ESSAY: POVERTY AND VIOLENCE

"Only if a society upholds the social rights of citizens can members of the society fully exercise their civil and political rights or be expected to act as virtuous and caring citizens."

Free to Be Good:
Human Rights and Civic Responsibility

Ricardo Segovia

Sitting on the cracked front steps of an old concrete house in San Salvador, El Salvador, I read the words above and can see all around me exactly what the author must have had in mind. A free citizen can vote, collect a pension, receive medical attention, access education and, from this position of freedom, participate in building a thriving community. The citizen that is not free cannot be held to the same standards. The denial of social rights by other segments of society or by the state creates a broken anti-social citizen that does not think of themselves as a citizen at all. They no longer value their own lives or the lives of those around them. The best example of a shattered citizen is the Salvadoran gang member. A product of their circumstances, they cannot be changed until the system that created them is changed.

CREATING A BROKEN CITIZEN

Born into the violence of the last days of the civil war, the gang members of today were taught violence while still in the womb. Being mostly from rural communities, their parents were surely exposed to attacks by the state and paramilitaries forces. When the bullets subsided the people were free, but these freedoms included the freedom to feel hunger, the freedom to be unemployed, and the freedom to die from a curable disease. In this environment of total denial of social rights, the broken citizen is born. They feel a complete lack of control of their own existence. In the search for empowerment they find the gangs of extortionists and drug dealers that have been deported from the U.S. The recruiters for the gangs focus their campaigns on the youngest kids in the neighborhood who, at times, learn the gang sign language before they learn to read. They tell the kids that nobody cares about them, that they are forgotten, and that the only friends they have on this earth are the gangs. Unfortunately, most of the time, they’re telling the truth.

STATE RESPONSE: "MANO DURA"

The gangs of El Salvador (MS and 18) are notoriously violent. The citizens are worked into a frenzy of fear by the daily news and their macabre coverage of the day’s murders. The frightened citizen believes the gangs are lurking in the shadows waiting to dismember them and looks to the state as their protector. Thus begins the policy of “Mano Dura”, roughly translated to “iron fist”, which looks to counter violence with violence. In these campaigns the police become judge, jury, and executioner. This policy actually increases the recruitment into gangs by providing proof that the state is at war with the kids from poor neighborhoods. The problem is made worse by the violent response, but the state stays its course because without the broken citizens they do not have the frightened citizen. The frightened citizen is one that does not ask any questions and does not demand a change to the anti-social self interested policies of the government. It is to the benefit of those in power to have as many frightened citizens as possible and so the violence continues.

ELECTIONS: DENYING POLITICAL RIGHTS

Elections in El Salvador resemble a TV season of American Idol but with fewer regulations. The status quo receives a hefty sum of money from the U.S and the ruling party colours (ironically red, white, and blue) cover every square inch of the country. Campaign ads feature images of the left wing opposition party leaders dressed up like Osama Bin Laden. The voter registry includes Honduran citizens who are brought across the border on buses and given fake documents and 20 dollars for their vote. Also registered are individuals (including one of my relatives) who are long dead. The citizen is denied access to a fair democracy. This causes further alienation and lessens the desire to participate as a political citizen. Those who crave change but know the game is rigged prefer to stay home rather than waste their time at the polling stations. This apathy is another benefit to those in power. In addition to the frightened citizen who votes for the savior and protector they now have the disillusioned citizen who votes for no one.

PERSEVERANCE OF THE CITIZENS

In this environment of alienation, fear, and apathy, the virtuous citizen still exists. They are the ones who’s concern for the community increases when faced with scarcity, violence or a crisis of their democracy. They still carry with them the sense of obligation to the individuals around them that was necessary when subsistence farming was the principle livelihood. The virtuous citizen is not willing to accept a lifetime of obscurity. These citizens organize unions to achieve more just working conditions and community groups to counter the misinformation of the mainstream media. They organize marches to protest the cynical policies of the government and register voters in isolated corners of the country where limited means could prevent citizens from registering themselves. After enough perseverance, the virtuous citizen inspires some of the others and social transformation can take place. In the case of El Salvador, change finally came in the form of presidential elections where, despite the usual tricks, the ruling party was finally toppled.

THE END OF VIOLENCE

Citizens of El Salvador are realizing that their demands are no longer falling on deaf ears. This has a huge impact on the national psyche. Knowing that change is taking place inspires the disillusioned citizen to begin to take part in political life. Measures are being taken to prevent voter fraud and this gives greater credibility to this young democracy. The frightened citizen now has access to rational discourse on the problem of gangs. They can see that the problem is not caused by inherent evil but by social abandonment and that it can be solved by preventive rather than reactionary measures. Investments are already being made to empower the most vulnerable kids in order to reduce the lure of the gang. As the country continues on its path towards becoming a just society, the violence will slowly subside. I see the possibility of an end to the violence within one generation. Citizens now feel free to be part of the decision making process. This new freedom of political expression seems to have inspired a sense of responsibility. Previously, taking part in civic life was, for some, like working on a car without an engine. Now the citizens are back and not only does the car have an engine, we are also the drivers.