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10 Facts About Violence in Nicaragua

Following­ the eruption of violence in 2018, Nicaragua, the poorest country in Central America, has seen its economic progress stagnate and its domestic life falter. The additional unrest is making Nicaraguans more vulnerable to violence and instability. While Nicaragua’s overall crime rate is low, certain areas, like the rape of minors and political violence, are high. These 10 facts about violence in Nicaragua provide a glimpse after one year of conflict.

10 Facts About Violence in Nicaragua

  1. Political violence occurred in 2018 in response to the government’s social security reforms. Protests occurred between April and July, and the government responded brutally. More than 300 people were killed and hundreds detained during three-month anti-government protests where citizens demanded that President Daniel Ortega — who has been in power since 2007 — step down. In the subsequent six months, the government arrested and jailed opposition leaders and those who challenged his authority, his human rights abuses, his consolidation of power and his low 10 percent approval rating.
  2. Sixty thousand Nicaraguans have sought asylum from the violence in Costa Rica. In July 2018, Costa Rica alone received about 200 requests by Nicaraguans for asylum per day. The U.N. is seeking to support countries who take Nicaraguan refugees.
  3. Violence between protesters and government-sponsored paramilitary groups disrupts access to resources. Roadblocks appear without apparent reason, mostly around cities, and limit the availability of food and fuel.
  4. Civil unrest continues unpredictably. Although protests are forbidden, they occur and government forces respond with violence. The poor infrastructure in parts of the country limits the potential of international assistance.
  5. Access to healthcare is limited due to the unrest. Government hospitals are understaffed and frequently deny treatment to suspected protestors. Ambulances are unreliable, denying treatment or not visiting certain areas.
  6. Sexual assault, especially against girls, is common. More than two-thirds of the 14,000 rapes reported between 1998 and 2008 were committed against girls under the age of 17, and nearly half of them were under the age of 14. More recent statistics during Ortega’s presidency are unavailable, but anecdotal reports suggest that gender-based violence is widespread. A stigma follows survivors of rape, but not perpetrators. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has expressed grave concern.
  7. Domestic violence against women is controversial in Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan Constitution contains both protections against and provisions for violence against women under certain circumstances, like marriage. Legal dialogue has fluctuated through the 2010s. In 2012, in response to high levels of femicide and little legal response, a women’s rights group pushed through Ley Integral Contra La Violencia Hacia Las Mujeres (Law 779) expanding the legal definition of violence against women, establishing specially-trained prosecutors to hear gender-based violence cases and further protect victims. Since then, 779 has been systematically weakened by a series of legislative and presidential decrees. Local conservative legislators and religious leaders see 779 as potentially destructive to families if women could seek reprisal for domestic violence. Although rape is illegal, domestic/intimate violence, child-marriage and dating violence is still high.
  8. Violence is hurting Nicaragua’s economic growth. Between 2014 and 2016, poverty in Nicaragua decreased from 29.6 to 24.9 percent and extreme poverty from 8.3 to 6.9 percent. But due to the social and political unrest since April 2018, the economy contracted in 2018 by 3.8 percent. The World Bank supported Nicaragua through the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries, to support poverty reduction measures in the country.
  9. Violent street crime is spotty, but regional, and is greater in urban areas after dark. Street crime is more prevalent in Managua, Puerto Cabezas, Bluefields, San Juan del Sur, Popoyo, El Transito and the Corn Islands.
  10. The homicide rate is low and falling. The homicide rate held steady with 15 in 100,000 people 2014-16, but it fell to 6 in 100,000 in 2018—far lower than comparable economies. Men commit homicide six times more frequently than women and people ages 15-26 are the most likely to commit homicides.

– Heather Hughes
Photo: U.N.

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Top 10 Facts About Living Conditions in Nicaragua

Top 10 Facts About Living Conditions in Nicaragua
Nicaragua faces mounting violence and instability as citizens go out to the streets to protest the corrupt rule of President Daniel Ortega. During times of chaos, it is important to understand what conditions for citizens have been like in previous years. The following 10 facts about living conditions in Nicaragua presented in the text below both describe the unsettling state of affairs in the country and provide evidence of hope for a brighter future.  

