‘Calladita Mas Bonita’ – Newstalk 106-108 fm documentary on Gender Rights & Gang Violence in El Salvador airs on Saturday at 7am-8am and repeated on Sunday at 6pm-7pm.
How vulnerable are women and girls to ‘machismo’ in El Salvador?
In ‘Calladita Mas Bonita’ Susan Cahill, producer at Newstalk 106-108 radio reports on the effects of gang culture, drug trafficking and poverty on Salvadorian women and girls.
This moving documentary meets with a unique range of women including: gender rights activists, community workers, teachers, missionaries and politicians and reports on the wide scale human rights violations facing El Salvador and its women today.
This challenging documentary explores why El Salvador has one of the highest murder rates in the world and analyses how a culture of impunity and social discrimination has marginalised its vulnerable women and girls.
Susan Cahill examines the controversial issue of ‘femicide’ in Latin American culture and powerfully illustrates the huge pressures women experience in Central America today.
‘Calladita Mas Bonita’ reports on the exploitation of Salvadorian women in the labour market and highlights the excessive hours of work, low pay, appalling working conditions and the ongoing physical, sexual and mental abuse many working class women workers experience in local ‘maquilas’ (sweat factories).
This controversial human rights documentary asks: Is the culture of ‘machismo’ and gang violence destroying El Salvador’s fragile peace?
‘Calladita Mas Bonita’ documentary airs on Saturday the 20th of August at 7am and is repeated on Sunday the 21st of August at 6pm. This documentary was made with the support of Misean Cara – the organisation that supports the international development work of missionaries and their partners’
Scroll down to view photoslide shows from El Salvador and Guatemala and hear more voices from Central America
For more information please contact:
Susan Cahill,
Producer
Newstalk 106-108 fm
susan@newstalk.ie
(087) 979 3732
Notes for the editor
Key Interviews:
- Leonor de Jesus Sanchez, Community Activist, San Bartolo, San Salvador, El Salvador
- Maria Sanchez, Lay Community Youth Worker, San Bartolo, San Salvador, El Salvador
- Father Alfie O Lochrainn OFM, St. Francis of Assisi Church in Gotera, Morazán, El Salvador, San Francisco Gotera, Morazan, El Salvador
- Carlos Urquilla, Secretary, Ministry of social inclusion, El Salvador
- Danny Burridge, Lay Missionary, La Chacra Slum, El Salvador
- Maria Zuleyma Alvarado Sanchez, lay community youth worker at the San Bartolo parish, San Salvador, El Salvador
- Reina Fidelia Alcántara, former Mayor of Illopango, San Salvador City, El Salvador & Retired Madres Maestras, San Bartolo.
- ‘Ciudad Mujer’ City Woman Project, Colon, La Libertad, El Salvador, Supported by the Inter American, Development Bank.
- Carmen Flores, Founder of ‘Ucres’ (the Union of Communities of Northern San Salvador and La Libertad) & Community Health Coordinator, AGUILARES
- Claudia Interiano, Director, Las Dignas (Women’s Rights Organisation) San Salvador, El Salvador
- Melida Guevara, Programme Co Ordinator, Oxfam, El Salvador Gender Rights Programme.
- Fray Oscar Granados, Director of the Franciscan Justice and Peace Office, San Salvador, El Salvador
- Sister Cruz, Head Mistress ‘Fe Algria School’, La Chacra, San Salvador, El Salvador
- Sister Mark Hollywood, from Warrenpoint, and former principal of Sacred Heart Grammar School in Newry
- Ana Guadalupe, Women’s Trainner & Campaigner, ‘Ucres’ Ucres’ (the Union of Communities of Northern San Salvador and La Libertad) Aguilares.
- Xochilt Reyes, Coordinator for the Prevention of Gender Based Violence Program. Asociación para la Autodeterminación y Desarrollo de la Mujer.
Statistics:
- El Salvador has the third highest murder rate in the world and femicide the killing of women is becoming an increasing problem.
- There were over 4,000 registered murders in 2010 and 580 were identified police as femicides. Some femicides are directly linked to El Salvador’s gangs, or “maras.” In one case in March, the murder of two girls, aged 15 and 17, was attributed to a local branch of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).
- A recent study of Oxfam suggests that over 15% of El Salvadorian men don’t consider sexual violence a crime while over 70% of recipients polled believed that the National Civilian Police show little interest in rape cases.
- Mara 18 and the Mara Salvatrucha are the two main gangs in El Salvador. They have exported their gang culture — learned by expatriates returned from undocumented existence in the big cities of the United States — to other countries in Central and South America, re-exporting their influence back to the U.S., moving beyond petty thievery, flashy tattoos and thuggish violence, to drug-trafficking and large-scale extortion.
- In the 1990s the Salvadoran government instituted a policy that became known as the Mano Duro (Strong Hand),that saw thousands of gang members jailed. But Mano Duro has not stopped the gangs. Corruption at the highest levels of government has allowed many leaders to go free or conduct business from behind bars
- According to Herrera Institute for Women’s Studies (CEMUJER), and the Organization of Salvadoran Women for Peace (ORMUSA), one in every three women experience physical, sexual, or other violent abuse, most from family members.
- According to the UNDP 40.4 percent of El Salvadorian households were below the poverty line and another 15.6 percent were extremely poor. Malnutrition rates top over 40% in some rural areas.
- Over 22% of El Salvador’s 5 million population live and work in the United States and send approximately 300 million US Dollars to El Salvador on a monthly basis. “Without the remittances, the poverty rate could be 20 percent higher
- According to Human Rights Watch many uneducated Salvadorian women face intense exploitation and discrimination in the workplace with local maquilas (sweat shops) dominating most employment opportunities.
- According to the International Labour Organisation 90% of the factory workers are aged between 16 and 25 and earn less than 72 cents per hour.
- The Constitution of El Salvador neither defines nor explicitly prohibits discrimination. The legislation provides for equality in the exercise of civil and political rights, but does not mention economic, social or cultural rights. The Penal Code provides for sanctions only in the case of “severe” discrimination.
Scroll down for more Voices from Latin America:
The street gangs of Guatemala City
Travel with ‘Global Village’ to one of the most dangerous cities in Latin America and hear how the street gangs of Guatemala City- ‘The Maras’ are dominating the landscape.
Listen to Susan Cahill’s report on how the Franciscan Missionaries in Guatemala City are supporting the needs of the poor and most vulnerable in society.
Guatemala city is the most dangerous city in Latin America with over 70% of the population living in abject poverty and marginalisation. See how Irish Franciscan Missionaries are supporting the needs of the most
vulnerable in society.
‘Living In Fear’ was produced by Susan Cahill Newstalk 106-108 Radio with the support of Misean Cara and the Franciscan Community of Latin America.
Meet with Fr Alfred Loughran, OFM and learn how the Franciscan missionary movement are supporting civil society healing and change in El Salvador – with thanks to Misean Cara.
Travel through the streets and towns of El Salvador with Susan Cahill, Newstalk 106-108 Radio and see how the Latin American Franciscan missionary movement are transforming the lives of the most vulnerable in society.
Tune into ‘Talking History’ this weekend for more interesting interviews on El Salvador and the civil war!
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