The wrong answer to a tough question, part 1

Each time I go back to the States my family and friends ask the same valid but damn-near-impossible-to-answer question: "How are things in Guatemala?"

Talk about your loaded question. And "loaded" is an appropriate word in this case... because conversations about Guatemala always seem to come back to the problem of violence.

When I first arrived here in the late 80's the problem was political violence perpetrated by the Guatemalan State (government, military, police, etc.) against an internal "enemy", ie: those who struggled for justice and a change to the status quo of oppression (students, teachers, church workers, journalists, union members, indigenous and campesino leaders, human rights activists, etc.)

And, of course, many of the victims of the 36-year civil war were indigenous families, living in Guatemala's highlands, who were targeted and massacred by the army and civil patrols as part of a genocidal "scorched earth" counterinsurgency campaign.

The hope of the peace accords, which ended the war in 1996, was that they would bring about a new era of political, economic, social and cultural justice... and an end to the violence.

That didn't happen.

Although politically-motivated crime declined with the dawn of the new millennium, it was insidiously replaced by the growing menace of common crime.

Whereas before the accords were signed I felt somewhat risk for the work I was doing (promoting human rights through popular education) I also felt a degree of protection as a U.S. citizen.

Now the situation has turned 180 degrees. My work has nothing to do with the risks I run on the streets of Guatemala City, and my "gringo-ness" is now more of a liability than a safeguard.

Indeed, one of the most notorious aspects of this new violence is that its bloody blade slices right through the barriers of class, ethnicity, age and sex. It is brutal in its lack of discrimination.

Last year 5,338 violent deaths were reported, including 518 women. If those numbers seem striking, consider this: Guatemala's entire population is about 12 million people, roughly that of the state of Pennsylvania.

So far in 2006, Guatemala’s murder rate has risen from an already horrendous 14.6 a day to 16 every 24 hours. And 82 women have killed between January 1st and February 17th.

Guatemala has a serious crime problem. Unfortunately, the government's most recent solution is not only long-delayed, but extremely ill-advised. I'll talk about that tomorrow!

UN Worried about Guatemalan Violence

Guatemala, Feb 13 (Prensa Latina)

The UN Commission on Human Rights expressed concern for an increased violence in Guatemala and the government's weakness in fighting the scourge.

A UNCHR report released in this capital aid the country has gone from State political violence to social violence, with an increase in the number of homicides.

2005 was the country's most violent in the last few years with 5,338 cases of homicide, according to the document.

A representative of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights in Guatemala said the State's weakness and inability to protect citizens is what currently worries most of the population.

"Guatemala is currently going through a state of social alarm amid an increased violence due to organized crime, common delinquency, juvenile gangs and illegal, clandestine security bodies," the report added.

The UN official expressed concern over latest events, especially the appearance of bodies showing signs of torture or violent deaths by strangulation.

The report includes 24 suggestions for the State to improve humanitarian situation such as promoting prevention-oriented security policies and stepping up the institutions' abilities to investigate and punish culprits.

It also urges the government and judicial system to implement programs to protect the life and integrity of human rights champions, union leaders, journalists, judges and witnesses.

Tags: Guatemala, Violence, Peace, Accords, Crime

Posted by elcanche at February 21, 2006 09:40 PM