DISARMING VIOLENCE1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Ten Years Preventing Armed Violence in El Salvador

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Credits

Published byUnited Nations Development Programme. San Salvador. El Salvador 2009.

AuthorArmando Carballido Gómez

Technical TeamMarcela SmuttDaniel CarsanaXenia Díaz

Editorial coordination: Miguel Huezo Mixco / Proofreading: Tania Góchez / Layout: Paola Lorenzana y Celina Hernández / Printed by: Impresos Múltiples/Translation from Spanish: Cristina Costa

Presentation 5Acknowledgements 7List of Abbreviations 9Executive Summary 11Introduction 15

Section 1. Human Development and Citizen Security: A Framework for Action 17

Section 2. The Roots 19 A. Firearms and Violence in El Salvador 19B. Prioritized Intervention Actions 20

Section 3. The Foundations: Knowledge and Information in Public Decision-Making 23

A. “Firearms and Violence”: A Quality Research with International Impact 23B. Building Knowledge on Armed Violence 25

Section 4. The Structure: More and Better Control of Firearms 27A. The Municipal Regulations 28B. Improving the Arms Registration and Data System 29

Section 5. Accessorial Support: Civil Society Support and Awareness to Change Culture 33

A. The Evolution of the Campaigns for Disarmament: Weapons, neither Real ones nor Toys 33 B. Spaces for Public Policy Impact 35C. The National Commission for Citizen Security and Social Peace 36D. The Arms and Explosives Legislation Reform 37E. Communication for Change 38F. Culture and Places for Social Cohesion 39

Section 6. Up to Now: Some Advances for Hope 41A. San Martín: High Impact of a Promising Experience 41B. Significant Changes in Legislation: Reaching the Prohibition of Carrying of Arms 43C. A Growing Awareness and Citizen and Political Opposition to Firearms 43D. Everything counts: More Actions, more Actors, more Incidences 44E. Better and more Coordinated Control and Registration of Firearms 44

Tentative Conclusions 47Bibliographical References 49Web Sites 50

Index3

Photograph by: Jorge Alberto López Pérez.

The Salvadoran society has experienced a

social, cultural, and political development that

allows approach insecurity, particularly the

armed violence, as a State problem.

Gradually, the Salvadoran population has

come to say “no” to firearms, and more

than 80% state to be against the carrying

of arms in public spaces. But the political

class in the country also seems to be against

firearms to a greater extent. This is shown

by some changes in the legislation concerning

weapons; also by the agreement reached in

June 2009 by the 14 mayors who make up

the Board of Mayors of the Metropolitan Area

of San Salvador (COAMSS) to apply a wide

ban on weapons in their localities.

For our part, it would be pretentious to say that

these and other achievements have been possible

thanks to UNDP. The truth is that none of these

attainments would have been possible without

the support of public institutions, the private

sector, the media, civil society organizations,

universities or the international cooperation, and

either without the participation of several people,

specially, the members of the Society without

Violence Citizen Group, who contributed with

their effort to reach a country with fewer arms.

It is likely that some people may know just one

figure of the work carried out by the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP) El Salvador on

firearms prevention: the reduction by 49% of the

homicides committed in the municipality of San

Martín, during the implementation of the Arms-

Free Municipalities Project.

However, the scope of the armed violence

prevention strategy goes far beyond this relevant

achievement. It started almost a decade ago with

the renowned study Firearms and Violence. Then

came projects such as “Arms-Free Municipalities”

and “Strengthening of Institutional Capacities for

Armed Violence Prevention”, this one was the

first initiative in Central America to achieve the

articulation of the three institutions responsible for

the strengthening and improvement of the systems

for arms register and control: General Attorney of

the Republic, Ministry of National Defence, and

National Civilian Police.

High social impact campaigns followed, at the

local and national levels, such as “Arms, Not

Even as Toys!” or “More Arms, Less Life”, both

aiming at the awareness of the population on

the risks entailed by firearms. And that helped

increase the number of people who progressively

joined this new approach.

Presentation

5

Without the support of these organizations,

institutions, and individuals it would have been

impossible for UNDP to implement —with the

collaboration of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention

and Recovery (BCPR)— the projects and initiatives

that have been performed in the last decade and

systematised in this document. These actions

went along with the United Nations Programme

for Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the

Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons,

agreed upon at the United Nations conference in

2001, and in the Geneva Declaration on Armed

Violence and Development, June 2006.

Nevertheless, there is still much work to do.

Improving citizen security means, at the end of

the day, getting more and better standards of

quality of life, of social cohesion and of human

development, which constitutes the ultimate

purpose of UNDP. Transforming social and

cultural habits is a very hard task which requires

long-term efforts. Therefore, our support and

commitment to a more secure El Salvador,

arms-free, is more valid than ever.

Jessica FaietaResident Representative &

Resident Coordinator of the UN System

in El Salvador

6

Computing Unit; and the General Attorney of

the Republic, through the Life Unit.

We would also acknowledge the support provided

by the members of the Society without Violence

Group, including Jacqueline Laffite Bloch,

Elizabeth Trabanino, José Jorge Simán, José

Mauricio Loucel, Ignacio Paniagua, Emperatriz

Crespín, José Miguel Cruz, Jaime Martínez,

Rabino Daniel Zang, Salvador Samayoa,

Héctor Dada and Father Mauricio Gaborit. The

latter three were also members of the UNDP

Programme Towards a Society without Violence

Leading Team at that moment.

Also, the collaboration of the following media

and advertising groups was crucial all over

these years: Molina Bianchi Ogilvy (advertising),

Campos Art Group, La Prensa Gráfica

(newspaper), Diario El Mundo (newspaper), El

Faro (newspaper), Canal 33 (TV channel), Canal

12 (TV channel), Canal 10 (Educational and

Cultural TV channel), UPA Radio for Kids, Radio

Stereo Corporation, FM Corporation, SAMIX

Group, Salvadoran Association of Broadcasters

Carried out within the framework of the Security

Programme of the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP) El Salvador office, the work

strategy developed in armed violence prevention

since 2001 and to date has involved a large

number of people and institutions.

That is why we would like to acknowledge

the invaluable contributions provided by the

following institutions: the National Board for

Public Security (CNSP); the local governments

of the municipalities of San Martín, Ilopango and

Santa Ana; the National Civilian Police —through

the Arms and Explosives Division, the Youth and

Family Services Division, the Public Security

Sub-direction, the Technical and Scientific

Division, the Security Private Services Registry

and Control Division, the Statistics Department,

the Computing and Communications Division,

the Central Records Unit, the Delegations

and the General Inspectorate; INTERPOL; the

Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP);

the Ministry of National Defence (MDN) —via

the Logistics Direction, with its Registration

and Confiscation of Arms Department and the

Acknowledgements

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Other organizations that played a key role

were: Association Bienestar Yek Ineme, Scout

Association of El Salvador, Cultural Centre

of Spain, Latin American School of Social

Science (FLACSO/El Salvador Programme),

Foundation for Studies on the Application of Law

(FESPAD), TNT Theatre Group, University Public

Opinion Institute (IUDOP) of the Central American

University, Salvadorian Physicians for Social

Responsibility (MESARES), Tin-Marín Museum

for Children, Francisco Gavidia University, José

Simeón Cañas Central American University (UCA),

and Technological University of El Salvador (UTEC).

It is also unavoidable to highlight the coordination

held with the Central American Programme for

the Control of Small Arms (CASCAC) of the

General Secretariat of the Central American

Integration System (SG-SICA).

We are especially grateful for the technical and

financial support provided by the Bureau for

Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) and the

Regional Service Centre for Latin America and

the Caribbean, both of PNUD.

(ASDER), Association of Participative Programs

and Radio Stations of El Salvador (ARPAS).

Likewise, we acknowledge the participation of

Governmental bodies, offices and institutions:

the Legislative Assembly, the Supreme Court

of Justice (CSJ), the Ministry of Public Health

and Social Assistance (MSPAS), the Ministry of

Education (MINED), the National Academy of

Public Security (ANSP), the Institute of Legal

Medicine (IML), the Salvadoran Institute for the

Development of Childhood and Youth (ISNA),

the Salvadoran Institute for the Development

of Women (ISDEMU), the General Direction of

Customs Offices, and the Direction of Public

Events, Radio and Television of the Ministry of

Government.

We are also grateful to the National Commission

for Citizen Security and Social Peace, the Network

for Childhood and Youth, and the Committee

for Childhood and Youth, as well as to the

principals and teachers of different educational

institutions, children and communities who

enthusiastically participated in the programme.

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AECID: Spanish International Cooperation Agency for Development

ANEP: National Association of Private Sector

ARENA: Nationalist Republican Alliance

BCPR: Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery-UNDP

CAM: Corps of Metropolitan Agents

CD: Democratic Change

ECLAC: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

COAMSS: Board of Mayors of the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador

CNSP: National Board for Public Security

CIFTA: Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in

Firearms, Munitions, Explosives, and Other Related Materials

DAE: Arms and Explosives Division

DRCSPS: Private Security Services Records and Control Division

EU: European Union

FESPAD: Foundation of Studies for the Application of Law

FGR: General Attorney of the Republic

FIIAPP: International and Latin American Foundation for Public Policy and Administration

FLACSO: Latin American Faculty of Social Science

FMLN: Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front

FUSADES: Salvadoran Foundation for Social and Economical Development

ILO: International Labour Organisation

IML: Institute of Legal Medicine

IUDOP: University Institute for Public Opinion

LPG: La Prensa Gráfica (newspaper)

MDG: Millennium Development Goals

MDN: Ministry of National Defence

MESARES: Salvadoran Physicians for Social Responsibility

MPCD: Patriotic Movement against Crime

MRE: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

MSPAS: Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance

List of Abbreviations

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MJSP: Ministry of Justice and Public Security

ONUSAL: United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador

PAHO: Pan American Health Organisation

PCN: Party for National Conciliation

PDC: Christian Democratic Party

PIDB: Don Bosco Industrial Area

PNC: National Civilian Police

SEGIB: Ibero-American General Secretariat

SILEX: Information System on Injuries from External Causes

UCA: “José Simeón Cañas” Central American University

UN: United Nations

UNDP: United Nations Development Programme

UNICEF: United Nations Children’s Fund

UNFPA: United Nations Population Fund

USAM: “Alberto Masferrer” Salvadoran University

UTEC: Technological University of El Salvador

10

ExecutiveSummary

Two key factors for violence, delinquency and

insecurity prevention are the promotion of

circulation of firearms control and the reduction

of firearms used by civil population. Given the

high rate of armed violence in El Salvador, these

maxims become even more pertinent.

