Private The document was compiled from various Non-categorized crime reports totaled 40,522 incidents. Most theft assault, homicide, rape, and sexual assault) accounted for 38% of all reported crime incidents in 2018. Gender identity and sexual orientation are included in the law covering hate crimes, along with race and political affiliation. cases reported to the Embassy involve the loss of a U.S. passport during a For example the justice system lacked DNA analysis and other forensic capabilities. Unions must meet complex requirements to register, including having a minimum membership of 35 individuals. The CDC offers additional operation: 0800-1700, Monday-Friday. The law provides for access to the courts, enabling litigants to submit civil lawsuits seeking damages for, as well as cessation of, human rights violations. crime suppression efforts remain a constant, difficult challenge. On March 12, the Attorney Generals Office issued arrest warrants for four PNC officers for the torture of a minor and a woman in 2017 in Sensuntepeque, Cabanas Department. On July 30, the president summoned representatives from civil society organizations for a four-hour closed-door meeting at the Presidential House. Of these cases, only seven resulted in convictions. Neither candidate won their respective election. El The Ministry of Labor did not effectively enforce child labor laws in the informal sector. The PNC also has a number of specialized units that investigate El Salvador is not on the Special 301 Watch List or the notorious market report. to the 1988 United Nations Drug Convention. Unions may strike only to obtain or modify a collective bargaining agreement or to protect the common professional interests of the workers. Officials from the Attorney Generals Office raided the headquarters of opposition party, the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) on July 2 and seized assets to recover funds embezzled from a donation by Taiwan made between 2003 and 2004. risk of victimization. assess the standards of these hospitals to be less than those of the United Erick Ivan Ortiz, an openly gay man, ran as a candidate for the Legislative Assembly from the Nuestro Tiempo party. travelers should exercise caution, especially when expressing affection in The minimum age for consensual sex is 18. outside of cities and to Guatemala or Honduras during daylight hours and, if Although prison regulations require prisoner access to medical care, the standard of care varies widely. Interested private-sector security managers should contact OSACs Latin America Team with any questions. The policy specifically addresses geographical indications (GIs), with an eye toward the promotion of Salvadoran products. 78,514 crime reports were filed January and March 2021. The law contains cumbersome and complex procedures for conducting a legal strike. U.S. The government provided annual training to military units to dissuade any potential for gross abuses of human rights, such as the training provided to the Marine Infantry Battalion by the navys Legal Unit on the need to respect human rights. Driving while intoxicated is common and is a major contributing factor to traffic accident fatalities. in upscale neighborhoods, provide a point of origin and safe haven for According to the Feminist Collective, families did not report the rapes to the PNC and the Attorney Generals Office because the rapist was commonly a relative of the victim and the families considered it an embarrassment. According to the DGME, Gressier failed to comply with the provision to remain in the country while his permit was in process. The law provides for individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples to practice ethnic minority traditions, participate in decision-making on issues that affect their rights, and for protection against discrimination. Mujer for most routine medical and surgical needs. The Attorney General's office and the office of the public defender did not share the name of Osorio's attorney when asked by Reuters. The law includes plans to create a new CONAIPD with greater autonomy to hear complaints and impose sanctions for noncompliance with the law; however, the ministry did not allocate a budget to carry out the law. Funes, Ceren, the five arrested officials, and the other former officials with arrest warrants all belonged to opposition party FMLN. (Priority police officers to gain access to a home. counterfeit and pirated goods and the equipment used to produce them. WebFESPADs April 2021 report on the situation of disappearances stated that disappearances are a criminal phenomenon that happens in all departments and the vast majority of The law prohibits discrimination against persons with physical, sensory, intellectual, and mental disabilities, but the government did not enforce these laws. earthquakes. There are El Salvador No information on any investigations or prosecutions by the government was available. Salvadoran Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. The constitution provides for the freedoms of peaceful assembly and association, but there were times the government limited these freedoms (see section 7.a.). The courts generally enforced a ruling that interrogation without the presence of counsel is coercive, and that evidence obtained in such a manner is inadmissible. homicide victims in 2019, down from 11% in 2018. El Salvador has concerns regarding ATM/credit card crime, including at well-known restaurants, hotels, gas stations, and retailers. carjacking, and aggravated street crime. Despite the existence of these laws, the government has not taken enforcement actions against violators. often have a different brand name and are frequently more expensive than in the By law juries hear only a narrow group of cases, such as environmental complaints. The government did not effectively enforce those laws and regulations, and penalties were not commensurate to laws related to civil rights, such as election interference. Organizations of persons with disabilities protested outside the Ministry of Finance on August 30 to demand the government comply with the Special Law on the Inclusion Persons with Disabilities of that was implemented in January. Although usually non-violent, these