The Migration Policy Institute caught on to this spirit by affirming that “The DREAM ACT would create an unprecedented opportunity for many young people to step onto a path to permanent legal status, a path that would require them to demonstrate either a significant investment in their human capital or service to the United States through membership in the armed forces
[2] http://dreamact.info/
[3] http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/educ/undocumented-student-tuition-state-action.aspx
Sources for: An Armistice for Old Rivals: Church and Salvadoran Government Broker Cease-fire Between Notorious Gangs
[1] “El Salvador Murder: Country Marks First Homicide-Free Day In Years.” 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/16/el-salvador-murders_n_1428611.html?ref=world (Accessed April 18, 2012).
[2] Ramsey, Geoffrey. “Is El Salvador Negotiating with Criminal Street Gangs?” The Christian Science Monitor (2012). Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <http://http://www.csmonitor.com>.
[3] El Faro
[4] Ramsey, Geoffrey. “Is El Salvador Negotiating with Criminal Street Gangs?”
[5] Dudley, Steven, and Elyssa Pachico. “Govt-’Facilitated’ Gang Truce in Salvador Sets Dangerous Regional Precedent.” In Sight. 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <insightcrime.org>.
[6] Archibold, Randal C. “Homicides in El Salvador Dip, and Questions Arise.” New York Times. 24 Mar. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <nytimes.com>.
[7] Dudley, Steven, and Elyssa Pachico. “Govt-’Facilitated’ Gang Truce in Salvador Sets Dangerous Regional Precedent.” In Sight. 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <insightcrime.org>.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Margolis, Mac. “El Salvador’s Violence Dips After a Truce Between Gangs and Government.” The Daily Beast. 7 Apr. 2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/>.
Sources for: The 2014 Presidential Elections in El Salvador: The Debate on the Salvadoran Left
[i] http://especiales.laprensagrafica.com/2012/elecciones/03/16/quijano-y-ortiz-en-linea-de-partida-para-2014/.
[ii] On voter apathy see http://www.democracyinamericas.org/around-the-region-blog/el-salvador-update-march-2012/. Also see
http://especiales.laprensagrafica.com/2012/elecciones/03/07/tse-espera-65-de-votantes-en-urnas/ and http://especiales.laprensagrafica.com/2012/elecciones/03/12/satisfaccion-por-el-voto-residencial/
[iii] In 2009 the FMLN held 35 seats, ARENA 32 seats, with other seats going to the smaller parties. In 2012 the FMLN holds 31 seats, ARENA 33 seats, and GANA 11 seats, with the others seats going to the smaller parties. The total number of seats in the national assembly is 84. Tribunal Supremo Electoral, El Salvador, 2012.
[iv] NACLA, 3-14-2012. http://nacla.org/news/2012/3/14/right-wing-makes-gains-salvadoran-congress- election
[v] Tribunal Supremo Electoral, El Salvador, 2012; see also http://especiales.laprensagrafica.com/2012/elecciones/03/13/el-voto-del-fmln-colapso-en-el-amss-arena-subio-20386-en-la-capital/
[vi] http://especiales.laprensagrafica.com/2012/elecciones/03/16/quijano-y-ortiz-en-linea-de-partida-para-2014/. La Prensa names three ARENA favorites for President: “Luego repetimos la misma pregunta, pero para candidatos de la derecha. En primer lugar aparece el reelecto alcalde de San Salvador, Norman Quijano, seguido del expresidente del país, Antonio Saca, y la diputada electa Ana Vilma de Escobar.” Also, see the interview with Norman Quijano in http://www.elfaro.net/es/201203/noticias/7971/
[vii] See http://especiales.laprensagrafica.com/2012/elecciones/03/23/el-frente-disena-instrumento-para-evaluacion/
[viii] See, for example, http://www.lapagina.com.sv/nacionales/63910/2012/03/14/FMLN-acepta-que-la-poblacion-no-esta-de-acuerdo-con-sus-politicas. Also see the FMLN Political Commission’s statement, published in English by CISPES, which includes:
“In our militancy, which has been proven in victory and in adversity, we ask that we undertake to make a responsible assessment, self-critical spirit, placing above all party unity as a necessary condition to keep on the path of change.” The full text can be found at http://cispes.org/elections2012/
[ix] According to the La Prensa Grafica Datos survey, Oscar Ortiz is favored as the “most adequate” person to be a presidential candidate for the left and Norman Quijano is favored as the “most adequate” candidate for the right. See note 2. An internet poll by Contrapunto, conducted between April 8 and April 14, puts Salvador Sanchez Ceren ahead of all other candidates (53.8%) with Oscar Oritz in second place (32.8%); this intenet poll, however, does not claim empirical validity.
