El Salvador has experienced more killings in the past 12 years of ¨peace¨ than it did during its 15 year war. Much of the violence is atributed to its many gangs like the Mara Salvatrucha, 18, and 13, and more recently to the ¨Sombra Negra" an unoficial militia which is used by both the private sector and the government to rid the streets of gangs. They do this with torture, often mutilating the bodies before murdering and publicly displaying them.

Women usually end up in gangs from broken and violent homes, many of them have children by their fathers or step-fathers and the gangs at first offer refuge from their homes. Soon they find themselves in a world of unimaginable violence. In prison they discover the childhood they were robbed of where many are serving over 20 years for homicide.