public displays sometimes create security problems and impede traffic. reports, Road Safety Abroad, El Salvador 2020 Crime & Safety Report OSAC is a partnership between the U.S. State Department and private sector security community that enables the safe operations of U.S. organizations overseas through threat alerts, analysis, and peer network groups. Home - OSAC Mobile Menu In 2020 extortion victims totaled 1,345 for the entire year, in which five months were mandatory national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While crimes. inspection-free travel of citizens of these countries using only an companies. These cases took place next to residential areas known for their affluence. The Specialized Attention Unit for Crimes related to Children, Adolescents, and Women stated that in March 2020, Maldonado Palacios offered to pay two women in exchange for sexual acts inside the barracks. Trials are public unless a judge seals a case. Operators generally only speak Spanish. Although usually non-violent, these public displays sometimes In July, OAS representatives stated they offered Muyshondt an honorary contract but did not formally hire him and that the contract was never signed. rains forced the government to close schools nationwide for several days. promise; however, routine street-level patrol techniques, anti-gang work, and It is often quicker for people to transport themselves by private vehicle. As of August 10, the Institute for Access to Public Information (IAIP) failed to fulfill its legal obligation to publish the 2020 report on public entities. transport themselves by private vehicle. Ticas did not respond to a request for comment. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for maintaining national security. CONAIPD last carried out the National Survey of in Persons with Disabilities 2015. The soldiers from the Apolo Task Force claimed the victim attacked them with a firearm from his vehicle and that the soldiers returned fire. On April 20, the Ministry of Labor confirmed that the employee had been reinstated after an intervention by a team of inspectors from the ministry. investigate crimes against the LGBTI community. As of October 25, the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman (PDDH) was investigating seven cases of extrajudicial killings, six attributed to the members of the National Civilian Police (PNC) and one to the armed forces. The EU is also trying to promote GIs as part of its trade agreement with Central American countries. While laws El Salvador Among the recipients of the alert were members of the Institute of Human Rights of the Central American University, Cristosal, and the Democracy, Transparency and Justice Foundation as well as journalists fromEl Faro,LaPrensa Grafica,El Diario de Hoy,Disruptiva Magazine,Gato Encerradomagazine,Diario El Mundo, and independent journalists. U.S. government interests. Devices: Trends & Best Practices, and Satellite Phones: Air Ambulance: (305) 535-7380 (International SOS, Mount Sinai Hospital, Miami Beach, Florida). allows authorities to initiate raids ex officio. On May 8, the PNC found more than a dozen bodies, most of them girls and women, buried in the house of former police officer Hugo Ernesto Chavez Osorio, who was arrested on May 6 for the murders of two women. The law requires parents to register a child within 15 days of birth or pay a small fine. is common for Salvadorans to include their photo, national ID number, date of There were no reports of discrimination in marriage, divorce, child custody, education, and judicial processes. Techniques; and read the State Departments webpage on driving cases reported to the Embassy involve the loss of a U.S. passport during a Publishing or logged 23,914 reports of crime in 2019 in the categories of theft, bobbery, injuries, Learn more about quality higher-education opportunities in the U.S. that you will not find anywhere else in the world. Factumsourced its article from a witness statement that detailed the names, dates, and modus operandi of 13 killings that occurred in Chalchuapa in 2020 and 2021, directly contradicting the governments claim that the homicides occurred more than a decade ago. The Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman has proactively condemned attacks against the LGBTI community. While the Legislative Assembly justified the actions as an effort to rid the courts of corruption, legal analysts argued the laws were unconstitutional and were enacted to allow the ruling political party to appoint loyal replacement judges. In 2018, the municipalities of San Salvador (13%), San Miguel (8%), Mejicanos (7%), Soyapango (6%), and Apopa (6%) were the top five municipalities as a percentage of all homicides. Before you On September 26, some judges claimed that they were transferred to preside in remote courts in retaliation for their participation in the September 15 protest. the five municipalities registering the most homicides. exist to protect privacy, enforcement of those laws remains difficult. The law promotes occupational safety awareness, training, and worker participation in OSH matters. facilities brought before the judicial system in 2019, nor were there any Vulnerable Populations; this agency employs prosecutors specially trained to Comprehensive, up-to-date data on internal displacement was not available, but the NGO Cristosal counted 200 persons displaced between January and June. signal piracy are still prevalent. Embassy health professionals counterfeit and pirated goods and the equipment used to produce them. Salvador revised several of its laws to comply with CAFTA-DR's provisions on Embassy The Embassy uses Hospital Diagnostico and Hospital de la Indigenous communities reported they faced racial discrimination and economic disadvantage. Laws against domestic violence remained poorly enforced, and violence against women, including domestic violence, remained a widespread and serious problem. osac Independent Monitoring:The prison system was closed to visits during the year, allowing only employees to enter. U.S. Embassy in San Salvador. News media regularly carry reports of riders robbed at According to the Institute of the Faculty of Sciences and Humanities of the University of El Salvador, political parties did not consider proposals in favor of indigenous peoples as part of their electoral platforms. identification card and may contribute to the ease of regional criminal travel. For more information, review OSACs report. Likewise, road lighting in urban areas is generally fair, but generally Driving while intoxicated is common and Prison and detention center conditions remained harsh and life threatening due to gross overcrowding, unhygienic conditions, and gang activity. Many are seeking missing mothers, sisters and daughters. emergencies, dial 911. Cameras, concertina wire, and grilles The ministry did not effectively enforce child labor laws in the informal sector, which represented almost 75 percent of the economy. The law prohibits paying anyone younger than age 18 for sexual services. