Cristina Vega

Children Who Survived: an Examination of the Effects of and Responses to Armed Conflict in Guatemala and El Salvador Cristina Vega

In the 20th century, conflicts in Latin America between government armies and guerrilla groups escalated into devastating civil wars. During these wars, the armed forces frequently classified children as enemy targets. Children were not part of the threat posed by the guerrilla movement; they became victims as part of the army?s efforts to destroy the traditions, values, and practices of indigenous communities. This book discusses the civil wars waged in Guatemala from the 1960s to 1996, and in El Salvador, between the years of 1979 to 1992. Similarities and differences between the conflicts in these two nations will be examined to explore the use of violence against children in Latin America, including how they were tortured, killed and forced to join guerrilla or government forces. An analysis of these two wars reveals the government and army's intention to destroy community, trust, culture, and every aspect of normal life in these nations.