New Mexico State University's Center for Latin American and Border Studies will present a talk about a new approach on how to handle gang violence in Central America at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, at the Nason House, 1070 University Ave.

"This talk takes us beyond the violence in Mexico, which always dominates U.S. news to explore how the Central American nation of El Salvador has addressed the endemic problem of gang violence. The researcher's perspective will shed light on security questions in Latin America generally," said Inigo Garcia-Bryce, CLABS director.

Through a case study in El Salvador, Jose Flores Benitez from the University of New Mexico evaluated the security policies of governments dealing with gang problems in Central America. He will discuss a new policy in El Salvador that adopted a truce between gangs. Since the inception of the new policy, the country has seen the homicide rate drop almost 66 percent. His research follows the growth of gangs in El Salvador and how the new policy affects the country.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information visit clabs.nmsu.edu.