By Sarah Grainger

CHIMALTENANGO, Guatemala, Aug 31 (Reuters) – A former military commissioner became the first person to be convicted of the forced disappearance of people in Guatemala’s 36-year civil war on Monday, and was sentenced to 150 years in prison.

A panel of three judges found former military commissioner Felipe Cusanero guilty of the disappearances of six peasant farmers between 1982 and 1984 in a landmark case that overcame Guatemala’s notorious bureaucracy and impunity.

Almost a quarter of a million people, mainly poor Mayans, were killed during the 1960-1996 conflict between leftist guerrillas and the government. Around 45,000 of them are thought to have been forcibly made to disappear.

Over 80 percent of the atrocities were committed by the army, according to a United Nations-backed truth commission.

The tiny courtroom in Chimaltenango, a provincial capital about 25 miles (40 km) west of Guatemala City near where Cusanero ordered the disappearances, was packed with Mayan villagers and families of the disappeared as the judges read out their verdict.

“We weren’t looking for vengeance, but for the truth and for justice,” said Hilarion Lopez, whose son Encarnacion was taken by soldiers in March 1984 when he was just 24 years old and who was never seen again by his family.

Cusanero, now in his mid-60s, was the commissioner in charge of around 40 soldiers in the region in the early 1980s.

Guatemalan rights groups believe he was responsible for the deaths or disappearances of more people, but only the families of six victims came forward to testify against him.

Legal experts say it is the first time anyone has been convicted for forced civil war disappearances in Guatemala.

“This judicial precedent opens the door for the families of the tens of thousands of victims to take their cases to court,” said Mario Minera, executive director of the human rights organization CALDH, which has spent four years fighting for disappearance cases.

Few people have ever been tried for the crimes and human rights violations that took place during Guatemala’s conflict and the army has refused to allow access to its archives.

Former military dictator Efrain Rios Montt continues to serve as a lawmaker in Guatemala’s Congress even as he faces accusations of genocide committed during the civil war.

But the country has started a healing process, exhuming war graves to search for the dead.

Molding police archives were discovered in a warehouse in the Guatemala City four years ago and could provide evidence in hundreds of cases of disappeared people.

Maria Tan, whose husband was made to disappear by Cusanero, said the verdict was a significant step for the country. “My grandchildren are growing up and it’s important that they never experience what we went through,” she told Reuters.

(Writing by Robin Emmott, editing by Anthony Boadle)

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5800F720090901

Caja Lúdica

This weekend Simón and I went to Rabinal with José Osorio and other “Lúdicos,” or members of the Caja Lúdica Collective, a non-profit which promotes peace through the exhibition and teaching of artistic activities such as drama, dance, acrobatics and stilt-walking to promote a culture of peace in communities rocked by violence. The group aims to help marginalized youngsters including gang members discover a sense of purpose and worth. This year, 3 “Ludicos” were assassinated with no sign of who killed them and if the deaths were linked. Earlier this week, Lucia, Simón and I met with Jose and other Lúdicos to inform them about whom MIA is and describe “Hombres Contra Feminicidio” and that’s how it was decided that Simón and I would do two workshops in Rabinal this weekend.

The 3 Lúdicos who were killed this year; picture taken at the Caja Lúdica headquarters in Zone 1.

In the capital, whenever anyone mentions or hears about someone going to Rabinal there’s always this air of importance and a certain level of reverence. On the drive over (we were totally spoiled by Caja Lúdica and riding in a nice, new 4 wheel drive truck) Jose let me know what the big deal was with Rabinal and I was able to understand why Simon had been telling me for so long that we should bring the workshops there. It turns out that Rabinal is a predominantly indigenous area which suffered some of the bloodiest and terrifying massacres during Guatemala’s 36 year civil war. The majority of the residents are Maya Achí and speak Achí as well, which is one of the over 20 Mayan languages in Guatemala. The massacres occurred mainly in 1981-1982, two of the most well known having taken place in the villages of Plan de Sánchez and Río Negro. MiMundo.org, an amazing English/Spanish blogspot about Guatemala has great recent articles about both massacres which can be found at the above links. To quote MiMundo.org:

