On 26 August 1998, Flores instituted the Ministry of Public Security under the provisions of the National Plan to combat crime and criminality. This was a response to the ominous growth of violent gangs, particularly the Mara Salvatrucha. Government initiatives in this area did not produce significant results, and completely ignored murderous activity in the country, particularly the actions of a series of armed death squads that extrajudicially killed homeless children and adolescents living in the margins of society. Reports from Human Rights Commission United Nations, the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras (CODEH) and other NGOs indicate that the casualties caused by such violence on children barely improved during the four years of Flores' presidency.