El Salvador at Brave New Films

People & Power - Salvadorian Salvation - 09 Mar 08 - Pt.1

2008-10-10T21:40:56Z

El Salvador is awash in violence. Fifteen years after the end of a bloody civil war, the small Central American country has become notorious for its vicious street gangs, or maras, as they are called.

Among the worst are the Mara 13 and Mara 18 which sell drugs, extort protection money and fight relentlessly for territory.

In Santa Anna, EL Salvador's second largest city, gang members are always on the lookout for new recruits.

They pressure youth, many as young as 10, to participate in criminal activities and prove their worth as foot soldiers - or face the consequences.

Fear and economic pressures force many to become part of the gang life, setting them on a violent course that too often ends in jail time for capital crimes or tragic death.

But an innovative organisation in Santa Ana, Barefoot Angels, has been battling for more than 10 years to shelter kids from violence and away from gang life.

Barefoot Angels staff run great risks, along with the children they help, and have witnessed dramatic results.

Producers Steve Baum and Adam Raney documented Barefoot Angels' daily struggle for the hearts and souls of EL Salvador's youth.

Watch the video

People & Power - Salvadorian Salvation - 09 Mar 08 - Pt.2

2008-06-09T21:31:31Z

They pressure youth, many as young as 10, to participate in criminal activities and prove their worth as foot soldiers - or face the consequences.

Fear and economic pressures force many to become part of the gang life, setting them on a violent course that too often ends in jail time for capital crimes or tragic death.

But an innovative organisation in Santa Ana, Barefoot Angels, has been battling for more than 10 years to shelter kids from violence and away from gang life.

Barefoot Angels staff run great risks, along with the children they help, and have witnessed dramatic results.

Producers Steve Baum and Adam Raney documented Barefoot Angels' daily struggle for the hearts and souls of EL Salvador's youth.

Watch the video

Yet, another example of an unsuccessful free trade agreement

2008-03-26T13:48:21Z

The people of El Salvador are anxiously awaiting the benefits of the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA). Like the Energizer Bunny, their hope keeps going, and going, and going...but, when will they learn? These policies aren't for them. Like the Soup Nazi on the Seinfeld sitcom, I feel like shouting, "No soup for you!" These policies are not for you, my Latin American brothers and sisters. Policies like NAFTA, (or similar free trade agreements) are rarely what they're cracked up to be.

A recent article on the Inter Press Service website claimed the agreement was ratified with hardly any debate. Surprised? Confused? Wondering how people might vote for such a policy that didn't benefit them? Well, chances are, they probably didn't.

Eye on El Salvador - Sending money home - 29 Aug 07

2008-06-16T21:30:01Z

In the final episode of a four-part special on El Salvador, Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo talks to poor Salvadoreans who rely on the money sent from family members working in the US.

Watch the video

Eye on El Salvador - Commiting to Iraq - 28 Aug 07

2008-06-16T21:30:04Z

In the second of a four-part special on El Salvador, Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo examines the Latin American nation's controversial decision to send troops to Iraq.

Watch the video

Eye on El Salvador - Helping the poor - 27 Aug 07

2008-06-17T03:30:27Z

In the first of a four-part special on El Salvador, Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo looks at how a US naval mission to provide Salvadoreans with free medical care is part of US attempts to improve their image in the nation.

Watch the video

Eye on El Salvador - Terror Law - 30 Aug 07

2008-06-17T03:30:31Z

In a four part special on El Salvador, Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo visits the town of Suchitoto, where protests over water privatisation led to 14 people being charged under the nation's new anti-terror laws.

Watch the video

Tensions over El Salvador 'terror law' - 31-August-07

2008-06-17T09:33:02Z

A new "anti-terror" law in El Salvador, modelled on similar legislation in the US, has come under renewed criticism from rights groups who say it is vague and unduly harsh.

Teresa Bo, Al Jazeera's South America correspondent, reports on the divisions in a country that is still recovering from a civil war that ended over a decade ago.

Watch the video

Gangs - 01 Mar 07 - Part 1

2008-06-06T15:38:56Z

Al Jazeera gives an exclusive look into what Central Americans consider to be their biggest security threat: gangs, introducing the gang members, their initiation rites, and their way of life.

Watch the video