Violence & Women

Last night I attended a seminar that was part of the "Global Week of Action Against Armed Violence" in Guatemala. President Oscar Berger, during his brief and stunningly content-free speech, held up an enlarged photocopy of a newspaper clipping that heralded the fact that on Wednesday no-one was stabbed or shot to death in Guatemala City.

Which, I agree, is certainly good news.

What I don't agree with is that this somehow marks a turning of the tide in Guatemala's struggle against violence. An average of 5-10 violent deaths are reported each day in this tiny territory, the size of Tennessee.

One of the most tragic consequences of this violent day-to-day reality has been an increase in the cruel, brutal, and savage murders of Guatemalan girls and women.

Yesterday, Amnesty International UK presented a report entitled "No protection, no justice: Killings of women in Guatemala". Here are some excerpts from the press release. Links to the report and related documents are included below.

Guatemala: Hundreds of women murdered while authorities fail to act

Over 520 women were violently killed in Guatemala last year and killings of women continue to rise, according to a new report launched in Guatemala yesterday by Amnesty International.

According to the Guatemalan authorities, 1,188 women and girls were murdered between 2001 and 2004. Many of the victims have been raped or sexually abused and in a number of cases the bodies were mutilated and disfigured.

According to police records, women accounted for 4.5% of all killings in 2002, in 2003 11.5%, and in 2004, 12.1%.

To date, according to the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office, only 9% of the cases have been investigated.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen added:

"The lack of proper investigations and convictions in cases of killings of women and girls in Guatemala sends the message that violence against women in the country is acceptable. The true dimension of the killings of women in Guatemala remains unknown, which underlines the lack of attention given by the Guatemalan authorities to the issue."

"Official inaction and complacency has intensified the suffering of the families whose pleas for a proper criminal investigation to be carried out have frequently gone unheard."

Amnesty International calls on the Guatemalan government to:

* Publicly condemn the abduction and murder of women and girls;

* Carry out immediate, coordinated, full and effective investigations into all cases of abduction and murder of women and girls in Guatemala and bring those responsible to justice;

* Strengthen and improve coordination and resource allocation for all state institutions dealing with violence against women – particularly the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Crimes against Women of the Public Ministry;

* Develop and implement adequate warning and protection programs to prevent the abduction and murder of women.

Read the press release (short version)

Read the press release (long version)

Read the media briefing

Read the complete report

Read an excellent BBC article

Posted by elcanche at June 10, 2005 08:42 PM