Guatemala Community
Disarms Youth Gang
Some 340 youth involved
in gangs in Guatemala
traded their weapons for
an ID confirming their
rehabilitation, part of
a community project to
wipeout the scourge
known as "maras" active
nationwide.
A group of neighbors
from the village of
Cerro Alto in
Sacatepequez, shocked
with the lynching of two
criminals by angry
locals, devised the
initiative.
Community leader Julio
Luna, who has received
death threats, said the
lynching helped the
people to convince the
rival gangs M-18 and
Mara Salvatrucha to stop
the bloodshed.
Though the program is
not well defined, they
hope for support from
public and private
bodies, to stand as the
first case where
community action stops
gangs and gives their
members a fresh start.
The National Civilian
Police estimate 60,000
children are involved in
groups that rob, extort,
assault and kidnap
because the slums do not
provide opportunities to
study or work.
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