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Image / Refugees collecting water near Suchitoto, Cuscatlán, El Salvador, 1981

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Title
Refugees collecting water near Suchitoto, Cuscatlán, El Salvador, 1981
Creator
Cross, Richard, 1950-1983
Date Created and/or Issued
1981-02
Publication Information
California State University, Northridge
Contributing Institution
California State University, Northridge
Collection
Richard Cross Photographs (Bradley Center)
Rights Information
Use of images from the collections of the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center is strictly prohibited by law without prior written consent from the copyright holders. The responsibility for the use of these materials rests exclusively with the user.
The Bradley Center may assist in obtaining copyright/licensing permission to use images from the Richard Cross collection. http://www.csun.edu/bradley-center/contact
Description
Two girls walk carrying water on their head in the refugee camp of La Bermuda near Suchitoto in the department of Cuscatlán. Some clothes are holding on a line next to them. Starting in January of 1981 the area had seen intense firefights between army troops and the guerrillas and five months after this picture was taken, in July 1981, the Salvadoran government decided to evacuate the refugee camp and move more than 600 refugees from this campsite. The junta believed that La Bermuda refugee camp was hosting sympathizers for the leftist guerrillas. They were brought to confinement in a prison in Suchitoto more than 30 miles north and placed in a penal facility under military guard. The refugees were moved without having the chance to harvest the crops they had planted outside the camp. La Bermuda campsite, which was established in January 1981 and hosted peasants, primarily women and children, was later burned to the ground.
Dos niñas caminan cargando agua en la cabeza en el campo de refugiados de La Bermuda cerca de Suchitoto en el departamento de Cuscatlán. Algunas prendas se sostienen en una línea junto a ellas. A partir de enero de 1981, la zona había sido testigo de intensos tiroteos entre tropas del ejército y la guerrilla y cinco meses después de que se tomara esta fotografía, en julio de 1981, el gobierno salvadoreño decidió evacuar el campamento de refugiados y trasladar a más de 600 refugiados de este campamento. La junta creía que el campo de refugiados de La Bermuda estaba albergando simpatizantes de las guerrillas de izquierda. Fueron recluidos en una prisión de Suchitoto, a más de 30 millas al norte, y recluidos en un centro penitenciario bajo vigilancia militar. Los refugiados fueron trasladados sin tener la oportunidad de cosechar los cultivos que habían plantado fuera del campamento. El campamento La Bermuda, que se estableció en enero de 1981 y albergaba a campesinos, principalmente mujeres y niños, fue posteriormente incendiado.
Type
image
Format
Photographs
image/jpeg
color slides
Extent
35 mm
Identifier
99.01.RCr.sl.B21.11.52.01
http://digital-collections.csun.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p17169coll1/id/12561
Subject
Refugees--El Salvador
Water carriers (Persons)
Refugee camps--El Salvador--Cuscatlán (El Salvador : Department)
El Salvador--History--1979-1992
Civil war
Place
Cuscatlán (El Salvador : Department)
Relation
99.01.RCr.sl.B21.11.52.01.tif
Richard Cross Photographs
California State University Northridge. University Library. Special Collections & Archives. Tom & Ethel Bradley Center

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