© UNHCR/Jordan J. Hay children on the run
MARIA: HOLDING ONTO HER DREAMS
When Maria* was only six years old, her big sister Isabel disappeared.
“You must have heard of the pandilleros,” she says. “We are sure they made my sister disappear.”
Maria and her family lived in San Salvador, the capital
of El Salvador, which is the female murder capital of the world. Organized criminal groups—better known as the pandilleros or maras (gangs)—have turned this part of Central America into one of the most violent, dangerous places on Earth. Women under 24 who live in urban areas are the most common victims—a description that fits Isabel—and her six remaining sisters.
It’s been eight years since Isabel disappeared, and Maria is 14 now, but she speaks like someone who has grown up much too quickly. “Mom never gave up on Isabel. But we all knew she would never come back.”
The gangs then started harassing Maria’s 13-year-old brother, Michael. They wanted him to join them as they terrorized the city with extortion, kidnapping, sexual assault and murder. When it became clear that they would soon kill him, Michael fled to Mexico.
Maria had to drop out of school in grade six. “At school I started being a target for bullies and pandilleros very early. I guess because I’ve always been a little weird. I loved studying and I had a passion for anime, the Japanese hand-drawn animation.”
The fear became unbearable, and Maria’s parents
decided the family had to flee to Mexico. Carrying only a few possessions, they boarded a bus, arriving in the Mexican border town of Tucumán in the early hours of the next day.
Making their asylum application at the Mexican Refugee Commission (COMAR), they were told that UNHCR would help them—a welcome relief.
As they wait for their application to be processed, Maria is seeing a UNHCR-supported psychologist to help her deal with the trauma. She is also taking classes so that she will be ready to go back to school.
Maria has big plans. Her first goal is to study graphic design and finish school. Then she will go to university and become an architect. Finally, she would love to move to Japan.
For now though, Maria knows she needs to concentrate on school and be patient as they wait for their application to be approved. Then her new life can finally begin. «
* All names changed for protection purposes.
20 / UNHCR
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