That is why the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP) El Salvador has insisted

on the fact that an inevitable step to reducing

violence, delinquency and insecurity is to prohibit

civilians the carrying of arms in public spaces.

Streets, plazas and parks should be meeting, fun

and free places where people can walk about

safely, but without arms.

Therefore and with the support of the UNDP

Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery,

several projects and initiatives have been

performed in the last decade.

These actions went along with the United

Nations Programme for Action to Prevent,

Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small

Arms and Light Weapons, agreed upon at the

United Nations conference in 2001 and in the

Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and

Development, June 2006.

This has been a difficult task that would not

have been possible without the participation of

public institutions, the private sector, media,

civil society organisations, universities, and a

large number of people and organisations that

have contributed with their efforts to reduce the

number of arms in the country.

A summary of the work developed during the

last decade is presented below.

1. The StrategyCitizen insecurity constitutes one of the main

impediments to reach higher levels of democratic

governance in El Salvador, but also to accomplish

the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) or, in

other words, a better human development.

Guidelines for intervention and future actions

were agreed within the conceptual framework

defined by the human development-citizen

security-social cohesion triangle to reduce

armed violence rates.

So the UNDP Citizen Security Programme has

four main goals:

a. Strengthening firearms control and registration

mechanisms of the Government.

b. Political advocacy, mainly in the promotion of

a more restrictive firearms law.

c. Managing and spreading information and knowledge.

d. Stimulating higher levels of civil society participation

and awareness.

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2. The Foundations: Knowledge and Information in Public Decision-MakingIt is important to have quality and precise

information, as well as good assessments and

baselines when projects and public actions

concerning firearms control and prevention are

developed.

Therefore, the study Firearms and Violence

(2003) constitutes a very valuable precedent.

Its results were the basis for later work on

firearms control and prevention as well as for

the definition of public policy proposals.

The research helped determine the impact of

firearms in violence and explore the attitudes,

opinions, and norms of Salvadorans regarding

the use of firearms as an instrument for

security. It also helped establish to what extent

the current regulatory framework contributes

to citizens arming themselves, and to draw

up recommendations on firearms control and

prevention policy.

This information was resumed in subsequent

projects such as “Arms-Free Municipalities”

(2005-2006) and “Strengthening of Institutional

Capacities for Armed Violence Prevention”

(2007-2009).

3. The Structure: More and Better Control of FirearmsThe research Firearms and Violence was the first

step towards institutional strengthening.

Then, the National Civilian Police (PNC) registry

of “novelties” was systematized with the

participation of the PNC and the collaboration

of a team formed by 70 researchers and 35

supervisors. At the same time, a database was

created allowing the police to operate on 125

variables, compared to the previous 15 variables

(sex, age, type of weapon, caliber, etc.).

Later on and within the Project “Strengthening

of Institutional Capacities for Armed Violence

Prevention”, the information systems concerning

firearms, of the General Attorney of the Republic

(FGR), the Ministry of National Defense (MDN)

and the PNC were strengthened.

This project boosted a process of inter-

institutional reflection culminating in the

definition and implementation of a model for

institutions to consult the various registries.

It also provided tools for the design of joint

intervention strategies, facilitating the crime

investigation tasks.

Thus, the objective of improving the control

over firearms traffic in the country and the

strengthening of the research and processing of

firearm-related crime were all met.

In the Central American region, this is the first

initiative of this nature that was inter-institutionally

articulated to strengthen the weapons and

munitions registration and control systems.

4. The Complement: Social Support and Awareness of the Civil Society for Cultural Change

Transforming social and cultural habits is a very

hard task; a long-term process that requires a

permanent effort, in his case, to raise social

awareness on the risks of the carrying of arms

and discourage their use. This task must run

parallel to other actions of political advocacy.

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Being aware of that, initiatives undertaken

over these years have tried to reach people

through impact messages and campaigns such

as “Firearms, not Even as Toys!” or “More

arms, less life”. These campaigns have been

spread through different media, such as the

programme’s website, or mass media which, as

in the case of La Prensa Gráfica, have developed

different awareness and advocacy actions.

Knowledge management was also an important

aspect since forums and international conferences

or different publications have contributed to

discussion and knowledge generation. Support

to advocacy spaces, such as the Citizen Group

for a Society without Violence, or the monitoring

of the National Commission for Public Security

and Social Peace are some of the initiatives

undertaken along this strategic line.

These actions have been complemented at

the local level, in the field, working by means

of culture and entertainment in public spaces,

meeting and coexistence places par excellence.

5. The Achievements: Encouraging Advances After more than ten years of interventions

aimed at the prevention and improvement of

firearms control and registration in the country,

it is evident that some improvements have been

achieved. These improvements should be an

example to foster new efforts and to continue

improving the citizen security and, in particular,

the control of firearms.

a. San Martín: A Promising and High-Impact Experience The “Arms-Free Municipalities” Project proved

that it is possible to reduce violence or, at least,

to reduce the rates of some of its indicators.

In San Martin, lethal violence was reduced by

49% and the number of crimes committed with

firearms lessened by 24%. The project achieved

the proposal and passing of two pioneering

regulations on firearms in free-standing

structures as well as increasing the number of

firearms seizures (between 69% and 102%) by

the PNC.

Furthermore, this initiative contributed to the

national debate on the prohibition on firearms,

at least in public places, and encouraged other

municipalities to undertake similar experiences.

However, the most relevant effect of this

project was the new approach when facing

citizen insecurity in the country at the political

and technical levels.

b. Significant Changes in Legislation: Closer to Reaching the Prohibition of Carrying of Firearms The Law on the Control and Regulation on

Firearms, Munitions, Explosives and Similar

Items has applied different successive reforms

that have reduced the number of places where

firearms can be carried.

However, taking into account the expectations

generated during this time, some could consider

the advances in legislation to be unsatisfactory.

Legislation still allows, among other things, the

carrying of arms in public places, even knowing

the risk this entails. Maybe now that society is

becoming more aware of the risks of firearms,

the moment has come to move closer towards a

definite prohibition of carrying firearms.

c. A Growing Awareness and Citizen and Political Opposition to Firearms Different campaigns and other actions —such

as messages supporting disarmament and a

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violence-free society through the media (La

Prensa Gráfica), as well as projects and initiatives

by some municipalities, have generated a

growing opposition to the carrying of firearms,

at least in public places.

Let the data speak for themselves. In five years,

the percentage of people against firearms has

risen 30%. Nowadays, more than 80% of the

Salvadoran population declares itself against the

carrying of weapons in public places and more

than 60% are against the possession of arms.

In addition to the civil population, the political

environment in the country also seems to be

against firearms to a greater extent. This

evolution was visible, in June 2009, with the

agreement reached by the 14 mayors who make

up the Board of Mayors of the Metropolitan Area

of San Salvador (COAMSS) in the proposal to the

Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP)

for a wide ban on weapons. It was doubtlessly

an innovative advance in reducing violence in

the country.

d. Everything Counts: More Actions, More Actors, More Advocacy Actions carried out in the area of arms control

and prevention in El Salvador have proved the

importance of alliances. Involving stakeholders

—such as local governments, educational

institutions, the police and the media— has

contributed to widening the diffusion and impact

of messages and actions and, at the same time,

expanded the critical mass surrounding firearms.

These dynamics progressively involved a growing

number of people and leaked out other spheres

and institutions, in particular local governments.

Today many municipalities in El Salvador have

hopped on the bandwagon of firearms control

and prevention.

e. Better and More Coordinated Control and Registration of Firearms Six years have been necessary to crystallize the

recommendation to improve the data system on

firearms control and registration. Today, thanks

to the “Strengthening of Institutional Capacities

for Armed Violence Prevention” Project, all

three institutions competent in this field

—PNC, MDG and FGR— work in coordination, are

better interconnected and share a technological

platform to track and obtain information about

most of the lifetime of a firearm. At the same

time, the sectors where arm registration is

required have been broadened and better and

more control on the arms from private security

companies has been facilitated.

This is the first initiative in Central America

to achieve inter-institutional coordination to

strengthen the systems of firearms control and

registration.

6. Tentative Conclusion Progress has been significant. Not only have

firearms control registration mechanisms

improved, but the Law on the Control and

Regulation on Firearms, Munitions, Explosives

and Similar Items has also been modified to

become more restrictive, and there are more

people who believe that weapons do not protect

society. Besides, a broader political awareness

seems to exist regarding the fact that insecurity

and, more specifically, armed violence, has to be

tackled as a national issue.

UNDP Citizen Security Programme has tried to

contribute to this approach, and to each and

every one of these steps forward. There is still

much to do, yet many small, though relevant,

advances have been accomplished.

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The document presents an overview of the

historical context, as well as the roots and

the situation of violence and delinquency in

the country that culminated in the design and

implementation of the current Citizen Security

Programme. It offers then a summary of the

processes developed to reduce the rates of

armed violence in the period from 1998 until

the systematization was carried out.

These initiatives have followed four strategy

lines: (a) strengthening of the mechanisms

for registration and control of firearms by

governmental institutions; (b) political advocacy,

especially in the promotion of a more restrictive

law of firearms; (c) information and knowledge

management and sharing; and (d) incentives to

increase participation and awareness among

civil society.

