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IOM Member State since 1968
Capital: San Salvador
Population (2011): 6.2 million
Area: 21,041 sq km
Major Languages: Spanish
Currency: US dollar (USD) and Salvadoran Colon (SVC)
GDP per Capita PPP (2010): USD 6,668
HDI Rank (2011): 105 of 187
Remittances (2011 estimate): USD 3,655 million
Net Migration Rate (2010-2015): -7.1 migrants /1,000 population
Immigrants (2010): 0.7%
Women as a Percentage of Immigrants (2010): 52.5%
Population under 15 (2011): 31.3%
Adult HIV Prevalence (2009): 1%
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Sources and Definitions
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El Salvador is a country of origin, as evidenced by the approximately 2.5 million Salvadorans currently living in the United States. However, El Salvador is also a transit country for migrants on their way northward, and is increasingly a destination country for labour migrants from Nicaragua. This complex mix of migratory flows is common in Central America, and creates diverse challenges for the government. Related problems include increased trafficking and smuggling of Salvadoran migrants, as well as how to tap into the huge remittance flows for social development projects.
- Regional Programme to Strengthen Capacities to Protect and Assist Vulnerable Migrants in Mesoamerica – Regional Project
IOM began implementing this project in El Salvador in January 2011. This regional programme will support stakeholders in providing direct assistance to vulnerable migrants, voluntarily returning them, and reintegrating them in their communities of origin. Furthermore, IOM will strengthen capacities by providing technical cooperation to states and their NGO partners in the design and implementation of public policies that facilitate the protection and assistance of vulnerable migrants. Finally, the programme will promote dialogue, cooperation, and sharing of good practices at the local, national, regional, and inter-regional level.
- Strengthening and Institutionalization of Public Policies for Protection in El Salvador
The overall objective of this project is to strengthen and expand direct assistance to victims and survivors of human trafficking in El Salvador, minors and adults, men and women, through the continuation and institutionalization of specific policies and decentralization of programmes and services.
- Return, Reintegration, and Family Reunification for Trafficking Victims in the US
In coordination with IOM Washington, IOM San Salvador has developed a process to provide support in obtaining special visas for children victims of trafficking in the United States who have been granted a regularized status in that country. The project, managed by IOM Washington, has moved a total of 66 children from San Salvador.
- Shelter and Assistance for Victims of Trafficking in El Salvador – Pilot Project
In collaboration with the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, IOM has been working closely with the Government of El Salvador to provide safe shelter to victims of trafficking, including smuggled women and children highly vulnerable to being trafficked. The project also benefits the government and the Salvadorian society with the establishment of the shelter in the country as well as with the capacity developed to assist victims of trafficking. Since it opened, the shelter has assisted victims of trafficking, particularly foreigners (Hondurans, Nicaraguans, Guatemalans and Colombians) staying up to one-and-a-half months.
This project was successfully completed on August 2009, and the mission still continues to provide technical assistance to the Government of El Salvador. It also has served as the basis for the financing of the project "Strengthening and Institutionalization of Public Policies for Protection in El Salvador".
- Return and Reintegration of Unaccompanied Minors in El Salvador – PHASE I
This project was successfully completed in December 2010, benefiting 52 returned unaccompanied minors. This project aimed to contribute to the reinsertion of these 52 unaccompanied minors returning from the US, in an effort to protect their human rights. This objective will be fulfilled through four main components: (1) return to communities of origin, (2) family reunification, reintegration and social reinsertion, (3) prevention in communities and schools, (4) research and monitoring. Phase II of the project is currently being implemented.
- Return and Reintegration of Unaccompanied Minors in El Salvador – PHASE II
The beneficiaries of this project will be 10 minors and youth who had returned to El Salvador from the United States. Other beneficiaries are minors who were still 17 years old at the beginning of their return and turned 18 when they arrived to El Salvador, reason why this project intends to broaden the assisted population. This second phase of the project will also benefit the government of El Salvador, through ISNA and also communities of origin and non governmental institutions with the development of capacity building to assist in the reintegration of unaccompanied minors.
- Return of Salvadoran Migrants in Mexico and Guatemala
Donor
- Government of El Salvador
Since January 2002, IOM has assisted the Salvadorian Government in providing highly vulnerable migrants from El Salvador with a dignified, secure and orderly return, and in repatriating deceased Salvadorians in Mexico and Guatemala to their places of origin.
- Return and Reintegration of Vulnerable Migrants in Central America, in the framework of the Regional Conference on Migration
Donors
- Government of the United States
- Governments of other Regional Conference of Migration (RCM) countries
In coordination with MRF San Jose, IOM El Salvador has been providing assistance to voluntary returns, particularly humanitarian cases of highly vulnerable Central American migrants. Beneficiaries are mainly unaccompanied minors (under 18 years of age), pregnant women, wounded, sick or disabled migrants, as well as the elderly (over 70 years of age) and victims of violence (rape, assault).
