El Salvador: Church calls for an end to violence

The Catholic Church in El Salvador decried the rising tide of violence affecting all levels of society.  Political authorities were enjoined to address criminal violence that has claimed the lives of even school-aged children.

Having clearly stated that the murderers of human beings must be brought to justice, Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas of San Salvador has launched an appeal to the country's security forces and other institutions and to unite in  their efforts and policies to fight crime.

The archbishop believes that the problem of violence is perhaps more urgent than the country's economy, since all the others derive from this. "You cannot live in a situation where we live and continue as if nothing were happening, it is time to stop this situation", said Msgr. Escobar, referring to the high levels of insecurity reached in the country.

As of July 12, there have been 77 students killed and 114 murders committed on public transport this year. In early July, public safety officials issued a report on its activities in the past year, judging it "satisfactory": an improvement has been achieved in the fight against crime, with a decrease in murders compared to last year. In the field of security, the killings have been reduced by at least 400 units between June 2010 and May 2011, compared to those which occurred in the same months of the years 2009-2010.