Final Nonviolent Recommendations to Resolve Gang Violence in Honduras
Honduras has been struggling to deal with gang violence for well over 30 years. The conflict began in the 1980s, when large-scale civil war broke out throughout Central America, leading to massive waves of immigration to the United States.[1]The majority of migrants landed and settled in the Los Angeles area. These immigrant youths who felt marginalized soon became invested in gang activity there, and were eventually deported due to a massive crack down on LA gangs in the 1990s. This, in turn, resulted in gangs to be spread to Central America. Today, gangs in Central American act as extremely powerful transnational criminal organizations that actively pose as the region’s most serious threat to peace since their civil wars.[2]Due to the urgency associated with gang violence in this region, now is the time to nonviolently solve the conflict. Previous government crackdowns on criminals have been tried in recent years, and have been proven to be unsuccessful.[3]Clearly, a new nonviolent strategy should be implemented.
First, I believe it is very important to investigate the pillars and roots of the gangs in Honduras. In other words, examine the structures that support them. One of the major supporting factors is drug use in surrounding countries that provides demand for transnational drug trade. Essentially, there’s an economic incentive to being a member of the gangs.[4]The gangs act as drug traffickers, bringing South American produced drugs up the North American continent. Due to raging political and economic instability in Honduras, the country has become host to the chosen drug traffickers for South American drug producers. The country’s prime location coupled with governmental instability made Honduran gangs the perfect fit for South American drug producers looking for traffickers. This gave Honduran gangs more power, and ultimately fueled their violent campaign. 2012 estimates stated that about 90 percent of cocaine headed to the United States, travels through Central America and/or Mexico first.[5]Clearly, drug trafficking is extremely lucrative, and provides an incentive for the members to keep the business running smoothly.
The second major pillar supporting gangs in Honduras is the normalization of violence in Honduran society. Through constant exposure, Hondurans have gone “numb” to violence, and no longer see it as an extraordinary event.[6]The normalization of violence also honors it as well. Often times in Honduran culture, there is a sense of prestige associated with violent acts.[7]Prestige has long been determined as a major contributor to the continuation of war. Gangs, like states, seek honor, prestige, and legitimacy.[8]The gang that can enact the most amount of violence often is seen as the most prestigious, influential, and legitimate. Similar to economic and financial incentives to the continual reinforcement of gang power, the competition for prestige and influence will continually re-institutionalize gang power in Honduras.
Therefore, the strategized nonviolent solution to gang violence in Honduras should be directed at finding alternatives to the lucrative drug trade and the prestige associated with violence. Similarly, it is important to remember that the potential strategy should be focused on long-lasting positive peace, rather than negative peace. Previously, the Honduran government worked to promote negative peace, that did not address the underlying needs of Hondurans.[9]My first proposal is to halt state-sponsored violence that is intended to “crackdown” on gangs. Combatting violence with violence can often inflate the conflict more, or have little impact except for possibly disturbing public life.[10]Instead, the government of Honduras should begin to re-conceptualize these gang members. Similar to the conflict in Colombia, I’d recommend a campaign that attempts to frame gang members as sons, brothers, nephews, etc. This re-conceptualization of gangs could possibly encourage them to return to their roots. Also, the mass campaign would reframe gang members in the public’s eye. Social exclusion and marginalization is a major cause of gang violence, and is often a major contributor to rising gang membership.[11]A mass campaign that emphasizes humanity and empathy for gangs could potentially prevent them from being further marginalized, or provide them with a welcoming community to return to.
[1]Ana Arana, “How Street Gangs Took Central America,” Foreign Policy, 2005.
[2]Arana.
[3]Gutierrez Rivera, “Security Policies from a Spatial Perspective: The Case of Honduras.”
[4]Ana-Constantina Kolb, “OUTGUNNED : THE HONDURAN FIGHT AGAINST TRANSNATIONAL COCAINE TRAFFICKERS AGAINST TRANSNATIONAL COCAINE,” Journal of International Affairs Editorial Board66, no. 1 (2018): 213–23.
[5]Kolb.
[6]Pine, “Violence.”
[7]Pine.
[8]Youngho Kim, “Does Prestige Matter in International Politics?,” Journal of International and Area Studies11, no. 1 (2018): 39–55.
[9]Barbara Wien, “Major Concepts in the Field of Peace Research” (School of International Service, 2018).
[10]Gutierrez Rivera, “Security Policies from a Spatial Perspective: The Case of Honduras.”
[11]Jose Miguel Cruz, “Maras and the Politics of Violence in El Salvador,” in Global Gangs: Street Violence across the World, ed. Jennifer Hazen (University of Minnesita, 2014), 123–44, https://doi.org/10.5749/j.ctt6wr830.10.