Top 10 Facts About Living Conditions in Nicaragua

  1. Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America and the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, right after Haiti. Although the country’s economy has been growing in recent years, the fact about poverty still remains true and emphasizes the fact that there is a lot of work to be done.
  2. The unemployment rate for people between the ages of 15 and 24 is 8.5 percent. The country has the 110th highest unemployment rate out of 161 countries. Thus, Nicaragua does relatively well in terms of ensuring employment for its citizens.
  3. In 2015, 29.6 percent of the population was living below the poverty line. This number is quite high and suggests a dire need for economic growth.
  4. In 2016, 23.7 percent of the adult population was obese. This marked Nicaragua as the country with the 63rd highest adult obesity rate out of 192 countries. With development, it is important that the country initiate programs that provide its people with proper nutrition.
  5. In 2016, the life expectancy at birth for an average male was 72 years and for an average female, it was 78 years. Among the ten facts about living conditions in Nicaragua, this one is generally the most promising one as it indicates the relative general health of the population.
  6. In 2016, the infant mortality rate was 17 deaths for every 1,000 life births. In 2015, the United States faced just under 6 infant deaths for every 1,000 life births. This suggests that maternal and infant care in Nicaragua needs improvement.
  7. The labor force participation rate in 2017 was 66.6 percent. The rate of self-employment was 45.1 percent. This rate of participation is pretty much average for developing countries although low in comparison with developed countries.
  8. If literacy is defined as the ability to read and write, then 82.8 percent of people aged 15 years and older in 2015 were literate. Over 83 percent of women and 82.4 men were literate. This was the 106th highest literacy rate of 162 countries.
  9. In 2018, the approximate yearly minimum wage in Nicaragua was $2,218. This places the country in the top 37 percent of countries that are ranked by the minimum wage. There are 72 countries with higher minimum wage than Nicaragua.
  10. Between January and December of 2017, there were 55 reported cases of gender-based killing of women. In June 2017, an amendment to the Comprehensive Law on Violence against Women was approved. It reduced the definition of femicide to the private sphere suggesting that only crimes between spouses and partners would count as femicide.

These top 10 facts about living conditions in Nicaragua provide a mixed account of the status of the country. Nicaragua is developing and it cannot be, in any case, characterized as a stable country. Recent progress, however, indicates that the country could have the potential to develop and attain stability. Late violent outbursts linked to government corruption thwart such hopes for progress and the current priority for the Nicaraguan people should be finding peace and justice through dark times. It is important to remember the progress that Nicaragua has made, and can continue to make after such peace is settled.

– Julia Bloechl

Photo: Flickr

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Economic Growth in Nicaragua Has Helped Reduce Poverty

Economic Growth in Nicaragua Has Helped Reduce PovertyThe amount of economic growth in Nicaragua is an unusual and unprecedented phenomenon in the Central American peninsula. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) even decided to close its offices in the country in 2016 as it considered the issue well resolved. IMF first opened an office in Nicaragua in 1995 with the goal of economically stabilizing the country, which had been afflicted by years and years of high debt accumulation and revolutionary wars.

“Notwithstanding challenging external conditions, economic activity remains buoyant,” said Gerardo Peraza, head of the study that IMF led in 2016. The study also revealed how economic growth was projected at 4.7 percent that year. The main factors that contributed to such economic growth in Nicaragua were, according to the study, steady agricultural and commercial activity and an inflation rate that is projected to accommodate under four percent.

Where Did the Economic Growth Originate?

Experts argue that such improvements in economic growth in Nicaragua are largely attributable to the re-election of President Daniel Ortega. Many argue that his political identity and approach to crucial matters such as macroeconomy and anti-poverty measures have significantly shifted toward a more pro-business attitude.

Moreover, experts say that thanks to Ortega’s social programs, poverty fell by 30 percent between 2005 and 2014. Moreover, in 2011, Nicaragua was taken out of a debt relief program enacted by IMF in 2005, called Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative.

