Fiche du document
12 septembre 2013
- doi: 10.4000/books.iheid.716
- isbn: 978-2-940503-34-6
- eisbn: 978-2-940503-35-3
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess , https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Mots-clés
crime & violence gangs securitization theory security conflict security and peacebuilding crimes & violence sécurité acteurs non étatiques et société civile autoritarisme Criminology & Penology Political Science SOC004000Sujets proches
Violent behaviorCiter ce document
Antonia Does, « The Construction of the Maras », Graduate Institute Publications, ID : 10.4000/books.iheid.716
Métriques
Partage / Export
Résumé
High levels of crime and violence in Central America’s northern triangle are a major preoccupation of politicians, policy-makers and citizens. Public authorities in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala have sought repressive measures to increase public safety and to contain such violence, for which youth gangs (maras) are principally held responsible. Substantiated by interviews with key stakeholders in Geneva, Switzerland, this desk review offers a comprehensive understanding of the motivations and the intended effects behind the suppressive strategies of the respective governments. Viewing the gang phenomenon through the lens of securitization theory allows for a new understanding of how the maras are dealt with. This paper also traces how the concerned states have shaped a certain construction of these gangs and reveals a blurred line between the political and the security sectors. The analysis finds that interests other than combatting a security threat, as well as the particular historical and societal contexts of the three countries, decisively influence how the maras issue is addressed.