The publication concludes with an overview of

the most significant achievements accumulated

along these years. The impact of the Arms-

Free Municipalities Project is highlighted, since

it accomplished a noticeable reduction of armed

violence in one of the municipalities where it

intervened. Significant changes concerning

the legislation that regulates firearms are

also mentioned for they bring the hope for a

Two key factors for violence, delinquency and

insecurity prevention are to promote the control

of circulation of firearms and the reduction of

firearms used by civil population.

Given the high rate of armed violence in El

Salvador, these maxims become even more

pertinent. In a country where eight out of

10 homicides are committed using firearms,

working to reduce their presence in public

spaces and strengthen mechanisms of legal

and institutional control becomes crucial.

This idea was understood by the people who

back in 1998 designed the Programme towards

the Building of a Society without Violence. And

thus they continued understanding it during

the last decade because, although violence is a

complex problem where different factors cause

impact, there is no doubt that firearms play a

decisive role.

That is why this systematisation of the

strategy for armed violence prevention of

the United Nations Development Programme

(PNUD) El Salvador office arises from a

conceptual framework based on three pillars:

citizen security, social cohesion and human

development.

Introduction

15

prohibition of the carrying of firearms in the

near future, at least in public spaces. Finally, it

is worth pointing out three other achievements:

an increasing awareness and citizen and

political opposition towards firearms, the

creations of alliances, and the improvements

in inter-institutional coordination, as well as in

the firearms register and control data system

in the country.

All this work carried out over the years in order

to reduce violence, delinquency and insecurity

in El Salvador was implemented following a

definite thread: armed violence prevention.“More arms, less life” campaign, 2008.

16

referring to insecurity and the fear to become

victims of violence and common delinquency.

Within this framework, considering people as the

centre and goal of development was born the

concept of citizen security. Unlike in previous

times when concepts closer to territorial and

national security were predominant, nowadays it

seems there is agreement on the idea that talking

about security is talking about people’s security.

Therefore, citizen security constitutes a specific

and restricted part of human security which

aims to protect people from violence and crime.

In other words, as a public right, citizen security

refers to:

a democratic citizen order in which

violence no longer threatens the

population and which allows a pacifistic

and secure coexistence. It essentially

concerns an effective protection of a

wide range of human rights, in particular,

the right to life, to personal integrity

and other rights inherent to the private

sphere (i.e., the inviolability of the home,

More than 15 years ago, UNDP promoted the

concept and approach of “human development”.

Since then many things have changed.

Considered a “process of expanding the choices

people have and strengthening their capacities

to lead lives that they value,” (UNDP, 2007)

human development focuses on people and the

improvement of their quality of life.

Furthermore, it is evident that people find it

difficult to improve their quality of life if they

feel anguish and fear.

Thus, a few years after defining the concept of

“human development”, the United Nations conceived

the term “human security” to refer to the risks

faced by human beings. In a UN convention it was

claimed that: “human security is to safeguard the

vital core of all human lives from critical pervasive

threats, in a way that is consistent with long-term

human fulfilment.” (Alkire, 2003)

But the concept of human security is a very

broad one and needs to be defined when

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Section 1

a framework for action and citizen security:

17

along with some governments and even some

summits of Ibero-American Presidents.

Although it is a broad term, social cohesion

aims not only at social policies, but also other

measures that affect the well-being of the

population and the subjective perception of

belonging to common projects. These measures

and policies cover a wide range of areas, namely,

economic and commercial issues, territorial

planning, decentralisation, tax systems and, of

course, security (ECLAC, SEGIB, AECID; 2007.

FIIAPP, 2008).

But the lack of citizen security has often

constituted an obstacle to achieve higher

levels of democratic governability and the

Millennium Development Goals (MDG) or, in

other words, human development.

Under this conceptual framework (human

development-citizen security-social cohesion),

lines for intervention and future actions were

defined, many of them related to prevention and

control of armed violence in El Salvador, as can

be seen on the following pages.

freedom of transit, and others) as well as

the enjoyment of patrimony. (PNUD et al.,

2005).

This definition goes beyond other

conceptualisations that consider security (in

this case, public security) in terms of crime

and offence; it clearly reflects the duality

between objective facts and perceived

insecurity; it guarantees fundamental human

rights and constitutes an essential component

of citizenship and, therefore, a right that can

be demanded to the government. Besides, it

values freedom, which is the essence of human

development.

Although tensions and restrictions may be felt in

the short term, the values of human development

—freedom, equity, legality, respect for human

rights— not only do not they exclude the value

of citizen security but they do complement and

enhance it in the long term1.

Therefore, a reduction of the insecurity rate

means an improvement in human development.

Moreover, broader citizen security contributes

to improved social cohesion within a society

and, on the other hand, less social cohesion

threatens the security of people.

This concept of “social cohesion” was first

considered in Europe, boosted by the European

Union from its very creation. But it has

acquired a growing relevance in the Latin

American discourse on development and has

been integrated into the agenda of different

international organisations, UNDP among them,

1 For a broader definition of the concepts of human development, human security and citizen security and their relations, refer to ¿Cuánto le cuesta la violencia a El Salvador? (Acevedo, C. et. al., 2005), and Regional Report on Human Development (UNDP, 2009).

18

family disintegration or marginalisation, and

social exclusion were, among others, some of

the main causes revealed in this process.

Proliferation and lack of control of firearms

were also identified as drivers for the country’s

situation of insecurity.

A. Firearms and Violence in El Salvador

Once finished the armed conflict (1981-1992),

United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador

(ONUSAL) supervised and recovered more than

10,000 weapons during the process of disarmament

of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front

(FMLN). The initiative

of the United Nations

was followed by a

campaign to collect

arms undertaken by

the Patriotic Movement

against Crime (MPCD)

which, in exchange for

supplies, collected 9,527 arms, 3,157 magazines

and 129,696 munitions in four years (UNDP,

A distinctive feature of El Salvador’s

contemporary history is, undoubtedly, the

context of violence: first, the initial political

violence broke out into a long and bloody armed

conflict; and later, the social violence, as can

be drawn from the high levels of delinquency

and insecurity shown, year after year, by official

statistics, and from the general feeling among

the population. In El Salvador, insecurity is one

the main obstacles to human development.

Facing this situation, UNDP decided in 1998

to foster a process of participative analysis

on this phenomenon. The objective was to

identify the reasons for violence and to design

strategies to reduce the rate of violence. This

led to the creation of the Programme towards

the Construction of a Society without Violence

and the subsequent UNDP Citizen Security

Programme.

This initial process —open, dialogist and

participative— allowed the identification of

immediate motives and socio-economic and

cultural causes behind the violence experienced

by the country. Weak institutions, cultural

patterns that contain and reproduce violence,

THE ROOTS

In El Salvador, eight out of 10 homicides are committed with firearms.

Section 2

19

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

01999 2000

Firearm homicide rate

Homicide rate

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

2003b). These efforts, however, did not

reduce significantly the high number of arms in

circulation, mainly illegal, nor prevent that today

most of the homicides are committed by firearms.

At the beginning of 2009, the Ministry of National

Defence kept a registry of 215,000 firearms

belonging to individuals and private institutions’

personnel. There would be another 130,000 in

illegal possession (Jovel, 2009). This uncontrolled

proliferation certainly contributes to the fact that

eight out of 10 homicides are committed with

firearms.

Source: Own elaboration based on Institute of Legal Medicine (IML) data and 2007 Population and Housing Census.

Graph 1. Rates of Homicides Committed with Firearms (1999-2008)

B. Prioritized Intervention Actions

Issued from this context and from a multi-

causal approach, a number of inter-institutional

workshops on strategic planning were developed

and four priority areas for intervention were

identified:

a. Strengthening of national capacity to

conceptualise the phenomenon of violence.

b. Training for specialised human resources

for the prevention and transformation of the

phenomenon.

c. Strengthening of national capacities for

the design, implementation and evaluation of

policies, programmes and projects on violence

prevention and transformation.

d. Awareness and citizen education on key

issues (UNDP, 2003b).

The following table shows the axes that ran

parallel to the strategy of prevention and control

of armed violence that was boosted at the local,

national and regional levels.

Youth demostration. “More arms, less life” campaign, 2008.

20

Name Organisation Date of Execution Intervention Strategy Geographical

ScopeBudget (in US$)

Strengthening of the mechanisms for registration and control of firearms

UNDP El Salvador, in coordination with CNSP, IUDOP, FESPAD and FLACSO.

2001-2003

Development of a study on firearms.

Promotion of a legislative reform and institutional strengthening.

Execution of a strategy of social awareness.

National 300,000

Arms-Free Municipalities

CNSP, in coordination with the City of San Martín and the City of Ilopango, PNC and MDN.

2005-2006

Restriction of the carrying of arms in public spaces.

Increase of the police control.

Spreading campaign and mass communication.

Voluntary arms surrender.

Study on the impact of the project.

Analysis of the municipal experiences on the control of arms.

Local 360,000

Support to the Prevention of Armed Violence in El Salvador

UNDP El Salvador-PAHO.

2006

Strengthening the national capacities for violence prevention and reduction.

Create inputs to design holistic policies on citizen security.

Systematization of best practices.

National 200,000

Strengthening of Institutional Capacities for Armed Violence Prevention

CNSP, in coordination with the City of Santa Ana, PNC and MDN.

2007-2009

NationalStrengthening of information systems and MDN, PNC and FGR analysis capacity.

Communication and awareness campaign.

Local (Santa Ana) Restriction on the carrying of arms in public places.

Municipal regulation forbidding the carrying.

Increase of the control and supervision of firearms.

Promotion and ownership of public places.

National/Local 351,900

Projects on Prevention and Control of Armed Violence in El Salvador

Source: Own elaboration.

21

In consonance with the Programme’s conceptual

framework, its goals and the strategy for

the prevention and control of firearms, the

processes and initiatives developed to reduce

armed violence rates follow four strategic lines:

a. Strengthening of the mechanisms for

registration and control of firearms by

governmental institutions.

b. Political effect, especially in the promotion of

a more restrictive law of firearms.

c. Information and knowledge management and

sharing.

d. Incentives to increase participation and

awareness among civil society.

The next sections gather the work carried out

distributed in these four strategic lines. Angels for Peace Project, 2003.

