Exposure to Violence

As a general rule, situations involving violence acts take place in parks and generally, these happen during nighttime. During night hours, the city of San Salvador is not precisely a peaceful one; more often than not, members of different gangs, such as “MS” and “18” confront each other disrupting the peace.

They use guns and submachine guns during these confrontations and even sometimes one of these homeless children has been wounded or even died as a result of these actions. On the other hand, violence acts also occur as a result of the use of drugs. Sometimes there are serious confrontations between drug swindlers, fighting among themselves when they find that the distribution of drugs has been unfair.

At times, children have wounds on their bodies, however these are not always a result of fights among other children but are self-inflicted. The scars on their wrists and forearms are an unforgettable reminder of a past suicidal attempt.