The Construction of the Maras
Between Politicization and Securitization
High levels of crime and violence in Central America’s northern triangle are a major preoccupation of politicians, policy-makers and citizens. Public authorities in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala have sought repressive measures to increase public safety and to contain such violence, for which youth gangs (maras) are principally held responsible. Substantiated by interviews with key stakeholders in Geneva, Switzerland, this desk review offers a comprehensive understanding of the motivation...
Note de l’éditeur
Cover photo © Sandra Sebastian / Interpeace.
Éditeur : Graduate Institute Publications
Lieu d’édition : Genève
Publication sur OpenEdition Books : 12 septembre 2013
ISBN numérique : 978-2-940503-35-3
DOI : 10.4000/books.iheid.716
Collection : eCahiers de l’Institut | 21
Année d’édition : 2013
ISBN (Édition imprimée) : 978-2-940503-34-6
High levels of crime and violence in Central America’s northern triangle are a major preoccupation of politicians, policy-makers and citizens. Public authorities in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala have sought repressive measures to increase public safety and to contain such violence, for which youth gangs (maras) are principally held responsible. Substantiated by interviews with key stakeholders in Geneva, Switzerland, this desk review offers a comprehensive understanding of the motivations and the intended effects behind the suppressive strategies of the respective governments. Viewing the gang phenomenon through the lens of securitization theory allows for a new understanding of how the maras are dealt with. This paper also traces how the concerned states have shaped a certain construction of these gangs and reveals a blurred line between the political and the security sectors. The analysis finds that interests other than combatting a security threat, as well as the particular historical and societal contexts of the three countries, decisively influence how the maras issue is addressed.
Antonia Does holds a Master's degree in International Affairs (focusing on security and conflict management) from the Graduate Institute Geneva and a Bachelor's degree in European Studies from Maastricht University. Her research interests include security, peace and conflict studies; peacebuilding; Latin America, especially Central America; and (gang-related) violence and its reduction. Antonia has previously worked in the peacebuilding field with Interpeace and the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and has interned with the Americas Division of a leading German think tank and the Ecuadorian Secretariat for Planning and Development (SENPLADES), among others. She is currently working for the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD).
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