The War on Gangs: El Salvador’s Playground for International Human Rights Violations

Authors

Sanobar Valiani, University of Miami School of Law

Abstract

International human rights law was developed with the underlying philosophy that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. However, since its development, we have seen a vast number of human rights violations persist with no recourse. The War on Gangs in El Salvador is just one example of this. This Note examines the history of the War on Gangs in El Salvador, the tumultuous political landscape that has spurred as a result, and how political efforts to address gang violence have been used as a tactic to strip Salvadorans of their fundamental rights and dignity. This Note goes on to analyze the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in relation to El Salvador’s War on Gangs. In doing so, this Note highlights the fundamental inadequacy of international human rights law in preventing, mitigating, and remedying human rights violations.

Recommended Citation

Sanobar Valiani, The War on Gangs: El Salvador’s Playground for International Human Rights Violations, 55 U. MIA Inter-Am. L. Rev. 255 (2023)
Available at: https://repository.law.miami.edu/umialr/vol55/iss1/13