“Beginning halfway through 1981 and throughout 1982, the Guatemalan Army carried out numerous military operations… The objective of these was to eradicate the guerrilla army’s support base in the rural area, which was made up mostly of civilians. Within this context we cite a famous quote from former Chinese Prime Minister Mao Zedong: ‘take away the water from the fish’. Such metaphor implies that the guerrilla forces needed the civilian population just like fish need water… Within this logic, the Guatemalan Army carried out in Rabinal numerous collective killings against a mostly indigenous and unarmed civil population so as to indirectly eliminate the guerrillas.” (8)

The Museum was a room filled with photographs of the dead and disappeared and under each photograph was information on the person’s life and death depending on what is known.

A close up of one of the photos. Translation below: Lucia Grave Ramirez: Born on December 13, 1960 in Plan de Sanchez. She was only 22 years old when they forcibly removed her from her house and tortured and killed her without reason on July 18, 1982.

Once we arrived to Rabinal (it was about a four hour drive), Jose immediately had to have a full day of meetings at the Centro Cultura Maya Achí, the center that we would be doing the workshops in. Simón and Jose’s partner Violeta and I got dropped at the house that Caja Lúdica has in Rabinal to use when there and we then walked to the Rabinal Achi Community Museum, which helps honors the historical memory of the people who were killed and disappeared in the various massacres and displays the local Maya Achi art, handicrafts, and information on their famous dances.

The museum was hard to look at because I wanted to read all the bios and became quickly overwhelmed by the sadness and injustice of it all.  Reading time after time that farmers and homemakers were killed by machine guns and that countless people were tortured and raped was emotionally draining.

That night I had to mentally prepare for my first workshop where I was half-responsible for the facilitation.  In reality, I have years of experience in this facilitating workshops for the purposes of violence prevention, but this was particularly stressful  because I suddenly had to do it in Spanish, a language I am still trying to become comfortable using.

The next day we did our first workshop and it was scary but successful in that the “students” were engaged and had a lot of ideas about how we can change the gender power dynamic through personal growth and how we run our own households.

Simon and I facilitating. / The students doing a partner-exercise

The next day I was a lot less stressed about facilitating in Spanish since I had finally done it for the first time the day before.  This time I felt a lot more comfortable being a bit more spontaneous and the students this time were a little younger, which MIA aims for since “Hombres Contra Feminicidio” is meant to be preventative.

The next day I was a lot less stressed about facilitating in Spanish since I had finally done it for the first time the day before. This time I felt a lot more comfortable being a bit more spontaneous and the students this time were a little younger, which MIA aims for since “Hombres Contra Feminicidio” is meant to be preventative.

The board after one of our exercises

Watching the film “The Impossible Dream”

Today, Sunday, August 23 was our second and last workshop and afterward we took the long ride home. Tomorrow Lucia and I are going to the University Radio Station in the morning because she has another interview about the campaign.

Compiled by Patricia Anderson and Santos Tale Tax

Migration

The two initial bills were presented to Congress last week by the Guatemalan Migrant Commission. The bills seek to reform the Law of Migration and create a new decentralized entity to oversee migration: the Guatemalan Institute of Migration (IGM). The proposed IGM would have its own director and resources which would be dedicated to better controlling entrances and exits out of Guatemala. The bills also include an initiative that would create electronic visas for foreigners entering the country. These bills are separate from the one that was presented last week by the National Board of Migration which focused more on the protection migrant rights.

The airport is currently undergoing massive remodeling set to be completed within two years. Included in the plans is a special area for receiving Guatemalans who have been deported from the United States.

15,570 Guatemalans have been deported from the United States this year. Most of the deportees come from the departments of San Marcos, Huehuetenango and Retalhulea.

One Guatemalan citizen along with 96 Mexican citizens were detained in the United States after being found in a freight truck in Arizona. The group was traveling among crates of fruit being transported at 34 degrees Fahrenheit. The group was largely comprised of women and children ages 9-12.

