In El Salvador, the crisis set in motion by the coronavirus has highlighted the authoritarian leadership style of President Nayib Bukele. He was one of the first Latin American heads of state to declare a state of national emergency and impose strict measures to contain the pandemic as early as March 11. He took to Twitter to ruthlessly order the military and police force to arrest anyone who violated the home-based quarantine without a valid reason. This resulted in upward of 4,000 people being temporarily locked up for up to 30 days in so-called quarantine centers, which were provisionally set up in sports facilities and assembly halls.
Yet the government’s information policy was confusing, with the President’s daily press conferences adding more to overall uncertainty than to the dissemination of reliable information on the pandemic. The effects of this were major civilian uncertainty, panic, and fear, but also anger at the violation of civil rights. The contradictory flood of information in the media and on social media platforms only added to this dynamic.
Grassroots organization ACISAM, a partner organization of terre des hommes schweiz, responded quickly to this climate of fear with an online campaign on dealing with feelings. As an organization specialized in preventing violence, ACISAM reacted to the lockdown within just a few days. After all, the cramped situations during quarantine carry a high risk of escalating violence, especially in a context already characterized by this kind of atmosphere. It disseminated practical information via village radios and social media: How do I deal with tense situations at home? What methods can I use to relax and how can I cope with stress? How do we talk about our emotions so that we do not take them out in the form of violence toward one another? In the Covid-19 crisis, ACISAM is therefore drawing on its experiences with trauma work in the period following the civil war in the 90s. Even back then, the organization developed innovative approaches to providing people with psychological support for them to overcome traumatic experiences from the war. In the uncertain times of the pandemic, they put their expertise in promoting mental health and violence prevention to good use in creative online campaigns.
With simple messages and positive imagery, they offer an antithesis in a communications landscape shaped by fear and sensationalist reporting. The campaign focuses on calling individuals to deal with their feelings openly, thus mitigating psychological stress and the risks of domestic violence in the extreme situation of lockdown. Messages on active listening and communication skills are to help families learn to better cope with the extraordinary situation. The topic of gender roles regarding care work in the pandemic are also addressed with depictions of role models.