[x] http://www.laprensagrafica.com/el-salvador/lodeldia/258051-sanchez-ceren-es-una-pieza-importante-dice-merino.html
[xi] La Prensa Grafica, 4-13-2012, La Nacion. This article can be accessed through http://kiosko.laprensagrafica.com/epaper.html
[xii] See, for example, Bianca Segura, DiarioCoLatino.com, April 3, 2012.
[xiii] In Santa Tecla, significant progress has been made, using this participatory model, in building recreational and green areas; increasing access to health care and education (conceived as social rights); promoting cultural programs and events; developing the historic district; improving waste management; modernizing infrastructure; optimizing water, transportation, communications, and energy services; and encouraging business investment in the municipality. See http://www.unisdr.org/campaign/resilientcities/toolkit/essentials/view/6
[xiv] http://www.laprensagrafica.com/el-salvador/politica/241466-oscar-ortiz-santa-tecla-es-una-de-las-ciudades-con-menos-indices-de-criminalidad.html. See also Community-Based Crime and Violence Prevention Project (Proyecto de Prevención de la Violencia y del Crimen a Nivel Comunitario) Fourth Annual Report October 2010 through September 2011. Prepared for Mr. Mauricio Herrera United States Agency for International Development/El Salvador. Prepared by RTI International “Another noteworthy achievement is that the Santa Tecla Crime Observatory, having received CVPP’s support through two grants since 2008 and additional support in 3-G wireless communications through the Qualcomm Reach grant, has served numerous other observatories throughout the country as a model of implementation. CVPP’s support to this municipality, coupled with the mayor’s dedication to issues of citizen safety, reinforced with support from other donors such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and AECIDA, has helped Santa Tecla to substantially reduce its crime rate and establish itself as the leader in El Salvador in terms of municipality-led prevention efforts.”
[xv] Diario de Hoy, April 15, 2012. http://m.elsalvador.com/smartphones/nota.aspx?idArt=6812659&idCat=47673
Sources for: From Cradle to Conflict: Latin America’s Child Soldiers’ New Direction to Drug Wars
[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/childrensrights/childrenofconflict/soldier.shtml
[4] http://scout.org/en/about_scouting/the_youth_programme/peace_education/scoutpax/social_issues/child_soliders
[7] Ibid.
[10] http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/friends_of_ours/2009/03/us-teenagers-killed-for-the-gulf-drug-cartel.html
[12] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/mexico/5044633/Mexico-drugs-war-cartels-recruit-child-assassins.html
[13] http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/01/09/mexican-cartels-using-children-to-smuggle-drugs-into-us/
[15] http://creative-associates.us/2010/06/gangs-in-central-america%E2%80%99s-barrios-children-without-childhoods-by-salvador-stadthagen/
[16] http://www.ticotimes.net/Current-Edition/Top-Story/News/Experts-Region-s-gang-policy-ineffective_Friday-February-24-2012
[17] http://creative-associates.us/2010/06/gangs-in-central-america%E2%80%99s-barrios-children-without-childhoods-by-salvador-stadthagen/
[19] Covey, et al. Youth Gangs, 2006.
[22] Rebeca Pérez and Clarissa Huguet, “Children in Organized Armed Violence,” Child Soldiers Newsletter, Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, Issue 15, January 2007.
