Human Rights Violations In El Salvador

El Salvador is a country with a mixed economy and mixed emotions about its economic status. “A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.” (CIA.gov) The United States government played a questionable and decisive role in the war and has remained a major influence in the Central American nation ever since. According to the BBC News, the war was initiated by “gross inequality between a small and wealthy elite, which dominated the government and the economy, and the overwhelming majority of the population, many of whom lived - and continue to live - in abject squalor.” (bbc news) Though the war ended in
In contrast to that cooperation, A recent report from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) to the WTO highlights what it terms “massive violations of workers’ basic human rights in El Salvador’s 15 export processing zones.” The report states, “Although El Salvador recently ratified the ILO core Conventions on trade union rights, they are still not applied in practice. Some groups of workers in the public sector are not allowed to join the trade union of their choice and to bargain collectively. Workers in the private sector face many restrictions such as excessive formalities and requirements when wishing to exercise their trade union rights. There are many restrictions on the right to strike, rendering strikes effectively illegal. Anti-union practices are widespread and public authorities do not intervene as they should. The law does not provide for the reinstatement of workers illegally dismissed because of their trade union membership or activities. Workers’ fundamental rights are massively violated in export processing zones where the law is not enforced.”