Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA

For Women's Right to Live
Delegation

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Watch "Getting Away with Murder" a video about violence against women in Guatemala by GHRC Delegate Andrew Petonak

 

Read GHRC's 2007 Delegation Reflection, "Three Thousand and Counting: A Report on Violence Against Women in Guatemala" (pdf)

 

Read an article about GHRC's 2007 delegation in the Philadelphia Inquirer

Not one more death!

Women throughout the Americas have raised their voices, calling for an end to violence against women in the region, even as the levels of violence continue to rise. In Guatemala alone, more than 3,000 women have been murdered since 2000. Family members, witnesses, and leaders of women’s rights organizations continue to work under threat to halt the violence and seek justice for the victims.

In spite of the staggering numbers, the Guatemalan government has done next to nothing to stem the violence. The low priority the government gives the issue of femicide is reflected in the scant resources it allocates to investigations and the almost complete absence of prosecution: there have been rulings in fewer than thirty femicide cases since the year 2000. The state has also failed in its efforts to prevent this violence and few cases of domestic violence or sexual assault are taken seriously.

While the government dismisses these murders, attributing them to gang violence, the Organization of American states has noted that the murders may be aimed at terrorizing Guatemala's women, reversing the gains women have made in the last ten years and forcing them out of the public sphere and back into their homes. 

In the face of violence and discrimination, women have formed survivors’ associations, mental health groups, and regional coalitions. Others have worked tirelessly to improve access to land, comprehensive health care, and education, particularly for women living in rural indigenous communities. Still others have spoken out against discriminatory laws and a justice system plagued by impunity. 

Our delegation
Our annual delegation focuses on women’s rights and the ongoing efforts to end discrimination and violence against women in Guatemala. We meet with individuals and community groups that have courageously spoken out against gender-based violence, as well as explore the broader context in which this violence takes place. Through meetings in the major cities and travel to rural communities, we see how Guatemala’s history and current human rights situation affect these efforts to secure women’s rights.

On this delegation, we meet with leaders in the Guatemalan women’s movement, including organizers, lawyers, survivors, and family members, working for both immediate security precautions and long-term systemic change in Guatemala. We also visit one of the only domestic violence shelters in Guatemala and learn how women’s rights groups are empowering women in rural areas. We explore the wider socioeconomic and political contexts in which gender-based violence takes place, learn about the country’s complex history and ongoing efforts to end impunity, hear from leaders in the human rights movement about their work, and meet with government officials charged with monitoring human rights.

The 2006 and 2007 delegations were a great success. Please check back in 2008 for details about our next delegation.

 

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