Citations For: Colombia Prepares to Welcome the Americas to Cartagena for Next Week’s OAS Summit
[3] https://www.vicumbredelasamericas.com/abec%C3%A9-de-la-cumbre-de-jefes-de-estado-y-de-gobierno.html
[5] http://wsp.presidencia.gov.co/Prensa/2012/Marzo/Paginas/20120307_02.aspx
[6] http://wsp.presidencia.gov.co/Prensa/2012/Marzo/Paginas/20120307_04.aspx
[8] http://www.coha.org/cubas-domestic-reforms-surge-past-immobilized-u-s/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17295741
[9] http://www.cfr.org/cuba/frozen-us-cuba-relationship/p27510
[10] http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2009/04/moving_cuba_out/
[11] http://wsp.presidencia.gov.co/Prensa/2012/Marzo/Paginas/20120307_05.aspx
[12] http://wsp.presidencia.gov.co/Prensa/2012/Marzo/Paginas/20120307_04.aspx
[14] http://www.mmrree.gob.ec/2012/bol0320.asp
[15] http://www.presstv.ir/detail/234354.html
[16] http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA434471
[17] http://www.latintelligence.com/tag/oas/
http://www.coha.org/a-renewed-negotiation-will-santos-seize-the-moment/
[18] http://www.eclac.cl/publicaciones/xml/9/20209/lcg2187i-Londo%C3%B1o.pdf
[19] http://www.datamyne.com/reports.html#
[21] http://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/eng/document.jsp?did=113610
[22] https://www.vicumbredelasamericas.com/mensaje-del-canciller.html
[23] https://www.vicumbredelasamericas.com/tema-de-la-agenda.html
Sources for Boiling point: A Survey of Hemispheric Water Policy – Part 1 of COHA’s Water Series.
Works Cited
1. Euthydemus, P.
2. Conant, J., James Bond Takes on the Corporate Water Privateers. Upside Down World, 2008.
3. Assembly, U.G., Resolution 64/292. 2010.
4. Program, U.N.W.f.L., Human Right to Water. United Nations, New York, New York: USA, 2010.
5. Canada, F.A.a.I.T., NAFTA – Chapter 11 – Investment: Cases Filed Against the Government of Canada. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Ottawa, Ontario: Canada, 2009.
6. Canadians, T.C.o., The Safe Drinking Water For First Nations Act (Bill S-11) Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples. The Council of Canadians, Ottawa, Ontario: Canada, 2011.
7. Cooley, P.H.G.a.H., Total Renewable Freshwater Supply, By Country. Pacific Institute, 2009. World Water 2008-2009.
8. Karunananthan, M.B.a.M., The Harper Record. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2008.
9. Bureau, P.W., Water Quality Regulations and Portland’s Drinking Water. Portland Water Bureau, Portland, Oregon: USA, 2012.
10. Lake, M.A.V.a.J.E., Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America: An Overview and Selected Issues. Congressional Research Service, Washington, DC: USA, 2009.
11. Hanemann, M.W., The Economic Conception of Water. University of California, Berkely: USA, 2005.
12. Horne, M.V.G.a.J.E., The Ogallala Aquifer. Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Inc., 2000.
13. Vargas, G., Codiga Das Aguas. Ministerio da Agricultura, Rio de Janeiro: Brasil, 1934.
14. Antonio Herman Benjamin, C.L.M., and Catherine Tinker, The Water Giant Awakes: An Overview of Water Law in Brazil. Texas Law Review, 2004. 83:2185.
15. Amaral, H.K.d., Brazilian Water Resource Policy in the Nineties. Institute of Brazilian Business and Public Management Issues, The George Washington University, Washington, DC: USA, 1996.
16. Nelson, B.M., Water Reform in Brazil: An Analysis of its Implementation in the Paraiba do Sul Basin and a Consideration of Social Marketing as a Tool for its Optimal Success. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan: USA, 2008.
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The Council on Hemispheric Affairs was stablished to promote the common interests of the hemisphere, raise the visibility of regional affairs and increase the importance of the inter-American relationship, as well as encourage the formulation of rational and constructive U.S. policies towards Latin America.
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Wins Re-election by a Landslide
- Source: AP
Behind Every Great Man, There is a Great Woman
On October 23, 2011, Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was re-elected by one of the widest margins in the country’s history. Sra. de Kirchner obtained fifty-four percent of the votes while her challenger, socialist Hermes Binner, acquired just seventeen percent. The provincial elections also confirmed the victory of Kirchner’s Peronist coalition; seven of eight governors were elected from the ranks of the ruling Frente para la Victoria.
