Although different institutions have taken actions to prevent gangs from recruiting students in public educational centers, the problem always resurfaces as the school year progresses, according to police authorities and entities that seek to eradicate this problem.
But the problem is growing and the recruitment of minors is not only in schools, but also on soccer fields in popular neighborhoods, say researchers from the National Division Against the Criminal Development of Gangs (Dipanda), of the National Civil Police (PNC). .
The movement of gang recruiters, according to police investigators, has been more frequent in establishments in zones 1, 6, 18 and 24, where the “prioritized educational establishments” are located, because “they are the centers where they come from.” adolescents in conflict with the law.
According to delegates from the SBS Reintegration area, one of the factors why minors join gangs is broken homes. The vast majority of adolescents only grow up with their mother and at a young age are assigned tasks that do not correspond to them, such as working or taking care of their siblings.
“Perimeter security is provided in schools that have had problems due to gang harassment, although when they see that there are security personnel, the criminals move to other establishments,” says an investigator.
“The problem of recruiting students in schools and institutes continues, some educational centers are under the control of Barrio 18 or the Mara Salvatrucha,” warns Verónica Galicia, Execution Judge of the Court of Children and Adolescents.
It was 8 years ago when work began on a crime prevention program in which seven schools and institutes were given support due to the presence of gangs, Galicia recalls. However, he affirms that the problem has grown and now there are 24 establishments that receive support from police authorities and other entities due to the harassment that these groups have towards students, mainly in the department of Guatemala.
Currently there are 10 institutions, between State agencies and private entities, which work on prevention plans to eradicate the presence of gangs in educational establishments, since it has also been determined that there are students who already belong to these antisocial groups and have as mission to continue recruiting.
The PNC, the Social Welfare Secretariat (SBS), the Court of Children and Adolescents and other entities, have the functions of visiting schools and institutes to raise awareness among students and parents regarding how to prevent minors from getting involved in gangs. .
Hosted
Among the support programs for crime prevention is the Youth Intervention Program, run by Tony Méndez, a Guatemalan who in the last two years has provided shelter to five students, whose lives were in danger due to threats from gang members.
Méndez was born in Guatemala but migrated to California, USA, where he became involved in the consumption and sale of drugs, for which he was sent to prison on several occasions. When he returned to Guatemala he founded the Youth Intervention Program, whose purpose is to keep young people away from gangs and drugs, through motivational talks and courses to develop job skills.
“With the change of authorities in the Ministry of Social Welfare, we have not started working as we should, so Tony started working alone with a pedagogue and a psychologist who already collaborated in the technical teams of that Ministry,” Galicia indicated. .
“We also receive support from Ebenezer Ministries, which has given us 150 volunteers, because we cannot leave aside the spiritual area,” added the judge.
For now, one of the main actions of the PNC is to check backpacks at the entrance to educational centers to prevent students from carrying weapons and drugs.
The talks are also given to parents, since in most cases, they do not find out when their son joins the gangs of his own free will or because of threats, say Dipanda agents.
More personal
This year, 100 more agents were integrated into the PNC Safe Schools program, which in 2023 had 70.
Belter Zúniga, officer of the Crime Prevention Unit, says that the increase in personnel is due to reinforcing perimeter security in educational establishments that have reported the recruitment of students by gangs.
“These agents have two functions, perimeter security at the entry and exit of students, and the development of programs to encourage students not to commit crimes,” he said.
Regarding why gang recruitment cannot be stopped, Zúñiga affirms that it is a difficult issue that has to do with the location of the establishments, mainly if they are in red or conflict zones.
“A multidisciplinary intervention is required. It has to do with the issue of home, depending on the parenting model you have at home,” she said.
Police authorities have indicated that using gifts or money, antisocials convince teenagers to transport weapons, drugs or hand over phones to demand payment of extortion.
Minors between 13 and 18 years old who are in sixth grade and at the diversified level have become an attractive target to be recruited by gangs, a problem that worsened with face-to-face classes and that many parents may not be aware of, experts indicated. .
They also mention that poor communication in the family is an opportunity that gangs take advantage of to “listen to them, shelter them and make them feel that they have an important role” in the group.
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