RETURNING MIGRANT CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN EL SALVADOR

Abstract

Introduction: Migrating in an irregular manner implies exposing oneself to many risks and dangers from the moment one leaves one's place of origin. Children and adolescents are a sector more susceptible to transgressions and rights violations, both on the journey and during the return process. In El Salvador, the rates of return of children and adolescents have been increasing, which means that more children are exposed to these risk situations. Objective: This article addresses return migration in children and adolescents, and exposes the violations to which they are exposed in the face of irregular migration. Method: The methodology used was bibliographic, since studies and reports on the situation of migrant children and adolescents were reviewed, as well as scientific articles and governmental pages for the analysis of statistical data. Conclusion: The social determinants of irregular migration remain the same. Economic conditions, violence and family reunification are the main ones. As of June 2022, only 32% of the Economically Active Population was contributing to the ISSS (of these, 40% are women and 60% are men). There is a gender gap in terms of access to the formal labor market, which is one of the structural problems in El Salvador that conditions the precariousness of the cost of living. On the other hand, although the security policy promoted by the government has yielded significant results in terms of the drop in homicides, the panorama of violence continues to be one of the social determinants for migration.