22

The Firearms and Violence study was a very

valuable precedent because their results fed

subsequent work on prevention and control of

firearms to define public policy proposals.

The importance of precise and quality

information, good assessments and guidelines

when undertaking public action and projects in

prevention and control of violence was taken

up again in later projects such as “Arms-Free

Municipalities” and “Strengthening of Institutional

Capacities for Armed Violence Prevention”.

A. “Firearms and Violence”: A Quality Research with International Impact

In 2002, in the scope of the “Strengthening Arms

Control Mechanisms” Project, a major research

was developed on the use and circulation of

firearms in the country and its relation to the

phenomenon of violence.

This research was pioneering at the national

and regional levels and was conceived as a tool

Section 3

in public decision-making

THE FOUNDATIONS:knowledge and information

that would facilitate access to quantitative and

qualitative information on the actual situation

of arms in the country. This information was

expected to be useful for political decision-

making or, at least, to capture the necessary

facts for the formulation of a proposal to

amend the Law on the Control and Regulation

on Firearms, Munitions, Explosives and Similar

Items. More information is provided in Section 5.

In short, the study aimed to: (a) establish the

impact of firearms on violence in El Salvador;

(b) explore the attitudes, opinions, and norms

of Salvadorans around the use of firearms as

an instrument for security; (c) show how much

the current regulatory framework contributes

to citizens arming themselves; and (d) draw up

policy recommendations on the issue of firearms.

The research was designed by the project’s technical

panel and developed by the University Institute

of Public Opinion (IUDOP) and the Foundation of

Studies for the Application of Law (FESPAD), in close

coordination with the Statistics Division of the PNC.

A publication entitled Firearms and Violence

gathers the results obtained a year later. Due

23

and personal defence purposes. As it will be

shown in Section 5, communications campaigns

were boosted in an attempt to restrain this

tendency.

e. One of the most significant findings of the

study was the fact that, inversely to what

may be thought, the use of firearms increases

the probability of death, whether the victim

or victimizer’s, during an episode of violence.

In general terms, those people possessing a

firearm were victimized 10% more than those

not owning firearms.

to the extensiveness of the study, it would be

difficult to reflect all the findings collected in

this report. However, the following are some of

the findings that were especially relevant for

their contribution of further work on prevention

and control:

a. Firearms constitute a destabilising element

in Salvadoran society for two main reasons:

insufficient official

control on the amount

of circulating arms,

estimated at the time

of 450,000 (60% illegal)

and the frequent use

in all kinds of criminal

activities.

b. Important gaps in the

Law on the Control and

Regulation on Firearms, Munitions, Explosives

and Similar Items that were partially amended,

as explained in Section 5.

c. Coordination problems among the institutions

with authority over the control and regulation

of firearms. According to the study, most

difficulties came from the lack of a shared

information system, the poor analysis of this

information and the lack of technological

and human resources to optimize work. Five

years later, the Strengthening of Institutional

Capacities for Armed Violence Prevention

Project tried to make up for these deficiencies,

as explained in Section 4.

d. Arms were considered by a wide range, though

not the majority, of the population as the right

instrument for personal defence. More than 40%

of the population, mainly men and rural citizens,

stated their wish to have firearms for protection

People owning firearms were

victimized 10% in any kind of criminal

act more than those not owning

firearms.

Non Defensive Arms • People who utilized a firearm to defend themselves in an act of violence died in a proportion four times higher in comparison to those who did not try to defend themselves.

• Those who tried to use a firearm to defend themselves in mugging or robbery died in a proportion 48 times higher than those who did not try to defend themselves.

• Of all the times when firearms were utilized for self-defence, in more than 65% of the cases the victim was injured or killed.

Source: Firearms and Violence (2003).

The study concludes with a series of specific

recommendations in three lines of action:

reduction of the arms offer, diminution of arms

demand and improvement of control and policing

of arms.

The diversity of the aspects dealt with, the

level of depth of the study and the quality of

the findings attracted national and international

attention to the research. In the words of Edward

24

of the sector; and subjective security, by

measuring the perception of insecurity and

victimisation. As a new innovation, the study

also tried to estimate the cost of armed violence

for development, for individuals as well as for

companies.

This criterion was also applied in the Support

to Armed Violence Prevention Project. The

Association of Salvadoran Physicians for Social

Responsibility (MESARES) carried out a research

on the injuries and deaths caused by firearms in

the hospitals of Sonsonate and Santa Ana.

Among other findings, the research showed that

90% of the injured were men and more than

50% were young. The average cost per patient

injured by firearm in both hospitals was $2,602.

This means that the Salvadoran Healthcare

System spent more than $800,000 on the

services received by people injured by firearms.

The results of this research were published in the

Regional Forum for the Exchange of Experiences

in the Prevention and Control of Armed Violence,

sponsored by UNDP El Salvador in 2006.

About two years later, the National Board

for Public Security (CNSP) led again the

implementation of an initiative on firearms

control. The Strengthening of Institutional

Capacities for Armed Violence Prevention

Project was fostered by UNDP and implemented

in collaboration with the City of Santa Ana, the

PNC, the MDN, the Chamber of Commerce of

Santa Ana, and the Ministry of Justice and

Public Security (MJSP).

Within the framework of this experience were

designed a baseline and a system of indicators

Laurance, professor of International Relations, at

the Monterey Institute of International Studies,

the study constituted “one of the most serious

and complete national diagnoses on the issue of

arms in its multiple dimensions, at international

level” (UNDP, 2003b).

B. Building Knowledge on Armed Violence

The study Firearms and Violence established not

only an important precedent in the country but

also highlighted the urgent need for accurate and

quality information to facilitate decision making on

public policy. From then on, the actions undertaken

have incorporated an important component aimed

at improvement of the quality of registries and a

deeper comprehension of the context of action.

Thus, from the very first moment of its

formulation, the Arms-Free Municipalities Project

foresaw an assessment research on its impact.

For that purpose, a baseline was elaborated

that allowed comparison once the intervention

concluded.

The sources for this baseline were: (a) data on

victimisation registered by the police, the Institute

of Legal Medicine (IML) and hospitals; (b) records

on arms from the National Civilian Police (PNC)

or from the Ministry of National Defence; and

(c) data on victimisation and opinion from a survey

of a representative sample of the inhabitants of

the municipalities of San Martín and Ilopango,

where the project was implemented.

The study tried to capture the main spheres to

measure citizen security, i.e., objective security,

through hard data provided by the institutions

25

26

in order to measure the impact of armed

violence. As in Arms-Free Municipalities, it was

intended to explore the attitudes, opinions and

norms of the population on the use of firearms

as an instrument for security; the performance of

public security and justice institutions; acquire a

better understanding of the objective situation of

violence, crime and both legal and illegal firearms

circulation in the municipality of Santa Ana.

Data provided by different institutions (PNC,

MDN, hospitals and others) and a citizen

survey were considered to build the baseline,

which, in short, showed that insecurity —21%

of households or some of its members declared

having been the victim of a criminal act— and

firearms constitute a serious security issue in

this municipality, due to easy availability and lack

of control. Furthermore, the research revealed

that 88.3% of the people interviewed considered

the possession of firearms as a threat for their

families, while 86.1% conclude that the carrying

of firearms represents a serious threat for

citizens.

At the same time, the project boosted the

creation of the Local Observatory on Domestic

Violence, Delinquency and Coexistence.

Following the creation of an information

system and the instruction received by the

Corps of Metropolitan Agents (CAM), the PNC

Departmental Delegation and the Prevention

Department, the Observatory of Santa Ana

could explore the different kinds of violence and

crime affecting the municipality.

26

125 variables related to the victim, the criminal,

the circumstances and the place of the criminal

act, among other relevant aspects.

Years later, different actions were undertaken to

support —together with the Pan American Health

Organisation (PAHO) and within the Support

to Armed Violence Prevention Project— the

creation of the Information System on Injuries

from External Causes (SILEX) of the Ministry of

Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS). In

addition, training on data gathering, analysis and

processing and geo-referencing procedures for

violence and crime related data was provided

to several officers from specialized units of the

PNC, the General Attorney of the Republic (FGR)

and the Institute of Legal Medicine (IML). In

exchange with the Institute of Forensic Science

from Colombia, training on violence and crime

information processing was also provided to

support the Arms-Free Municipalities Project.

Since the objective of this project was to avoid

the carrying of firearms in public places, most

of the work aimed supervision and control

As stated in Section 3, the Firearms and Violence

study detected coordination problems among

the different institutions with authority over the

control and regulation of firearms, as well as in

the system of data gathering and analysis.

Furthermore, enhancing national capacities

constituted, as explained in Section 2, one of the

strategic lines of the Society without Violence

Programme. The strengthening of institutions

related to arms control and prevention focused

two basic aspects: the supervision and control

of firearms and data gathering and analysis.

Thus, in the scope of the Firearms and Violence

study, the participation of the police and the

collaboration of a team integrated by 70

researchers and 35 supervisors made possible

the systematisation of the PNC new data

register for the years 2000 and 2001.

A total of 80,000 crimes were examined to

create a database on the Oracle platform

enabling the Salvadoran police to move from

one 15 variables register to the monitoring of

more and better control of firearms

Section 4

THE STRUCTURE:

27

This legal study concluded that, although

municipalities where competent to regulate

the use of their own public spaces, including

streets, a total ban on the carrying of arms will

contradict the right to carry, included in the

national regulations.

Therefore, the report recommended, and

thereby accepted for those responsible for the

project, the adoption of a ban restricted to some

particular local public spaces.

On a more practical level, the regulations

approved specified and added new places to

those included in the Law on the Control and

Regulation on Firearms, Munitions, Explosives and

Similar Items (1 July 1999): public institutions,

social and cultural centres, restaurants, hotels,

guesthouses, package stores, billiard halls,

natural parks and other protected areas (Article

62 of the law).

