. Next, the link between children and adolescents and gangs is presented.

This document also describes the process and interest of gangs in minors and lists their use by sex and by its perpetual nature. Likewise, the report exposes the consequences of child labor in gangs and identifies the limitations that El Salvador has to face it.

One of the considerations that the report reveals is that the use of children and adolescents in gang groups evolves over time, because when the relationship between them and the gang begins, they are asked for small services such as transporting drugs or hiding a weapon; later, when they manage to be indoctrinated and share an identity, they can designate extortion or collection of rents - a practice used to subdue and strengthen their power in the areas where they are - or be sent to commit very serious crimes.

Another of the conclusions of the study is that, despite the extensive bibliography on gangs, it does not usually include sufficient analysis on their link and the forms of interaction with children and adolescents. For this reason, the ILO emphasizes the urgency of investigating and delving deeper into the problem and improving the legal framework that penalizes this type of practice, as well as providing greater protection to children who are most vulnerable to the recruitment of women. maras.

Check out the full report here .