In defense of El Salvador - Essay Example

In defense of El Salvador The issue of violence within El Salvador has discouraged countless thousands of individuals from considering relocating ortraveling to this otherwise pristine Central American nation. Consistently ranked with one of the highest per capita murder rates in the entire world, El Salvador continues to suffer from the impacts of the violent struggle between gangs and the police for supremacy and control over the highly lucrative drug trade; much of which originates in South America and then makes its way through El Salvador en route to the United States via Mexico. However, rather than understand the situation in El Salvador in the same way that it is represented to the individual via the news media, it is instead important to realize that the situation that exists within the country is quite different from the horrific and grizzly reports that are so often the topic of cautionary tales on late night news shows. Further, even though it is true that nations such as Afghanistan may have a lower “murder rate”, the security of a traveler in such places can be reduced to a question of how foreigners are viewed and treated. Accordingly, the level of interaction that violence has with the average tourist or foreigner within El Salvador is extraordinarily small; due in part to the fact that almost all of the violence is predicated upon gang related activity and the quest to control narcotic distribution networks. This is invariably something that the simple tourist has little knowledge of or interest in; thereby partially shielding them from the eventuality of being caught upon the internecine struggle that has recently defined this otherwise pristine nation within Central America (Olate 384). Firstly, although it is true that El Salvador has a very high murder rate and this causes the would-be tourist or business visitor to be concerned, the reality of the fact is that the violence towards foreigners is relatively on par with any other Central American or Caribbean nation. Although this does not mean that the stakeholder in society should simply be unconcerned about the rate of violence or murder within El Salvador, the more relevant factor to consider has to do with the fact that the lion’s share of the murders that are taking place are counted within an ongoing drug war between rival gangs and governmental/police forces. Because of this range war, the primary targets for the violence are typically El Salvadorians that have either taken it upon themselves to free their country of violence or are working with a gang. This differential helps the reader to understand that the situation within El Salvador might not be as risky or potentially harmful to the average stakeholder in society as the statistics might otherwise lead one to believe. In lieu of this information, it is necessary for the would-be tourist or business traveler to understand the dynamics of the conflict and conduct themselves appropriately (Salas-Wright 187). Moreover, as protection by the authorities might be useful in some jurisdictions or in some countries, this would not be recommended in El Salvador; due in part to the fact that the police are such a target for gang members. Another reason for why the rate of violence in El Salvador is not as bad as it may at first appear has to do with the fact that the violence is somewhat predictable based on routes of narcotic distribution and control points. As such, these routes are invariably different than those tourist destinations that might attract an individual to the nation of El Salvador in the first place. What is essentially being described is a situation in which tourism within specific regions of El Salvador may in fact be much safer than in zones that are conflict ridden and ground zero from confrontations between rival gangs and/or police. Within such an understanding, the reader can note that the situation within El Salvador is something of a state existing within a state (Rojas-Flores 271). A final reason for why the violence of El Salvador should not be considered as a “game changer” with respect to integrating with tourism or visitation of the nation has to do with the fact that the government has made great strides in attempting to protect those areas that fall within the prized zones of tourism. In much the same way that tourist to Mexico now disregard the ongoing drug battles that take place in Juarez or other border towns as they visit Cancun or other resorts, El Salvadorian authorities have molded their own approach to the situation by copying the Mexican approach; protecting these areas and ensuring that the tourists that do come are at a greatly reduced chance of being affected by violence within El Salvador. Finally, it must be noted that there is no “safe place” to visit. Rates of violence are much higher throughout the more developed nations in the world than one might expect. For instance, one is more likely to be murdered in Chicago than they are in Baghdad. This odd but true statistic sheds light on the fact that even within the expectation of being safe within a particular place, no such guarantee exists. However, due to the fact that the news media does not continually broadcast the extremely high murder rates of Chicago as a warning for would-be tourists, most individuals are clueless as to the rates of violence that are illustrated within this seemingly “safe” city. From the information that has been presented, it is clear that El Salvador struggles with an unnaturally high rate of violent crime; however, this fact notwithstanding, when one delves deeper into the actual numbers and considers the unique situation that is unfolding within the impoverished nation, the actual threat to the would-be tourist or business traveler is not nearly as one might believe if they merely consumed the media that is fed to them without questioning it. As such, the nation, although rife with problems, El Salvador is still a unique tourist spot that offers some of the most pristine beaches and jungle get-aways at affordable prices. Works Cited Olate, René, Christopher Salas-Wright, and Michael, G. Vaughn. "Predictors Of Violence And Delinquency Among High Risk Youth And Youth Gang Members In San Salvador, El Salvador." International Social Work 55.3 (2012): 383-401. CINAHL. Web. 1 May 2014. Rojas-Flores, Lisseth, et al. "“We Are Raising Our Children In Fear”: War, Community Violence, And Parenting Practices In El Salvador." International Perspectives In Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation 2.4 (2013): 269-285. PsycARTICLES. Web. 1 May 2014. Salas-Wright, Christopher P., et al. "Direct And Mediated Violence In El Salvador." Pan American Journal Of Public Health 34.3 (2013): 183-189. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 May 2014. Read More