Located in the center of Port-au-Prince, the neighborhood of Bel-Air suffers from a lack of basic services – and water is one of those. According to a study conducted by Viva Rio in June of 2007, this basic staple is so rare that the price of water is seven times higher than in Europe. That's the origin of the project “Dlo Fanm Sante” (‘Water, Women and Health’).
The article brings up the experience of a young Colombian who lives in a comuna (slum), reporting his experience with drugs, use of firearms and the power hierarchy in the armed groups.
The third article of Exit Bulletin shows that the personal history of young Colombians at risk is intimately related to the organized armed violence, as well as the government programs to reduce it.
The article is a fantastic report of the situation of girls and young women in at risk situations. Family breakdown, drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution and 'machismo' (male chauvinism) in society makes this report the synthesis of the phenomenon lived by girls and young women.
This article reflects on the mechanisms of integration and social control (family, school, work, police, and detention centers) for adolescents and young criminals coming to commit crimes, searching for an analysis of the structural factors with the subjectivity of the offenders.
This article tells the story of a young Haitian who was sent by his mother to the Dominican Republic in order not to engage in armed violence. However, he returned to his country of origin after not adapting to the new environment. Back to Haiti, he got involved with the banda in his area, being arrested and promising his mother that he would get rehabilitated.
This article explains the Tambou Lapè Project, which aims reducing community violence in Viva Rio’s area of intervention in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The Peace Agreement signed between rival bases and the profits resulting from the area’s pacification represent two positive experiences in managing the local conflict and the creation of a way out for the youth involved in armed violence.
This article presents Gustavo Cifuentes Castellanos’ history, a Guatemalan youngster who tells his life story, telling about his past on the streets, on drugs, in the gangs and at juvenile detention centers, up to finally finding an exit opportunity that changed his life.
Former combatants learn how to work the land and raise livestock, literacy, numeracy, information on sexual health and social skills. In the Salala District, Disarmament and Demobilization, with an emphasis on Reintegration. By Landmine Action's Rob Deere and Richard Moyes.
"What do we precisely mean when we denounce “gang violence?” In an exclusive article for Comunidad Segura, University of Illinois-Chicago's John M. Hagedorn discusses the uses and consequences of the term "gang" in policies and research on youth violence across international boundaries.