The Benefits of Economic Growth in Nicaragua

A study issued by the World Bank has also found that in 2011, economic growth hit 5.1 percent, slowing to 4.7 and 4.5 in 2016 and 2017, respectively. For 2018, predictions see the Nicaraguan economy growing at 4.4 percent, making it the second largest among Central American countries in terms of growth. The country’s overall stability led decision makers to focus on long-term improvement and growth rather than just damage control, with the war on poverty the highest objective, particularly in rural areas.

Such economic improvement also restored the international community’s trust in Nicaragua. It is thanks to this renewed trust that, for instance, the USDA awarded a McGovern-Dole Food for Education grant to the organization Food For The Poor in Nicaragua. The grant was distributed as a three-year program, from the fall of 2011 to the fall of 2014.

During this period, more than 4,500 metric tons of food were delivered to the poorest communities of the Central American country. The majority of the recipients were children. Students of  774 schools, located primarily in Managua, Nueva Segovia and Madriz, greatly benefitted from the program.

Looking Toward the Future

The mission, however, is far from being fully accomplished. A statement issued by the U.S. Department of State reveals that Nicaragua still has the lowest level of GDP per capita in Central America and, most importantly, 40 percent of the population still lives in poverty. The situation gets even worse in rural areas, where the rate of poverty reaches nearly 60 percent.

The hope is that the path of economic growth and fiscal responsibility, paired with social programs and foreign aid initiatives, will keep Nicaragua on a path of prosperity and heavily reduced poverty.

– Luca Di Fabio

Photo: Flickr

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Education in Nicaragua

Education in Nicaragua

Many children in Nicaragua attend school for a few hours in the morning or evening, and work during the remainder of the day. Children must attend school in shifts in order to accommodate other students and to contribute financially to their families according to The Tico Times article, “Is Nicaragua’s education system failing?”

Abbreviated school days combined with student and teacher poverty has resulted in poor education in Nicaragua. UNICEF estimates that only 55 percent of children complete primary school and enter into secondary school. During secondary school the rate of completion continues to drop. While attendance rates have increased in the past ten years, university entrance exams demonstrate a continuous pattern of poor education quality in schools.

At the center of the quality issue, Nicaraguan teachers have very low salaries, earning an average of only $266 per month. The teachers also have a limited amount of supplies and facilities for students, forcing them to limit their curriculum. In The Tico Times article, José Treminio, Nicaragua’s education vice minister, exhibited concern about teacher’s salaries, stating, “We are determined to solve educational problems. We have a commitment to make a leap in the quality of education.” As a result, government has promised a small salary increase for teachers in 2014.

However, in a Nicaragua Dispatch article, “Impoverished teachers, poor schools”, Tim Rogers describes the financial struggles and government promises involved in Nicaragua’s education system. He states, “Nicaragua’s cash-strapped school system is delivering a poor quality of education.” Rogers maintains that the Nicaraguan government has not produce promised education results.

Rogers explains that the government, under the leadership of President Daniel Ortega, expresses a strong interest in improving national education. The government, however, only allots a small amount of the budget towards education, sending the public mixed messages about their endeavors. The amount does not provide enough money for adequate teachers’ salaries, student supplies, or school facilities.

The International Development Association (IDA), a division of the World Bank, offers aid to impoverished countries, providing loans or grants to promote economic growth. In 1995, the IDA partnered with the Nicaraguan government through the First Basic Education program. From 1994 to 2004, this program increased enrollment in primary schools in Nicaragua.

The IDA reported that, “The project contributed to an increase in the enrollment coverage of pre-schools and primary schools, particularly in targeted poor and indigenous communities.”

Even though Nicaragua now has a high primary school enrollment rate, school exams still show low student performance. In response, the IDA acknowledged that the quality of education still remained very low and initiated a similar program to strengthen the education system overall. IDA’s programs combined with an increase in government funding suggests that a sustainable system of education in Nicaragua is possible.

– Jaclyn Ambrecht

Sources: Tico Times, NICA, Nicaragua Dispatch, Child Info, World Bank
Photo: Compassion Internation