Later on, a legislative order (Decree 621)

included educational centres, bars and show

halls, to the list of places where carrying arms

is forbidden. However, unlike the national law,

municipal regulations specified the particular

places where it is forbidden to carry arms, and

included some additional places not specified in

the law such as municipal parks, markets and

green zones.

The regulation of San Martín, approved in August

2005 and published in the Official Gazette of

October, mentions 31 places of the municipality

where carrying arms is forbidden. On the other

hand, the regulation of Ilopango was approved

in December 2005 and published in the Official

Gazette in January 2006. Both legal texts allow

the Municipal Board to enlarge the list of places

where the carrying of arms is banned.

and it was focused on two areas: the creation

and approval of regulations to ban firearms in

public spaces in the two municipalities where

the initiative was carried out (San Martín and

Ilopango) and the work to be done by the police

to make this regulation effective.

Some Advances in Institutional Strengthening • PNC has evolved from a 15 variables reg-ister to the monitoring of 125 variables related to the victim, the criminal, the cir-cumstances and location of the criminal act, among other aspects.

• In some of the municipalities intervened, there have been improvements in data gathering and analysis by means of crime maps drawn using geo-referencing proce-dures, a monthly analysis of this informa-tion, and the computerization of forms.

• There has been an improvement of the agent’s technical capacity in data gather-ing and processing related to firearms.

• The connectivity of PNC, FGR and MDN data systems in order to achieve a more efficient control during the arms’ useful life has been reinforced.

Source: Own elaboration.

A. The Municipal Regulations

In El Salvador, public security is managed by

national institutions. Municipalities have little

control over citizen security. For this reason,

one of the first steps of the Arms-Free

Municipalities Project was to undertake a legal

study on the feasibility and structure of the

municipal regulation on the carrying of arms in

public spaces.

28

In Santa Ana an attempt was made to repeat the

experience of control and supervision developed

by the Arms-Free Municipalities project,

within the framework of the Strengthening

of Institutional Capacities for Armed Violence

Prevention Project, however effects and results

were extremely different. Despite the regulation

on public places approved by the board and the

plan for control and supervision designed by PNC

and CAM, recurrent changes in PNC leadership,

police reorganisation, and the scarce involvement

of the Municipal Board -local elections coincided

with part of the project development- prevented

the carry out of the plan.

B. Improving the Arms Registration and Data System

However, the Strengthening of Institutional

Capacities for Armed Violence Prevention

Project did achieve its goals regarding the

strengthening of firearms data system of

the FGR, the MDN and the PNC. The plan

designed by the project’s National Technical

Commission foresaw the improvement of the

agent’s technical capacity in data gathering

and processing, and the reinforcement of the

connectivity among the different institutional

data system in order to achieve a more efficient

control during the arms’ useful life. Both goals

were achieved and exceeded.

The project accomplished improvements in

inter-institutional connectivity and coordination

—even within organisations such as the PNC—,

enlarged the number of people and units able

to access information, increased equipment

resources and started the improvement of the

available data analysis.

Once the municipal regulations were approved,

the project provided training on legal issues,

procedures for the control and supervision of arms,

and the definition of joint actions between PNC and

CAM to 126 officers of the PCN and 51 members

of the CAM from municipal sub-delegations.

In addition to this initial training, the project

held two specific seminars on crime information

gathering and analysis and the development of

strategic plans, as well as a course for patrol

leaders on community policing, or “policía de

proximidad”, given by Spanish experts.

Living without Arms, the project evaluation

document, highlighted:

From a doctrinal point of view, these

trainings are part of an implicit initiative to

modernise the police, to promote the use

of information in operative planning and

in assessment, to emphasise prevention

and develop the features required by a

community police, as a process that must

run parallel to the control and supervision

of arms (Cano, 2007).

The same publication points out that “a visible

improvement in data gathering and analysis

can be seen in the AFMP results report,

prepared by the police.” Other improvements

such as crime maps drawn using geo-

referencing procedures, a monthly analysis

of this information, and the computerization

of forms were the basis for a “quantum leap

in terms of data processing by the police”

(Cano, 2007). The plan for the control of

arms of the project was completed by the

strengthening of supervision and control of

firearms licenses and PNC-CAM joint patrols

in the places included in the regulation.

29

The project boosted a process of inter-

institutional reflection, reaching the definition

and implementation of a model to allow FGR,

PNC and MDN to consult different registrations

in order to improve the control of the circulation

of arms in the country and strengthen the

investigation and processing of crimes

committed with firearms.

This is the first inter-institutional experience of this

kind in Central America to strengthen registration

systems and the control of firearms and munitions,

and to provide strategy-design tools for joint

intervention, which facilitates crime investigation.

The first step to attain these achievements

was an assessment carried out by PNC and

MDN technicians. This situation analysis help

identifying legal and administrative proceedings

to be done by institutions, accessing the data

created throughout the implementation of these

proceedings and detecting data sharing needs in

order to improve institutional work.

Once the deficiencies were identified,

representatives of the National Technical

Commission2 decided to implement two types

of external consultation models:

a. Administrative, which provides information on

the identification, situation and location of the

firearm to the three institutions.

b. For research purposes, which provides the

administrative information but also information

about the people involved in the event (victim,

defendants, owner of the weapon, legal

representative of the private security companies,

security agent, importer, and others).

In addition, the project renewed computing

equipment of the Arms and Explosives Division,

the Technical and Scientific Division, the Central

Records Division and the Security Private

Services Division of the PNC, and the Computing

Department of the MDN.

Furthermore, the link between PNC and MDN

servers was facilitated in order to connect

divisions and units involved in the control of arms

2 The National Technical Commission was formed in July 2007 by the subscription of an agreement between the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, MDN, UNDP and CMSP. A year later, an additional agreement was signed to formally integrate FGR to the Commission thus facilitating the connection of its information system to the rest.

Main Areas of Intervention of the Strengthening of Institutional Capacities for Armed Violence Prevention Project IT Systems a. Setting up of computing equipment in the sections of the DAE and connexion of DRCSPS to PNC institutional network.b. Setting up of the IT application created by the Logistics Direction (DL) of the MDN for queries on the firearm register. c. Design of new IT applications adapted to each institution’s needs in order to fa-cilitate data gathering, reports and data sharing between PNC and MDN to update their registers. d. Increase of the number of users and updating of the registers related to the controls established by national regulations. e. Training given to 140 users from PNC and DL on data systems new applications. Information Analysis a. Training on the analysis of the data re-trieved from the IT systems in order to go into the knowledge of legal aspects of import, trade, registers, etc., in depth. And improve PNC and DL controls in this area. b. Acquisition of bibliographical and elec-tronic material on the identification of arms, and subscription to databases on firearms and munitions.

Source: Own elaboration.

30

Graph 2. Current Operation of the Arms Registration Information System

and also to connect the different sections of

the Arms and Explosives Division (DAE) from

the different regions of the country to the

PNC Network.

Other IT applications were also developed

for queries and reports adapted to FGR, PNC

and MDN needs, which allow users to access

the data required to make administrative

procedures and crime investigation easier.

DL SERVER

IT Department:3 users

CENTRAL DAEConfiscation Dept.: 15 users

SS Registration Dept.: 25 users

Import Dept.: 10 users

SA Registration Dept.: 12 users

SM: Registration Dept. 12 users

Link

PNC CENTRAL RECORDSDL server: Information system with database and aplications on firearms and ammunition

registration

Central Record: PNC general information system, including DAE database on firearms, ammunition and explosives

PNC Information Integration:- Results of the control of out-of-date registrations and licenses

- Irregularities in custodians- Faults and confiscations during inspections

- Faults and confiscations in inspections to private security agencies

DL National Registries:- Firearms carrying, possessing and collection registrations and licenses

- Firing ranges- Firearms, ammunition, accesories import

- Retailers- Gun shops- Ammunition reloaders- Destructions of firearms, ammunitions and machinery

Queries and reports to DL:- Special permits, etc. of sellers registered in FAES

for inspections- Licenses for reparation and modification of gun

shops- Special permits to reload ammunition, import, etc.- Special permits for firing ranges, etc. - Out of date firearms registrations and licenses.- Firearms licenses - Destroyed firearms- Firearms sent to DL by the court- Temporary entry of firearms and ammunition - Private security agencies registrations and

licenses

Central DAE National Registries: - Custodians- Inspections (sellers, gun shops, etc.) - Out-of-date lisences (verifications)- Firearms and ammunition confiscated for crimes and faults- Robberies, thefts, misplacement of firearms and firearms

licenses- PNC firearms and ammunition- Firearms ballistics and tests- Control and tracking of illegal firearmsSection Registries:- Custodians- Inspections (sellers, gun shops, et.) - Out-of-date registrations and licenses (verifications)- Firearms and ammunition confiscated for crimes and faults- Robberies, thefts, misplacement of firearms and

firearms registrations and licenses- Firearms ballistics and testsDRCSPS National Registries: - Inspections to security agencies- Security Agencies (licenses, etc.)

PNC Queries:- Registry of legal firearms confiscated

for crimes or faults- Registry of robberies, thefts

misplacement of registration and licenses- Control and tracking of illegal firearms

Security private services’ registries were updated,

and catalogues of private security companies and

for the identification of firearms were developed in

order to facilitate operators’ gathering and query

tasks about firearms in the country.

Other activities allowed the preparation of

private security services standards catalogues,

among others, allowing better information

analysis on firearms in the country.

Inquiries using

aplicationsDAE SECTIONS

DRCSPS

DPTC

18 users

20 users

4 users

2 users

31

Better and More Coordinated Control and Registration of Firearms The implementation of the Strengthening of Institutional Capacities for Armed Violence Prevention Project constituted a significant step forward in the process of registration and control of firearms in the country. Some of its contributions have been:

a. Five times more staff has access to information. More than 150 MDN and PNC officers have ac-cess to databases. FGR attorneys will soon be able to access these databases.

b. PNC and MDN servers have been linked, allowing the connection of units and divisions involved in the control of arms, private security services, and others.

c. Internal networks have been implemented to connect the different duty stations of the Security Private Services, the Technical and Scientific, and the Arms and Explosives Divisions, to PNC central network.

d. The 14 DAE sections present in different regions of the country are now connected to PNC net-work.

e. Query and report applications have been created adapted to the needs of FGR, PNC and MDN. These applications facilitate the access to the data required in administrative processes and crime investigation.

f. Security private services’ registries have been updated from the data exchanged between PNC and MDN.

g. Catalogues of private security companies and for the identification of firearms were developed in order to facilitate operators’ gathering and query tasks.