- Regularization of Migrants from Nicaragua and their Families in El Salvador
The project, which began implementation in October 2010, aims to contribute to reduce the vulnerability of all Nicaraguan migrants who are deeply rooted in El Salvador and are in an irregular situation including workers and their families, developing strategies and actions to regularize their immigration status.
- "Supporting Regional Integration through Improved Migration Management in Central America"
IOM El Salvador is coordinating this regional project. The specific objective of this programme is to support regional integration through improved migration management in Central America. Overall objectives include (a) the promotion of data capture and exchange by strengthening key migration institutions through improved infrastructure and operational systems for migration management; (b) the fostering of the sub-regional free movement of people by building technical capacities among migration authorities and officials in the areas of border, passport control, visa management and via Sharing Best Practices from the European Model to establish a legal framework among participating countries; and (c) the facilitation of cooperation between countries of origin, transit, and destination in the area of migration management both nationally and regionally. Partners are the seven Migration Directorates in all countries of the Central American Commission of Migration Directors (OCAM). Other key stakeholders will form part of an Advisory Committee. Beneficiary countries are Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico and Panama.
- Labour Migration of El Salvador
IOM supports the Government of El Salvador in carrying out its Temporary Labour Migration Programme, which includes pre-selecting candidates, assisting workers in preparing their papers and providing orientation sessions, among others. These procedures enhance the socio-cultural and economic development of both the workers and their families, while benefiting entire communities and countries. This programme has also established mechanisms and best practices for the identification, selection, and recruitment of the workers, establishing precedence and tools for other similar programmes.
On 7 September 2009, IOM signed a new Cooperation Convention with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Labour and Social Security This cooperation aims to support and activate temporary labour migration programmes for Salvadorans abroad, to strengthen channels of communication between those migrants and their families at home, and provide the necessary technical assistance for the development, systemization, and administration of temporary labour migration programmes. The five-year agreement provides a framework for joint operations in line with their common goals for the protection and support of labour migrations.
- Collection of Policies to Assist Governments and Social Interlocutors in Latin America and the Caribbean in the Procurement of the Planning and Implementation of Labour Migration Policies Through Improved Institutional and Regulatory Mechanisms
The Mission of El Salvador is participating in a regional project coordinated by IOM Mexico to produce a manual that identifies international instruments and best practices of states to strengthen the regulations and protections for labour migrants in Latin American and the Caribbean. The completed manual will outline the relationship of actors to the policy and protection development process, their effects on supply and demand for workers and hopefully furnish increased protection for those who have migrated.
This project will therefore offer countries a series of modules, mechanisms and instruments to aid in the establishment or strengthening of their regulatory systems regarding recruitment abroad and providing the information, knowledge and data required on labour migration to develop the paradigm best suited to that country's requirements
- Development of Policies and Initiatives at the Regional Level for Youth at Social Risk and in Conflict with the Law
The programme is designed to be implemented in three components. The first component includes the development of public policy proposals on youth violence. In this first component, only four countries (Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama) will participate. These four countries will each develop a national public policy proposal, with a regional orientation. The second component will be oriented to the organization and realization of specialized training courses to trainers, communicators and youth networks of the seven member countries of Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA). Finally, the third component will be devoted to the organization of activities to strengthen the capacities of Youth Networks in the seven countries of SICA. This component also includes the creation of an ad hoc Trust Fund for the support of interventions aimed at assisting youths at social risk and in conflict with the law, and which will be mainly used by the Youth Networks and Associations participating in this programme.
The interventions to be carried out by the IOM are focused on the Component 2 (organization and carrying out specialized training course) and Component 3 (strengthening youth networks) of the Programme. In both components, specific activities of communication and training of young networks are planned.
In the second component, IOM will be responsible for organizing and delivering a specialized training course on a restorative justice approach to leaders from Youth Networks and Associations.
In the third component, IOM will lead a process of systematization of innovative methodologies that have occurred in countries of the region in relation to the issue of youth violence.
Finally, IOM will be in charge of the production and dissemination of audiovisual material as a communication strategy to achieve greater awareness on the part of the national governments of the region, justice operators and decision makers.
The General Objective of the project is to contribute to the prevention of violence affecting young people at social risk and to the treatment of youths in conflict with the law in Central America.
- Strengthening Protection of Unaccompanied Minor Migrants Travelling through the Central American Region
This project aims to address migration problems related to children and adolescents in two parts. First is through the completion of a coherent and thorough research investigation to map the scope of the problem and the success of the institutional response in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and southern Mexico. The second part of the project involves sharing the results of the research on two levels: with government officials and NGOs at the national level (up to date Mexico developed a workshop to present their results) and members of the RRCOM at the regional level. Governments will be supplied with the information they require for sound and effective policy making, and be provided with a platform for inter-institutional dialogue.
Last updated:
Main text: 14 March 2011
Facts and figures: May 2012
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