Ultimately, the opposition had hobbled itself by failing to unite behind a single candidate. Rivals like Eduardo Duhalde, a dissident Peronist, and Ricardo Alfonsín, member of the Radical Civil Union, divided the anti-Kirchner vote. The most likely successful candidate would have been Mauricio Macri, leader of the center-right, had he not declined to run. Macri is probably working up to the 2015 election, for which Kirchner will no longer be able to run due to constitutional rules that do not permit a president to exceed more than two consecutive terms.
Kirchner’s successful re-election has been mainly due to economic growth under her administration, and this year alone, the growth rate is expected to increase to eight percent. This upward trend was stimulated in part by private consumption and investment, as well as the devaluation of the Argentine peso, which makes Argentine exports more competitive in foreign markets. Since Argentina defaulted on USD 95 billion of debt nine years ago, the economy has done remarkably well. From 2002-2011, according to IMF data, Argentina’s economy has grown by about ninety-four percent, the fastest economic growth rate in the Western Hemisphere.
In the international arena, Kirchner renewed contact with the IMF that Néstor Kirchner had previously broke off, and debt negotiations with the Paris Club, an informal group that provides financial services. The Kirchner administration also instituted subsidies for transport and utilities and introduced several social programs. One such program provides a monthly per-child economic subsidy to families of which parents are unemployed or work in the informal sector. This stipend is contingent on children’s regular school attendance, vaccinations, and health checkups. The Kirchner welfare policy has generally been a success, reducing extreme poverty and increasing employment to record levels.
However, critics of Kirchner contend that the economy is only booming due to high commodity prices and strong demand from China and Brazil, factors that may be undermined by a potential global economic downturn. In addition, political opponents of Kirchner have repeatedly accused her government of tampering with economic statistics. Argentina’s official annual inflation rate is nine percent; however, the IMF and other economists suggest that the true rate is three times as high. Critics also say that Kirchner has not been able to attract foreign investment. In fact, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America, Argentina receives relatively little foreign direct investment, lagging behind Colombia and Peru and receiving less than half the amount flowing into Chile.
In her victory speech on Sunday, October 23, 2011 in Plaza De Mayo, Kirchner said that she wanted to continue fostering Argentina’s strong growth: “All I want is to keep collaborating…to keep Argentina growing. I want to keep changing history.” She also mentioned her husband, stating, “This is a strange night for me; this man who transformed Argentina led us all and gave everything he had and more. Without him, without his valor and courage, it would have been impossible to get to this point.”
Despite the economic progress under the Kirchner administrations, a great deal remains to be done to reduce the existing gap between a rich minority and an impoverished majority and to reduce the high inflation. If Kirchner now wants to enable a durable and robust growth in Argentina, she must act to ensure the diversification of productive activities, as has transpired in Brazil and Chile. Similar to what happened in Chile with its exploitation of copper, the excessive dependence on the exploitation of raw materials could prevent Buenos Aires from breaking free of the so-called “resource curse” and prevent it from flying.
This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Sara Bruzichis
The Infamous Link Between Sex Trafficking, Sex Tourism, and Sporting Events – What Lays Ahead for Brazil?
- Source: The Home Foundation
Every time there is a major sporting event, whether it is the Olympics, World Cup or Super Bowl, the illegal multibillion dollar business in the trafficking in persons flourishes. With thousands of people expecting to attend the upcoming 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, Brazil has a challenging road ahead with the following preparations. Not only is the Brazilian government updating infrastructure, purging the favelas (slums) of drug lords, and modernizing stadiums, but it also has to put a great continuous emphasis on the social issue of child sex trafficking and sex tourism.
Brazil, with a population of approximately 204 million, is the largest country by far in Latin America. According to the U.S. State Department’s 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report, Brazil is acknowledged as a huge source, transit and destination country for the trafficking in persons. In short, human trafficking consists of the recruitment, transportation and harboring of persons by means of threat or other forms of coercion for the purpose of exploitation, in order for the trafficker to receive payments and benefits. Different forms of trafficking exists, however, with regard to its correlation with sporting events, sex trafficking is in first place.
