Life in a Town Targeted by the Mining Companies
 As mineral mining in El Salvador threatens the water and wild life, it also tears at the fabric of Salvadoran communities. One family's story illustrates this reality:
Santos, Dora, and their six children (between 5 months and 15 years old) live in the village of Trinidad in the Salvadoran Department of Cabañas. They raise basic grains for self-subsistence and pay for the education of their children and other basic needs with the paltry income they make from selling the fish they catch near the 5 de Noviembre dam. Their closely knit community has helped them to overcome the many obstacles they have faced over the years.
Recently, Santos paid the price for his stance against mining. On May 9th he was injured by a Pacific Rim Mining Company promoter named Oscar who dealt Santos' right arm a blow with a machete. The injury forces Santos to go several weeks without work - and the family to go without his wages. Before the mining company entered the area, Oscar and Santos were very good friends, but their differing viewpoints on the mining industry turned them into enemies.
Santos' story is a perfect example of how mining companies turn members of the same community and sometimes even members of the same family against one another. Pacific Rim and other mining companies make great efforts to garner the support of local citizens. These companies target citizens with little or no education who know little about the industry's policies. They win their support by performing favors for them such as giving them car rides or paying their medical bills in hopes of recruiting them as promoters.
Santos had a knot in his throat as he tried to explain what had happened to him. Dora helped him recount the events of that day: Santos left early to work on his parcel of land. Soon after leaving, he returned to the house with his hand bleeding profusely. Oscar had attacked Santos from atop his horse and mutilated his finger with his machete once Santos was knocked to the ground. Luckily, a friend volunteered his car and the two left to find medical assistance. They informed the police, who took Santos to the Unidad Salud de Nombre de Jesus (A clinic affiliated with the Ministry of Health).
Even though he was a victim, Santos was kept in police custody during his hospitalization and was tied to the bed so he could not escape. At no point did the police inform him of his rights as a detainee or the charges that supposedly justified his detention. Later Santos found out that the police were treating him this way because Oscar had gone to the police after the incident and brought up charges on Santos, converting the victim into the victimizer.
Santos was attacked for being a part of the movement against the metal mining industry. Before this incident, thanks to international solidarity he was given the opportunity to travel to Valle de Siria, Honduras, where he learned of the havoc the gold mining industry was wreaking upon the environment and its inhabitants. Santos returned to participate in joint efforts with other members of his community to organize activities to raise awareness and resist the infringement of Pacific Rim and the mining industry on their community. Recently, he traveled to San Salvador to be interviewed about the threat of mining by two mass media organizations.
Santos does not know how long it will take for his hand to heal. Each day, he must spend money to travel an hour away to the larger town of Ilobasco for treatment. The doctor told him that he cannot miss a single treatment because he would run the risk of losing his thumb as well. He is currently receiving aid from his companions in the struggle against mining who perform menial tasks such as clearing the terrain for the sowing of corn seeds. Santos accepts this support with a combination of guilt and gratitude.
 When asked about hope for the future, his response was, "If the chemicals (released when cyanide is used to extract gold from rocks) reach the ravines and the river, we will all pay and be poisoned. And look, I have my six children… To support this company is a grave sin as the poisons will extinguish all life in this tiny country. The company (Pacific Rim) is at the root of the conflict and fragmentation in this country. We are hopeful that we will stop Pacific Rim by organizing our communities and with the help of international solidarity."
Santos gave his testimony to Guadalupe Cortés Vega, SHARE Advocacy Program Director, on May 29, 2008. It was translated by Arian Hassanalizadeh, SHARE Summer Education and Advocacy Intern.
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