Source: Own elaboration.

32

peace, in a less violent and arms-free society.

Under the eye-catching title “Arms, not even as

toys!” the first national campaign on the risk of

arms possession and carrying was launched in

2003 and spread its messages through social

activities and the media.

Focusing on childhood rights relieved the

campaign of a certain amount of political

pressure and brought together many diverse

actors who participated with different degrees

of leadership and prominence. More than

100 actors and institutions were involved

in the campaign, including ministries, local

governments, educational institutions, NGOs,

the police, universities, theatre groups, private

companies and the media.

The campaign included different activities at

the national and local levels in San Salvador,

metropolitan municipalities and main capitals.

The actions were divided in three groups

according to the public targeted: (a) 7 to 13

year-old children, noting the participation of

more than 3,500 children from more than 60

educational institutions in the main cities, who

created “Angels for Peace” —group of children

who, within the framework of the project, were

civil society support and awareness to change culture

Section 5

ACCESSORIAL SUPPORT:

The transformation of habits and social customs

can be a hard task, a long-term process that

requires, in this case, efforts aimed at creating

citizens’ awareness on the risk of the carrying

of arms and, at the same time, discouraging

their use. This task must run parallel to a work

of political advocacy.

Being aware of this, the campaigns undertaken

in the past few years have tried to reach people

by means of communication and awareness

campaigns or messages, using knowledge

sharing and communication tools, resorting to

media, fostering and supporting the creation

of spaces and impact groups, boosting a better

social cohesion and working from culture and

leisure in public spaces.

A. The Evolution of the Campaigns for Disarmament: Weapons, neither Real Ones nor Toys

Within a complex political and social context, the

team in charge of the first campaign decided

to emphasise the right of children to live in

33

of firearms by civilians. Using direct messages

such as: “You could be next”, the campaign

encouraged people to say “no” to arms, in order

to coexist without violence.

Thus, after a stage in which messages targeted

at children, as a means to reach the adult

population, now messages aimed directly the

group of the population who could actually exert

pressure to change the habit of carrying arms,

urging them to say: “No to arms” in public spaces.

By the end of 2005 and within the Arms-Free

Municipalities Project, it was implemented a

fourth communication and awareness strategy.

The assessment and the baseline developed

within the framework of this project, and

mentioned in Section 3, made the definition

of a communication strategy possible aiming

for a change in the population’s behaviour

and attitudes regarding firearms. The goal

was to reduce the number of firearms in the

municipalities of Ilopango and San Martín.

The messages and actions of the communication

strategy were directed towards four target

groups: general population, youth, firearms

owners and family men and women. The

challenge was to pass on to the population a

positive concept and an ideal of “living arms-

free”, arming them with positive values for a

better cohabitation.

A global concept of communication was defined

to be used as the basis for every action to

undertake from then on to create an appropriate

identity and connect the recipient of the

message through emotions. The final concept

was “San Martín alive, arms-free” and “Ilopango

alive, arms-free”.

involved in cultural and recreational activities

against firearms; (b) young people, specially men,

through sports events in different municipalities

under the motto: “Using arms nobody wins”; and

(c) the general public, by means of a massive

publicity campaign in the press, radio, television

and public spaces.

In 2004, the “Secure and Arms-Free Sites”

campaign, more precise and less ambitious than the

former one, tried to maintain the efforts made to

raise social awareness and mobilisation on the risks

involved in the proliferation of firearms among civil

society. Festival, art competitions, sports events

and the collection of signatures, 40,000 minors’

and 5,000 adults’, to amend the current Law on

the Control and Regulation on Firearms, Munitions,

Explosives and Similar Items —handed before

the Legislative Assembly by a group of children

representing “Angels for Peace”— constitute the

core activities of the campaign.

The quantum leap in conceptual terms came

with the next campaign. The “Say no to Arms,

for an El Salvador without Violence” campaign

was launched in April 2005, after the signature

of a collaboration agreement between UNDP

and UTEC. The communication actions included

press, radio and television materials designed by

the School of Communication of the UTEC, and

aimed to provoke a reaction against the carrying

Concert for the world. “More arms, less life” campaign, 2008.

34

The campaign was brought to a close on the

13 December 2008 in a shopping mall in the

capital with a concert performed by the Youth

Symphonic Orchestra which attracted more

than 5,000 people.

B. Spaces for Public Policy Impact

Since the very beginning in 1998, the actions

intended to be carried out as part of a participative

and consultative process led to the creation of

strategic alliances that were strengthened during

the development of the Firearms and Violence

study and, in particular, during the setting off of

the “Arms, not even as toys!” campaign.

Those alliances increased with time. New

stakeholders and institutions have combined efforts

and support for non-violence and disarmament

and, as a result, the Citizen Group for a Society

without Violence was formed in 2003.

This varied group of people and institutions

—created with the purpose of investigating the

roots of violence, creating awareness of the ways

to mitigate it and doing lobby work to achieve

the group’s objective— played a crucial role in the

support of the awareness campaign.

However, the most relevant efforts aimed the

amendment to the Law on the Control and

Regulation on Firearms, Munitions, Explosives

and Similar Items. This led the group to bring up

these legal amendments with the President of the

Republic, who was required to forbid the carrying

of firearms, particularly, in public spaces, to

improve arms control and to substantially reduce

the high rates of armed violence. This aspect will

be dealt with in the next pages.

From this general concept, the campaign tried

to raise the interest of the audience through

suggestive questions such as: “How to disarm

the violence of a people?” The answer was full

of symbolic values: “Arming itself with respect,

courage, participation and life”.

These mottoes and messages expressed the

idea that the absence of firearms implies life and

called on a rational attitude to be alert. This call

was, at the same time, an invitation to take part

and participate of the collective effort. Through

this proposal the ideal of “living without weapons”

was spread throughout the municipality.

Two years later, within the Strengthening of

Institutional Capacities for Armed Violence

Prevention Project, the fifth communication

campaign on this issue was designed and set off.

Conceived to be promoted at the local and

national levels, the campaign tried to diminish

the circulation of arms in public places,

strengthen the population’s favourable opinion

against the carrying of firearms, and increase

the use of meeting spaces through cultural and

leisure activities.

“Less weapons, more life” was the message

in this occasion, in reference to the risks and,

above all, benefits (more life) of living in a

country with fewer firearms.

The campaign was developed between June and

December 2008 and was promoted through the

media (press, television, radio, billboards and

the web). Cultural, sports and other activities

to foster coexistence were displayed in parallel

in public spaces in Santa Ana: concerts, sports

evenings, cinema, and open-air presentations,

arts evenings, urban picnics, and others.

35

of correspondence that included the amendments

to the Law on the Control and Regulation on

Firearms, Munitions, Explosives and Similar Items.

The proposal had two components: the revision

of the Article 62 of the Law to broaden the

prohibition on carrying arms to include parks,

plazas and petrol stations, and a request to

the Assembly to add the Article 62 A, to allow

competent authorities to ban the carrying

of arms in specific places or periods of time,

following the opinion of the Municipal Board.

The next day, the Assembly ratified an executive

order to allow the extension of the ban on

carrying arms to new public places.

Despite the quick start, the way to the amendment

was long and complex. It started in 2003, with

the analysis and proposals of amendment to the

Law on the Control and Regulation on Firearms,

Munitions, Explosives and Similar Items, included

in the Firearms and Violence study; then came

the proposal submitted by the Society without

Violence Group; later, it went through different

communication campaigns on disarmament,

and collected the work undertaken by some

municipalities and projects, in particular the

Arms-Free Municipalities Project.

Finally, after eight months of work, the Commission

accomplished the mandate given by the President

of the Republic to articulate proposals to prevent

and reduce high rates of violence, crime and

insecurity experienced by the country.

The Commission’s final report sets out 75

recommendations adopted by consent and

directed to improve security and cohabitation

in the country. Some of them, as mentioned

before, focused the control of firearms.

C. The National Commission for Citizen Security and Social Peace

Appointed on 1 November in 2006 by the

President of the Republic, Antonio Elías Saca,

this Presidential Commission was integrated

by representatives of all the political parties

present in the Legislative Assembly (ARENA,

CD, FMLN, PCN and PDC), private sector bodies

(ANEP, Chamber of Commerce) and churches

(Catholic and Evangelical).

The mandate was clear: “To articulate a series

of proposals to develop them in the short, middle

and long term; and the scope of the actions will

overarch prevention, rehabilitation, reintegration

in society and even coercion against crime”

(National Commission for Citizen Security and

Social Peace, 2007).

A few days after its constitution, the commission

agreed, by general consensus, on a first proposal

focused on firearms. Among other issues,

the commission suggested the improvement

of the control and supervision processes;

the creation of an integrated data system of

firearms; the development of data analysis and

treatment capacities of competent institutions;

the extension of the Arms-Free Municipalities

Project experience to the 20 municipalities with

the highest rates of violence and crime; the

development of massive awareness campaigns;

and the amendment to the Law on the Control

and Regulation on Firearms, Munitions,

Explosives and Similar Items.

On 6 December 2006, the Commission Coordinator,

Mauricio Loucel, handed to the Assembly a piece

36

D. The Arms and Explosives Legislation Reform

The law approved in 1999 increased the

restrictions for arms possession in the country.

The first reform to this law occurred in 2002 and

increased the sentences for crimes committed

with arms and the control on the possession

and carrying of arms in certain public spaces.

