H. Res. 564 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

October 2, 2007. 

Whereas murder rates have been increasing throughout Central America in recent years; 

Whereas in 2005, the estimated murder rate per 100,000 

people was roughly 56 in El Salvador, 41 in Honduras, 

and 38 in Guatemala; 

Whereas the February 2007 murder of 3 Salvadoran legislators from the Central American parliament and the subsequent murder in prison of the Guatemalan policemen 

linked to the crime clearly illustrated to the international 

community the threat posed by violence in Central America; 

Whereas a May 2007 report by the United Nations Office on 

Drugs and Crime (UNODC) makes the case that Central 

American countries are particularly vulnerable to violent 

crimes fueled by drug trafficking and corruption because 

they are geographically located between the world’s largest drug producing and drug consuming countries; 

Whereas 90 percent of the cocaine shipped from the Andes 

to the United States flows through Central America and 

thus contributes to increased violence on the Central 

American isthmus; 
2 

•HRES 564 EH 

Whereas Central American governments and United States 

officials have attributed a large proportion of the rise in 

violent crime in Central America to youth gangs, many 

of which have ties to the United States; 

Whereas UNODC estimates that there are 69,145 gang 

members in Central America; 

Whereas on June 7, 2005, the Organization of American 

States (OAS) passed a resolution to urge member states 

to support the creation of holistic solutions to the gang 

problem; 

Whereas Guatemala has experienced a surge in female murders during the past 3 years, with many of those murders 

allegedly committed by drug traffickers and other organized criminal groups; 

Whereas violence between partners, particularly violence by 

men against their wives or girlfriends, is widespread in 

Central America and an International Violence Against 

Women Survey comparing selected countries in Africa, 

Latin America, Europe, and Asia found that 60 percent 

of women in Costa Rica—often considered the least violent country in Central America—reported having experienced domestic violence during their lives; 

Whereas the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the 

Western Hemisphere held a briefing and hearing on June 

26, 2007, on violence in Central America; 

Whereas the Guatemalan government and the United Nations 

signed a groundbreaking agreement in December 2006 to 

establish the International Commission Against Impunity 

in Guatemala (CICIG) which was approved by the country’s legislature on August 1, 2007; 
3 

•HRES 564 EH 

Whereas the Central American Integration System (SICA) is 

an inter-governmental organization formed in 1991 comprised of the following member states: Belize, Costa Rica, 

El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama; 

Whereas the Dominican Republic participates in SICA as an 

Associate Member State; 

Whereas SICA and the United States held their first ever 

Dialogue on Democratic Security in Guatemala City from 

July 16 through 18, 2007, which focused on gangs, drug 

trafficking, and arms trafficking; 

Whereas SICA and the United States signed an agreement 

at this meeting to improve intelligence sharing and policing and to institutionalize dialogue on regional security; 

Whereas this meeting was the first time in almost a quarter 

century that high level officials from the United States 

and all 7 Central American countries and the Dominican 

Republic have met formally to discuss security issues; 

Whereas United States Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon announced at 

this meeting the United States Strategy to Combat 

Criminal Gangs from Central America and Mexico designed to prevent youth from entering gangs and 

strengthen the fight against gang-related violence and 

other crimes; 

Whereas Assistant Secretary Shannon recognized at this 

meeting that youth gang delinquency ‘‘has profound social roots and our way of fighting it cannot only be 

through policing’’; 

Whereas the United States pledged $1,000,000 at this meeting to help Central American governments draft a re-
4 

•HRES 564 EH 

gional strategy to fight youth gangs and drug trafficking 

and $3,000,000 to fund rehabilitation programs for 

youths in gangs; and 

Whereas an enhanced political commitment and cooperation 

between the United States and Central America on security issues can help curb violence in Central America: 

Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that— 

(1) crime and violence pose an increasingly serious 

threat to peace and stability in Central America; 

(2) officials from Central America and the United 

States should be commended for holding a historic meeting to discuss regional security strategies; 

(3) the announcement on July 18, 2007, of the 

United States Strategy to Combat Criminal Gangs from 

Central America and Mexico should be commended; 

(4) the President of the United States should follow 

through on commitments made in the United States 

Strategy to Combat Criminal Gangs from Central America and Mexico with concrete actions; 

(5) the commitment of funds by the United States 

to fight youth gangs in Central America is an important 

step forward and greater resources should be considered 

in the future to fight this problem due to its severity and 

its transnational nature; and 
5 

•HRES 564 EH 

(6) Central American and United States officials 

should be encouraged to meet on a regular basis to further cooperation in combating crime and violence in Central America. 

Attest: 

Clerk.