Title: Gangs and Maras in Central America Results from selfreport surveys
1Gangs and Maras in Central AmericaResults from
self-report surveys
- Mauricio Rubio
- Universidad Externado de Colombia
Confronting Crime and Violence in Latin
America Crafting a Public Policy Agenda July 2 -
3 2007
2outline
- the data
- overview gangs youth violence
- gangs poverty
- joining the gang
- gangs girls
- public policy issues
3the data
Main restrictions IABD has an agenda in terms
of prevention programs. Not a globally planned
exercise. From police records to victimization
surveys to self-report Learning by doing. Trial
error vs comparability. Adapting to local
situation Main (unsolvable) limitations Rememb
er if is a risky simulation of cohort studies
Out of school sample is not random (priority to
anonymous questionnaire)
- IADB financed
- 5 Self report surevys in Honduras (2), Nicaragua
(2) Panamá - n 8500. 61.4 students
- 1st time (LA) presence power of gangs is
measured - one of few with control group
4overviewgang incidence
5overviewgang incidence
6overview feeling safe victimization
7overview feeling safe, victimization gangs
8overview gangs power
9overview gangs offences
10overview gangs share of offences
11overview gangs crime
12gangs poverty socioeconomic status (SES)
perception
respondents expenditure
SES index checked by
family income potential
13gangs poverty gang membership by SES schooling
14gangs poverty gang connections by SES
schooling
15gangs poverty SES distribution of gang members
not so different from the general SES
distribution
16gangs poverty high SES violence
17gangs poverty SES arrests - gang members
18gangs poverty young, poor out of the gang
19gangs poverty SES, school, gangs offenders - 1
20gangs poverty SES, school, gangs offenders - 2
21gangs poverty SES, school, gangs offenders - 3
22gangs poverty SES, school, gangs offenders - 4
23gangs poverty risk factors - offenders
24joining the gang risk factors - gang membership
25joining the gang SES, family background gang
membership
26joining the gang running away from home
27joining the gang making friends in the gang
28joining the gang dropping out of school
29joining the gang labor or mating strategy?
30joining the gang labor or mating strategy?
Two hints - primitive wars between gangs -
tatoos
31joining the gang gangs sex
32joining the gang gangs sex (out of the gang)
33gangs girls gangs gender violence
34gangs girls gangs gender violence
many feminicidiosseem gang related
35gangs girls gangs prostitution
many testimonies of pimp gangs - el trencito
36gangs girls gangs prostitution
similar incidence (students)
other similarities both boys in gangs girls in
prostitution high victimization high drug
use high self-report of offences share risk
factors (sexual abuse, running away, dropping
out) need early prevention
37public policy issues
- who is the relevant policy maker?
- global phenomena (gangs, drugs, migration)
- LA local problem national institutions
- coordinating NGOs and agencies (with a strong
political agenda) - diagnostic must be local
- with common data gathering methodologies
- programs should be independently evaluated
- poverty violence is still the theory behind
most prevention programs - not always fits the data
- perverse incentives (hot barrios get more
resources) - biased against girls
- mating issues need more attention