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. On September 17, 75 employees of the Legislative Assembly were arbitrarily dismissed. (Closed on U.S. and Salvadoran holidays. accidents in 2019, down slightly from 20,378 in 2018. This is an mechanical condition. The U.S. Department of State strongly recommends purchasing Police and gangs continue to commit acts of violence against LGBTQI+ individuals. In October 2018, heavy rains forced the government to close schools nationwide for several days. While laws exist to protect privacy, enforcement of those laws remains difficult. Although the homicide rate has consistently declined since 2015's high of 103 per 100,000 inhabitants, El Salvador continues to have the highest homicide rate in Latin America. All court records have been sealed. including domestic violence accounted for 16%. Citing photographs and audio recordings, El Faro reported that former attorney general Raul Melaras investigation found evidence that the Bukele administration negotiated with the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs and that the DGCP removed hard drives and hundreds of logbooks documenting the negotiations four days after the publication of the initial article. On August 12, the DGCP again denied the PDDH access to prisons despite the Second Peace Court authorizing the PDDH entry to visit three former government officials in prison after receiving complaints from the officials relatives on their state of health. Nationals. air ambulance services on the U.S. Embassy website. There were 2,203 rape cases reported to the police in 2018, up 8% from 2017. receiving significant support from U.S. and other partners, the police often suffer Consequently, it drivers commonly disregard traffic rules. Freedom of Expression for Members of the Press and Other Media, Including Online Media:Journalists from several digital and print media outlets publicly accused President Bukele, his administration, and his supporters of a pattern of harassment designed to constrain media. Although the constitution separates public security and military functions, it allows the president to use the armed forces in exceptional circumstances to maintain internal peace and public security when all other measures have been exhausted. The military is responsible for securing international borders and conducting joint patrols with the civilian police. goods. homicide, extortion, theft of vehicle, carjacking, rape, road deaths, truck jacking, The law requires employers to take steps to meet OSH requirements in the workplace, including providing proper equipment and training and a violence-free environment. On May 1, during the first plenary session of the newly elected Legislative Assembly, legislators of the majority Nuevas Ideas, a political party founded by President Bukele, and their allies voted to dismiss all five magistrates of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice and the attorney general without granting any of them due process. Country Summary: In March Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. for 35% of all categorized crime incidents in 2019. or provisions for the mobility of persons with sight and hearing disabilities. stops or while on the bus. Candidates from the Nuevas Ideas party were not limited by the lack of government campaign financing because they had received campaign funds through private sources. on all windows/doors appear to dissuade some would-be burglars; residences travelers. Find the closest American Space in El Salvador where you can connect with the U.S. El Salvador is a constitutional multiparty republic with a democratically elected government. If gang members discovered that a person lived in a rival gangs territory, that person risked being killed, beaten, or denied entry to the territory. Find contact information for available medical services and available Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. that has trained personnel and medical equipment to manage emergencies. No recreational opportunities. Rapes accounted for 9% of all reported crimes against the person. The Ethics Tribunal imposed sanctions on 19 cases and referred 18 cases to the Attorney Generals Office. Although the PNC did not present a motive for the killing, residents claimed that gang members shot and killed the man for not paying the extortion fee. In response the PNC issued memorandums on July 20 and July 22 instructing police officers to act with professionalism and to adhere to the law and respect for human rights when interacting with citizens. The law mandates that full-time employees receive pay for an eight-hour day of rest in addition to the 44-hour normal workweek. The DGME notified Lizarraga that he had five days to leave the country. Recent regulatory changes that established price limits for pharmaceuticals may affect quality and availability of certain medicines. travel, consider the following resources: The contents of this (U) report in no way represent the policies, views, or attitudes of the United States Department of State, are plentiful, but not all medicines found in the U.S. are available. According to the DGCP, 94 inmates died between January 2020 and February 2021. In 2017, the National Police launched an anti-extortion call center for victims and witnesses to anonymously report extortion, which may account for the slight increase in complaints. Nuevas Ideas candidates then campaigned to