The reform also included categories for the re-

exportation of arms, munitions and explosives,

imported from abroad, to third countries without

Recommendation 3. National Commission for Citizen Security and Social Peace Demand to the institutions responsible to watch over the implementation and performance of the legislation, to firmly obey and make obey the current Law on the Control and Regulation on Firearms, Munitions, Explosives and Similar Items. In this line, other actions are recommended, such as: a. Improve the Government capacity for registration and control of legal firearms and confiscation of illegal firearms. In this case, urge the institutions responsible to: proceed to the execution of systematic campaigns of confiscation of illegal arms; improve the controls on illicit trade of arms and munitions.b. According to UN recommendations, establish a National Commission on Control and Inspection of Firearms. On the 28th of November 2006, the National Commission on Citizen Security and Social Peace recommended the fol-lowing actions to the President of the Republic:

1. Purchase of equipments and programmes to support the constitution of an integrated firearms information system among the Arms and Explosives Subdivision (DAE), the Operations and Services Centre, PNC Public Security Sub-direction, and the Department of Registration and Confiscation of Arms (DRDA) of the Ministry of National Defence (MDN). 2. Improve the capacity in data analysis and processing of institutions responsible for the use of data and the reg-istration of arms.3. Strengthen PNC capacities for the research and tracking of illegal firearms, providing intensive training to special-ized sections’ officers and general training to the National Academy of Public Security (ANSP) officers as a whole. 4. Include in the IBIS system the data referred to the firearms belonging to the Salvadoran Army (FAS), PNC, CAM, penitentiary system, and other national institutions, as well as private security companies.5. Implement operational plans within the PNC, in coordination with the CAM, to verify licenses held by civilians.6. Proceed to the symbolic destruction of weapons confiscated up to date, prior audit of the total of weapons seized, existing inventories and the destruction and losses, whose balance should be clarified prior to the destruction.7. Establish the Technical Inspection of Firearms: Obligation to send the firearms to specialized units for revision, periodic taking of ballistic prints and verification in the police archives. 8. Broaden the experience of the Arms-Free Municipalities to the municipalities with higher rates of violence in the country.9. Perform awareness campaigns about firearms.10. Implement, at the national level, the Control of Small Arms in Central America Project, executed by the SICA General Secretariat.11. More strict requirements to obtain a firearms license, imposing an exam to test the skills in arms use and psy-chological tests, more strict and serious.12. Apply the withdrawal of firearms to defendants and accused of domestic violence, as precautionary measure, as well as the prohibition or annulations of licenses for convicted of intrafamiliar violence. 13. Establish the obligation of third party insurance for firearms owners.14. Foster voluntary arms surrender campaigns in exchange of food or goods, in collaboration with the private sector.

Source: National Commission for Citizen Security and Social Peace (2007), pp. 58-59.

prior notification, according to the Inter-American

Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of

and Trafficking in Firearms, Munitions, Explosives,

and Other Related Materials (CIFTA).

A draft bill proposal came to complement those

little advances. It was designed using the input

of the Firearms and Violence study, and the main

issues were: eliminating the carrying of arms by

civilians in public spaces; restricting the number

of arms and munitions a person or company

can have access to; increasing the legal age for

possessing arms; establishing the withdrawal of

the arms to those people going through penal

37

Programme aimed at generating changes in public

opinion and among decision-makers; fostering

journalism for cohabitation and citizen security

in the media and, at the same time, setting the

Programme as a landmark in the area.

To achieve these goals, a space for knowledge

sharing, discussion and reflection was boosted

during six years, in addition to the ordinary

channels of information production and

spreading —web sites, press callings, interviews,

reports and opinion articles in the media, etc.

The Permanent Seminar on Citizen Security

constituted a source of technical inputs for

strategy and policy design directed to violence

prevention and reduction.

A number of conferences delivered by national and

international specialists attracted policy designers,

professors, professionals, journalists and opinion

leaders. For six years, the seminar has dealt with

different issues such as security local management,

culture and violence, youth violence, gender, the

media and, of course, firearms.

trials with criminal records of domestic violence;

fostering a better coordination between the PNC

and MDN; and the improvement of data analysis

and processing for institutions. The draft was

presented before the corresponding commission

at the National Assembly, and constituted the

basis for subsequent actions.

In 2005, the work of the Citizen Group for a

Society without Violence helped the approval

of new specific amendment to the Law on the

Control and Regulation on Firearms, Munitions,

Explosives and Similar Items. Among them

was increasing the age to get an arms license

to 21 (although the Group suggested 25), and

limiting people to one short firearm and one long

firearm as the number of arms allowed by abode

or property. The scope of this last proposal was

limited by the permission of buying a firearm

every two years by a natural or artificial person.

The Citizen Group also tried at that time, in line

with the thought that firearms should not be in

the streets, to eliminate the carrying licenses

observed by the law. In practical terms, the aim

was the complete prohibition of the carrying of

arms in public spaces in El Salvador. Though

the proposal has not yet been carried out, the

number of public places where it is forbidden to

carry firearms grows every day.

E. Communication for Change

Communication, knowledge management and

working with the media have been some of the

other cross-cutting axis of the initiatives developed

during the last years. Some of the initiatives

undertaken in the scope of the knowledge

management strategy of UNDP Citizen Security

Generating Discussion and Reflection

Three international conferences and 42 forums on key

issues have boosted the generation and spreading of

knowledge on this national concern. National and interna-

tional specialists of prominent and distinguished career

have participated in these events. The contributions were

collected in different publications (see http://www.pnud.

org.sv/2007/sc/content/blogcategory/0/88/).

These are some of the data collected from the surveys

answered by the attendants:

a. 82.7% of the participants stated to have a good or

very good opinion of the seminars.

b. 100% considered that “the conferences help improve

their work”.

c. 82.7% states that they facilitate the design of public

policies.

Source: Own elaboration.

38

editors of this medium to get the technical

support necessary to develop the innovative

and pioneer Handbook of Violence Treatment.

As part of its commitment with non-violence,

LPG boosted a communication campaign

including a black and white edition focused on

the roots and consequences of violence in the

country, which constituted its most valuable and

symbolic output.

The collaboration agreement between UNDP

and LPG was renewed in 2007. This time,

LPG Multimedia undertook the production

of a documentary on firearms, among other

initiatives. Following a specialized training given

to the Multimedia Section of the newspaper, the

documentary “Our weapon of each day” was

filmed to increase social awareness and political

pressure on the control of firearms.

F. Culture and Places for Social Cohesion

Public spaces are the places where urban

life is primarily developed. Active policies

to create quality public spaces contribute to

social interaction and to the promotion of the

responsible use of public spaces, helping social

and functional interaction and cultural promotion,

and effectively creating a context of security.

The actions undertaken within the different

projects have always taken into account the

relevance of working in and for public spaces,

especially with children and youth.

Sports and cultural activities are considered as

a means for social prevention directed to youth

In addition to this regular and permanent space

for thematic presentations, other international

conferences were developed, such as the

Regional Forum for the Exchange of Experiences

in the Prevention and Control of Armed Violence,

celebrated in August 2005.

The goal of this international meeting was the

analysis of the situation of firearms in different

countries of the region and their impact on

human development. Those conferences and

presentations were gathered in a publication

entitled Regional Forum for the Exchange of

Experiences in the Prevention and Control of

Armed Violence, also translated into English.

Following the same strategic line in knowledge

management, a Directory of Institutions

related to the development of initiatives on

the prevention and reduction of violence was

created. This publication gathers more than 140

programmes undertaken by 51 local, national

and international institutions, including academic

institutions, NGOs and private companies.

After gathering all the information necessary

to create the Directory, the programmes and

projects were analysed in order to verify if they

met the assessment requirements. Then, it was

decided to systematize the experience of the

Industrial Area of Don Bosco (PIDB) —the only

experience in the country focused on education

and integrated professional training for low

income and high social risk youth or youth in

trouble with the law— and to evaluate the impact

of the Arms-Free Municipalities Project.

Regarding the work done by the media, it is

worth noting the collaboration agreement signed

in 2005 with La Prensa Gráfica newspaper

(LPG). This agreement allowed journalists and

39

in areas with high rates of violence. Cultural

events such as plays, sculptural installations,

shows and music festivals, and sports oriented

to youth have been some of the permanent

activities developed at the local level in the

framework of the different communication and

awareness campaigns.

The “Fewer weapons, more life” campaign,

e.g., supported several sports activities,

commemorative parades, theatre festivals,

open-air presentations, art evenings and

urban picnics. Other leisure events, as well

as reforestation, cleaning and coexistence

activities were developed in municipal parks and

community public spaces. Culture also played

the leading role in the campaign’s closing, by

means of a mass concert performed by the

Youth Symphonic Orchestra.

Participants in the Secure and Arms-Free Sites campaign, 2004.

40

UP TO NOW:

Section 6

some advances for hope

A. San Martín: High Impact of a Promising Experience

When starting a project,

the question that always

arises is: “What impact,

what results it is going

to achieve?” The Arms-

Free Municipalities Project

showed that, at least in San

Martín, it was possible

to reduce violence or,

at least, to lessen some

of the indicators. The

project also succeeded in the promotion and

approval of two pioneering regulations on

firearms in public spaces, and in the increase of

the seizure of firearms by the PNC (between 69%

and 102%).

After more than ten years of efforts and

interventions to prevent and improve the control

and registration of firearms in the country, it is

evident that some advances have been made. In

the difficult, complex and polarize context of a

country where the legislation allows the carrying of

arms by civilians, and hence

accepts the presence of

firearms in the streets,

institutional and legislative

changes, if they occur, are

slow; and transformations,

in particular cultural

transformations, are long-

term processes.

Taking these facts into

consideration, here are some of the advances

and progresses that should encourage new

processes to keep on improving citizen security

and, in particular, the control of firearms.

The Arms-Free Municipalities Project showed that it is possible to reduce armed violence. In San Martín, the data reflected a reduction of 49% in lethal vio-lence and of 24% in the number of criminal acts. committed with firearms.

41

Achievements of the Arms-Free Municipalities Project through the Main Impact Indicators

Prohibition on the carrying Regulations passed by the municipalities.25% of the population is informed of the regulation.