The commercial view of Brazil is that it is a country of samba, football and carnival. Unfortunately, many tourists visit the breathtaking country not for its culture, but for its renowned reputation of exotically striking people and as a center of personal freedoms. This erotic picture of Brazilians has gained negative attention from inappropriate tourists seeking sexual experiences abroad, whether or not it is consensual or legal, – thus, the sex tourism begins.
The number of children involved in the sex industry has dramatically increased over the years. Presently, UNICEF states that approximately 1.2 million children are trafficked yearly, with as many as 2 million sexually exploited worldwide. According to Sarah de Carvalho of the charity, Happy Child International, “Brazil is overtaking Thailand as the world’s most popular sex-tourist destination”, increasing the number of children trafficked in and out of the country. This phenomenon has significantly developed as a direct result of an increase in the quantity of foreign tourists travelling to Brazil for the sole purpose of what is known as sex holidays, particularly in the northeast region. For instance, when asked about possible cases of sex trafficking with the upcoming festivities, Andreza Smith, lawyer of the NGO ‘Sodireitos’, stated, “Have you thought about a game in Manaus? Who will monitor the river?” Manaus is located in the northeast of Brazil, next to two major rivers, also popular as tourist destinations. With large rivers, comes the problem of human trafficking, since security seems to be lacking when it comes to monitoring river activities. Hopefully Brazil will look past their construction goals and tighten security measures in order to help decrease the presence of human trafficking during the events.
One might ask, does human trafficking increase during sporting events, or is it merely a matter of better security tactics that lead police to crack down on existing cases, leaving to a distorted image of the issue? This question may never be fully answered as it is difficult to differentiate the regular number of human trafficking cases, versus those that spike during sporting events such as the World Cup and Olympics. It is important to note that human trafficking figures are approximations, since the nature of the crime is hard to quantify, with numerous cases underreported. In order to attempt to answer this question, the previous sporting events such as the 2004 Greece Olympics, the 2006 Germany World Cup, and the 2010 South Africa World Cup, for example, should be examined to get a brief representation of the issue.
There seems to be a great deal of debate on the issue of human trafficking as associated with sporting events. When Greece hosted the 2004 Olympics, there was an alarming 95 percent increase in the number of human trafficking cases recorded during the event. However, when looking at the 2006 German World Cup human trafficking figures, according to a report by the Calgary-based anti-human trafficking NGO, The Future Group, “authorities implemented a wide range of actions to combat human trafficking during the event, with relative success. The result was that, while there was an increase in prostitution, authorities did not detect a rise in human trafficking.” On the other hand, South Africa’s 2010 World Cup revealed that there was in fact a pronounced increase in human trafficking cases. A source interviewed by ESPN’s ‘Outside the Lines’, revealed that there was an increase in domestic trafficking, as well as the setting up of brothels in preparation for the World Cup. Time magazine also ran an article quoting a trafficker who was excited about the world cup bringing in business, stating, “Yeah, this is good! Us people are going to make a lot of money then if you know what you’re doing.” Furthermore, Zambian researcher, Merab Kambamu Kiremire, predicted that human trafficking flowing over from nearby countries would increase in the run-up to the event.
Nonetheless, Brazil is expecting a sex trafficking boom in conjunction with the World Cup and Olympics and has created an arsenal of tactics to fight this problem. For example, the program, “A Goal for the Rights of Children and Teenagers”, will train employees in the tourist industry and police forces on how to detect human trafficking cases. Also, the anti-trafficking program will focus on educating resident teenagers around the hosting cities about the issue, how to avoid being easy prey, and finding alternate ways of earning money rather than becoming underage prostitutes.
Whether or not one believes in the rapid increase of reported human trafficking cases that will be associated with the above cited sporting events, it must remain a top priority for all future host countries. Human trafficking is a serious human rights abuse and needs to be taken seriously. With progress on the drug lords’ removal from favelas, the Brazilian government will hopefully now look to expedite anti-trafficking tactics in order to rid traffickers and minimize sex tourism anticipated in the approaching athletic tournaments.
This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Melissa Beale