bring about improvements to the political and economic situation within municipalities. Central The court commuted Rogels sentence to 10 years in January, and Rogel received early parole after the Attorney Generals Office declined to appeal the decision. The law prohibits the employment of children younger than age 14 but does not prohibit all the worst forms of child labor. On June 2, the Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion in El Salvador reported that at least 17 women were in prison on charges of having an abortion after suffering out-of-hospital obstetric emergencies. possible, with multiple-vehicle convoys for safety. Women in domestic service faced exploitation, mistreatment, verbal abuse, threats, sexual harassment, and generally poor work conditions. of every type occur routinely. The presence of armed security and the use of security features in homes have proven successful in combating home invasion. However, its defenses against such an attack are thought to be weak. air ambulance services on the U.S. Embassy, Private hospitals WebSalvadorans endured a strict COVID-19 lockdown between March and June; residents were largely confined to their homes and faced arrest and arbitrary detention in centers run by the security forces for perceived violations. this reportto gain baseline knowledge of security conditions in El of which may be available only to private-sector representatives with an OSAC On November 12, the Ministry of Finance presented to the Attorney Generals Office evidence of alleged money laundering and tax evasion by a nongovernmental organization dedicated to economic and social development. The U.S. Department of State strongly recommends purchasing As of June 5, police had made no arrests. Traffickers Their resources are local attorneys. Analysts and media reported that CICIES was investigating Bukele administration officials and speculated that the president used the Muyshondt issue as a pretense to terminate the CICIES agreement to stymie the investigations into his administration. The law also permits restraining orders against offenders. In some cases the countrys high crime rate undermined acceptable conditions of work as well as workers psychological and physical health. bedding. Beatriz Campos, a PDDH attorney, said 90 percent of forced internal displacement cases were caused by gangs in their community and the other 10 percent due to PNC harassment of youth in high-risk communities. News media occasionally report that Salvadoran authorities have detected and deported persons attempting to enter El Salvador with skimming equipment. The government, however, does not allocate sufficient Child, Early, and Forced Marriage:The legal minimum age for marriage is 18. In 2017, there were 1,244 deaths due to traffic accidents; 1,312 occurred Collective bargaining is obligatory only if the union represents a majority of workers. On July 19, PNC officers in Guacotecti, Cabanas Department, killed two brothers suspected of being members of transnational gang MS-13. tattoos, or require medical treatment in El Salvador should receive the hepatitis The The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) estimated there were 114,000 new instances of internal forced displacement due to violence during 2020 and reported the causes included threats, extortion, and assassinations perpetrated by criminal gangs. While the government generally respected court orders, some agencies ignored or minimally complied with orders. On September 1, a vocal critic of President Bukeles proposal to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender of El Salvador was arrested without a warrant and without explanation of the reason of his arrest. recreational opportunities. life and damage to infrastructure results mostly from flooding and mudslides to the death of one person. Children ages 16 and older may engage in light work on coffee and sugar plantations and in the fishing industry if it does not harm their health or interfere with their education. assault, homicide, rape, and sexual assault) accounted treat arrested or otherwise detained foreigners well. Private tour companies frequently employ national police officers from the tourist police division to accompany their groups for personal security. The National Council for Comprehensive Attention to Persons with Disability (CONAIPD), composed of representatives from multiple government entities, is the governmental agency responsible for protecting disability rights, but it lacked enforcement power. The law sets a maximum normal workweek of 44 hours limited to no more than six days and to no more than eight hours per day but allows overtime, which is to be paid at double the usual hourly wage. There are 21 Private El Salvador In July, five former FMLN party officials were detained but were not immediately informed of the reason for their detention. Carefully assess the potential risks of recreational water activities and Penalties should contact OSACs Latin America Team with any questions. Despite growing recognition of the importance of IPR, the piracy of all types of media, clothes, pharmaceuticals, and software, along with inadequate enforcement of cable broadcast rights, remain ongoing concerns. The law prohibits all forms of forced or compulsory labor. According to media reports, on April 22, the Attorney Generals Office accused PNC officers Miguel Angel Hernandez, Luis Edgardo Chavez, Cesar Ernesto Menjivar, Milton Cesar Hernandez, Oscar Antonio Mancia, and Jose Leodan Menjivar of at least a dozen illegal acts, including arbitrarily detaining citizens. Salvador has concerns regarding ATM/credit card crime, including at well-known In 2018, the Government of El Salvador commissioned the National Division for the Protection of Women, Children, Adolescents, and Other Vulnerable Populations; this agency employs prosecutors specially trained to investigate crimes against the LGBTI community. The Due to lax enforcement of traffic laws, drivers must drive defensively. Penalties were not commensurate with those for other analogous serious crimes, such as kidnapping. The report also noted that between 2015 and 2020, the Attorney Generals Office identified approximately 15 extermination groups in the country.