Blog 8 - The Children Will Keep Coming

In the article, "The Children Will Keep Coming" published in The Nation, the author, Oscar Martinez, discusses the horrific dangers in Central America. The beginning of this article starts off straight to the point - a young boy being murdered by gang members all because he refused to join the gang. The only option to avoid gang members in countries in Central America such as, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, young children must escape to the United States. These young children are not just murdered, but they are tortured or cut into pieces. It is very horrific. In 2013, the United Nations ranked Honduras as the most violent country in the world. The majority of these young children who were being murdered by gang members were at very young ages, from 14-25 years old. Gang controlled neighbors, business and even schools. If there is a school in the area of where the gang members are, they will not allow the children go to school. Gang members recruit young children because it is easier for them to evade detection by police, since most children are used as messengers or drug runners. There is a story from a young man name Auner, who told his story on why he decided to flea his town. Auner, along with his two brothers made the move to try to reach the United States because their mother had witnessed a murder outside of their very own home and was then murdered a couple days after. They knew that they might've been next, so they made the decision to run away. In America, 5,000 visas are offered to low skilled workers every year. Many of the parents who had left their children behind to venture off to the United States, wants and needs their children with them in the states for safety. Some will reach to desperate measures and will hire a coyote, which is someone who will help people in the U.S bring their children to the States. The number of migrant parents wanting to bring their children up north has increased as they want their children out and away from the trouble that the gang members cause.

After reading this article, I felt very uneasy about the topic. The fact that young children are not only being murdered, but also tortured for a decision that they had made for not joining a gang is very upsetting. I honestly didn't realize how bad these gangs were before reading this article, and now it has definitely opened my eyes on how life is for children in Central America. If I were an migrant parent who made the journey to the States, I will do whatever it takes to help get my children with me. Even if the children were my nieces or nephews. To see how bad the children have it in Central America is nothing compared to how bad some people have it here in the United States.