Salvadorians Worry about Life
Almost three-fourths of Salvadorans are concerned about the rising cost of living has and crime, according to a poll by the University Institute of Public Opinion of Jose Simeon Cañas Central American University.

Only between January and November 2005 the Civil National Police recorded 3,395 murders, higher than the 2,762 homicides registered in 2004, noted the research broadcast by the digital site Catolicos.net.

Authorities attribute 60 percent of these murders to youth gangs or maras as they are also known, and the rates have considerably increased even after implementation of the Super Firm Hand Plan encouraged by the government against gangs.

Humanitarian groups disagree and assert that most murders are related to organized crime and home violence.

In a Pastoral Letter November 24, the Catholic Church denounced the insecurity suffered by the Salvadoran population from the threat of crime.

This, and the economic stagnation, causes hundreds of Salvadorans to emigrate every day looking for a better life, especially in the United States, according to the latest report of the UN Program for Development.

This social situation has resulted in 20 percent of the population living outside the country with a living standard above the average of the Central American nation.