El Salvador: Is there an age limit for recruitment into the Civil Defence patrols and how long are individuals expected to serve in them? Are women also asked or forced to serve in the Civil Defense? 1980-1990
| Publisher | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SLV7364.E |
| Cite as | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, El Salvador: Is there an age limit for recruitment into the Civil Defence patrols and how long are individuals expected to serve in them? Are women also asked or forced to serve in the Civil Defense? 1980-1990, 1 December 1990, SLV7364.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad311c.html [accessed 19 June 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Please find attached a copy of two reports by Americas Watch dealing with the subject of Civil Defense: The Civilian Toll 1986-1987 (Washington D.C., 1987), pages 112-121, and Settling into Routine (Washington D.C., 1986), pp. 37-38, and of pages 81-87 of The Continuing Terror (Washington, D.C./New York: Americas Watch/Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, 1985). The latter report indicates that the Civil Defence system was overhauled in 1985, mentions recruitment of men and refers in one page to the participation of "husbands and fathers" (p. 82). The three attached documents contain references to forms of recruitment and service in the Civil Defence patrols.
In addition to the attached information, Americas Watch indicated in a telephone communication with the IRBDC on 5 December 1990 that the organization had not received information indicating that women perform active (armed) service in the Civil Defense. Other human rights organizations monitoring El Salvador, including El Rescate Human Rights Department (California), the Washington Office on Latin America (Washington, D.C.) and the Central America Resource Centre (Texas), could not find within their resources information defining age limits, duration of service or references to women being recruited to perform active service in the Civil Defence.
Additional and/or corroborating information on the requested subject could not be found among the sources currently available to the IRBDC. Should pertinent information be obtained by the IRBDC within these two weeks (3-14 December 1990), it will be immediately forwarded to you.