Policing capacity

According to PNC reports, the number of arms confiscated would have increased 102% in Ilopango and 69% in San Martín.

Closer collaboration between the Ministry of National Defence and the PNC.Joint policing between PNC and CAM.

Informing and building awareness in population

Increase in the percentage of persons (91%) who consider that the carrying of arms in public places represents a threat for the people there. 3% decrease in support for arms possession.

Close to 20% of respondents said they knew about the communications campaign. Of these, 51% rated it as good.28% said they had changed their opinion about the possession and carrying of arms.

Reduction in the measures for indicators of armed

violence

Notable reduction (over 40%) in homicides, in general, and by firearms, in San Martín. Significant reduction (around 50%) in other crimes committed with firearms, in Ilopango.

Source: Own elaboration according to Living without arms?

The reasons for the relative success of the

project are six:

a. The political will of at least one of the mayors.

b. The diagnosis process carried out to identify

the most dangerous areas and help the police

improve data gathering and processing.

c. The efforts of the PNC in tasks related to arms

prevention and control.

d. The conception of the project as an incipient

strategy for the local management of citizen security.

e. The resolved support of the National Board

for Public Security and the inter-institutional

coordination of CNSP, City Hall, PNC and CAM

and other social institutions and organisations in

the municipality.

f. Social and institutional support.

In addition, the initiative contributed to feed

the national discussion on the prohibition of the

carrying of arms, at least in public spaces, and

encouraged other towns to carry out similar

experiences, as it will be seen in the following

pages. However, the most relevant impact was

that it established the precedent for a new

technical and policy approach to citizen insecurity

in the country.

Another achievement took place in the area of

citizen awareness. Campaigns, regulations and

cultural and leisure activities contributed to the

fact that 91% of the population considered the

carrying of arms in public places as a threat. At

the same time, the support to the possession of

arms dropped by 3% in the two municipalities

as a whole.

42

B. Significant Changes in Legislation: Reaching the Prohibition of Carrying of Arms

As explained in Section 5, the Law on the

Control and Regulation on Firearms, Munitions,

Explosives and Similar Items has experienced

successive reforms to limit not only the places

where the carrying of arms is allowed but also

other relevant aspects, such as the minimum

age to obtain a license.

In view of the expectations generated by the

publication of Firearms and Violence and the work

done by different local,

national and international

institutions or by the

Citizen Group for a

Society without Violence,

who took up again the

recommendations of

that study and handed

them to the President of

the Republic, it could be

thought that legislative

improvement have not

been satisfactory. The law still allows, among

other things, the carrying of arms in public

places, knowing full well the risk it entails.

However, maybe now that society is becoming

more aware of the risks of firearms, the

moment has come to move closer towards a

total prohibition on the carrying of firearms.

C. A Growing Awareness and Citizen and Political Opposition to Firearms

Different campaigns and other actions, such

as messages supporting disarmament and a

violence-free society through the media —

as La Prensa Gráfica, as well as projects and

initiatives carried out by some municipalities,

have generated a growing opposition to the

carrying of firearms, at least in public places.

Let data speak by themselves. In five years,

the percentage of people against firearms has

increased by 30%. Nowadays, very few people

argue that firearms should be carried on public

spaces (Segura, 2008).

Less Ctizen Support to FrearmsWhen the study Firearms and Violence was car-ried out, little more than 50% of the population stated to be against firearms. The same citizen polls show, years later, a very positive evolution. Thus, nowadays, more than 80% of the Salvador-an population is supposed to be against the carry-ing of arms in public spaces; and more than 60%, against the possession of arms.

Source: Firearms and Violence and La Prensa Gráfica

Apart from the civil population, the political

environment in the country also seems to

be against firearms to a greater extent. This

evolution was proved in June 2009 when the 14

mayors who make up the Board of Mayors of the

Metropolitan Area of San Salvador (COAMSS)

agreed to propose to the Ministry of Justice

In five years, the percentage of people against firearms has

increased by 30%. Nowadays, very few

people argue that firearms should be

carried on public spaces. (Segura, 2008).

43

and Security a wide ban on weapons. It was

doubtlessly an innovative advance to reduce

violence in the country.

D. Everything Counts: more Actions, more Actors, more Incidences

Actions carried out in the area of arms

control and prevention in El Salvador have

proved the importance of alliances. Working

to prevent violence can become hard and

weary if undertaken only by one organisation

or institution. Furthermore, it is very difficult

to achieve satisfactory results when actions

are not coordinated and promoted by several

stakeholders.

As in this effort, involving stakeholders —such

as local governments, educational institutions,

the police and the media— has contributed to

widening the diffusion and impact of messages

and actions and, at the same time, expanded the

critical mass surrounding firearms.

These dynamics progressively involved a

growing number of people and leaked out other

spheres and institutions, in particular local

governments. Today many municipalities in El

Salvador have hopped on the bandwagon of

firearms control and prevention.

Following the initiative of Santa Tecla, that

resolutely included the topic, in its Security

Policy and in its city plans and actions in 2006,

San Salvador, the capital city, included a specific

component in its coexistence and security policy.

Both cities have also regulations ruling firearms

in public spaces.

Then came other towns from the West and Centre

of the country, such as Sonsonate, Sonzacate

and Acajutla, where the United Nations System

—through interagency programmes performed

by UNICEF, PAHO, ILO and UNDP, the CNSP and

municipalities have started the implementation

of a project on human security, emphasizing

prevention and control of firearms. Others,

such as Colón or Sacacoyo, have also started to

display similar experiences.

The role developed by the National Board for

Public Security must as well be highlighted in

this short review of initiatives and actors. First,

their proposals regarding public policy, then the

monitoring and execution of projects such as

Arms-Free Municipalities or the Strengthening

of Institutional Capacities for Armed Violence

Prevention. These projects have shown the

strong commitment of this national institution

towards the prevention and control of firearms

as one of the key aspects to reduce insecurity

in the country.

E. Better and more coordinated control and registration of firearms

Six years have been necessary to crystallise the

recommendation of the Firearms and Violence

study, taken up again by the Citizen Group for

a Society without Violence and the National

Commission for Citizen Security and Social

Peace, to improve the data system on firearms

control and registration.

As indicated in Section 4, today, thanks to

the Strengthening of Institutional Capacities

for Armed Violence Prevention Project, all

44

the three institutions competent in this field

-PNC, MDG and FGR- work in coordination, are

better interconnected and share a technological

platform to track and obtain information about

most of the lifetime of a firearm. At the same

time, the sectors where arm registration is

required have been broadened and the control

on the arms from private security companies

has been facilitated.

The National Technical Commission, made up

by MJSP, FGR, MDN, PNC, CNSP and UNDP,

has developed a strategy to strengthen

data systems and has generated a space for

dialogue and inter-institutional coordination.

This space has promoted the interconnectivity

among inter-institutional data systems in

order to build a suitable response to armed

violence.

This is the first initiative in Central America

to achieve inter-institutional coordination to

strengthen the systems of firearms control and

registration.

However there are still some aspects to improve,

such as the permanent updating of registers

or the analysis of the information available,

there is no doubt that the first step towards an

integrated system of control and registration of

firearm has already been taken.

45

Campaign “Weapon not even as Toys”, 2003

Tentative CONCLUSIONS

A decade is quite a long time. In this period,

significant advances have been performed

in such a delicate issue, in social and political

terms, as firearms in El Salvador. Not only have

the mechanisms of registration and control of

firearms improved, but also the Law on the

Control and Regulation on Firearms, Munitions,

Explosives and Similar Items was modified to

become more restrictive.

At the same time, there has been a significant

increase in the number of people who do not

think that arms do protect the population. Also

it seems to be a growth in political awareness

regarding insecurity and, in particular, armed

violence. This led to the conviction that this

problem needs to be tackled as a matter of state

that requires answers and coordination from

every institution involved, having municipalities

the leading role.

UNDP Citizen Security Programme has tried

to contribute to this approach and to each and

every one of these steps forward. There is still

much to do, but yet many little but relevant

achievements have been accomplished.

47

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Cano, I. (2007). ¿Vivir sin armas? Evaluación

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San Salvador: Programa de las Naciones Unidas

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Comisión Nacional para la Seguridad Ciudadana

y la Paz Social (2007). Seguridad y paz: un reto

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49

Web Sites

Programa de Seguridad Ciudadana de PNUD:

http://www.pnud.org.sv/2007/sc/

PublicationsArmas de fuego y violencia: http://www.pnud.

org.sv/2007/component/option,com_docman/

task,doc_download/gid,205/Itemid,56/

¡Armas, ni de juguete!: http://www.pnud.org.

sv/2007/component/option,com_docman/

task,doc_download/gid,203/Itemid,56/

Cuando la juventud cuenta. Sistematización

del Programa Miguel Magone y Laura Vicuña.

Polígono Industrial Don Bosco: http://www.pnud.

org.sv/2007/component/option,com_docman/

task,doc_download/gid,193/Itemid,56/

Directorio de instituciones: http://www.pnud.

org.sv/2007/component/option,com_docman/

task,doc_download/gid,195/Itemid,56/

Foro Regional de Intercambio de Experiencias

en Prevención y Control de la Violencia Armada:

http://www.pnud.org.sv/2007/component/

option,com_docman/task,doc_download/

gid,202/Itemid,56/

Observatorio del Municipio de Santa Ana sobre

Violencia Intrafamiliar: http://www.ocavi.com/

docs_files/file_463.pdf

Seguridad y paz: Un reto de país. Recomendaciones

para una política de seguridad ciudadana en

El Salvador: http://www.pnud.org.sv/2007/

component/option,com_docman/task,doc_

download/gid,18/Itemid,56/

¿Vivir sin armas? Evaluación del Proyecto

Municipios Libres de Armas, una experiencia

arriesgada en un contexto de riesgo:: http://

www.pnud.org.sv/2007/component/option,com_

docman/task,doc_download/gid,767/Itemid,56/

CampaignsMenos armas = más vida: http://www.pnud.org.

sv/2007/sc/static/2008/menos_armas_mas_vida/

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