In response to North American bishops decision to call on President Obama for migration reform, Central American bishops gathered last week to make the same call to the US president in the form of letters and calls to their parishioners on both sides of the border.

In an effort to tighten security along the Mexico-Guatemala border, stricter documentation requirements are being asked of Guatemalan citizens. Rather than using local passes, as border residents were allowed before, citizens residing in border departments are required to apply for a formal migration visa. All other Guatemalan residents must have their passport. These new requirements have hurt Chiapas economy as tourism from Guatemala has been down substantially since the requirements were enacted.

Health

Thirty one new cases of H1N1 (gripe A) were identified last week, bringing the national H1N1 count to 528 cases. The death of a one year old boy brings the flu’s death toll to 10. There are now 30,000 doses of Tamiflu in the country, though the Ministry of Health has declined to comment on the possibility of a much larger outbreak, as there has been in the countries Mexico and El Salvador.

Honduras

Regional commerce has fallen 17 percent since the Honduran coup. Part of this drop has been attributed to the difficultly trucks have had crossing the Honduran border. But the European Union has announced that it will restart commerce with Central America, minus Honduras, in September.

Climate Change

El Niño has begun to form over the Pacific Ocean. The weather phenomenon is expected to bring storms, floods and drought. The upside of El Niño is that its presence lowers the frequency of hurricanes, say experts. The effects of El Niño will likely not been seen until late October. Agricultural production will be severely affected by the droughts and floods produced by El Niño.

Community Consultation

The population of Churrancho in the department Guatemala voted 87.2 percent against the construction of a hydroelectric dam in a nearby river. Residents believe the dam will negatively impact their community and leave them with no water. Generdora Nacional, the owner of the proposed dam, complains that they were notified only two weeks before that the consult was going to take place. Generador Nacional already has the permission of the Ministry of Environment to construct the dam as the company has already turned in its required environmental impact study.

Food and Nutrition

The Canadian activist group Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC) warns that Guatemala and other countries like it are in danger of losing their native corn plants to genetically-modified super breeds. Guatemala has come under a lot of pressure to completely switch to genetically-modified seed since the largest seed was bought out by transnational company Monsanto’s Seed last year. ETC says genetically-altered crops and use of petrochemicals is a false solution to the food shortages caused by global warming. Agroindustry consumes 14 percent of the world’s fuel consumption, the same amount as cars and other forms transportation.

Mining

The Ministry of the Environment prohibited the mining company Montana Exploradora from importing cyanide as it has failed to pay proper import taxes for the last two years. Montana has been paying 3 Quetzales per kilogram where the tax is at 5 Q/kg. The Ministry has banned Montana from importing the chemical until it pays the difference. A Montana spokesperson has said that the company is preparing its lawyers for legal countermeasures.

Montana Exploradora S.A. Guatemala is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GoldCorp, a Canadian company that mines precious metals. Montana currently has several projects active in the Western highlands of Guatemala. It’s most notorious project is the Marlin mine in the department San Marcos. The Marlin mine has been opposed by local communities since its inception in 2005. Several community members have been jailed and threatened over the course of the mine’s operation and several protests of the mine have turn brutally violent. Montana is currently the largest bidder for exploration licenses in another region of San Marcos, which has sparked protests, marches and roadblocks nationwide.

The Pastoral Commission of Peace and Ecology (Copae) of the Catholic diocese of San Macos recently undertook a study of five rivers around the Marlin Mine. Copea, using its own equipment and laboratory, found large concentrations of metals near mining disposal sites.

The Mining Guild denounced Copea’s methods unscientific and declared its finding unreliable. Montana Exploradora assured the press the rivers near Marlin mine are not contaminated.

Bishop Álvaro Ramazzini of San Marcos diocese said he hopes the study serves an alert to environmental authorities and that it moves authorities to conduct more extensive environmental impact studies. Bishop Ramazzini has spoken out against the mine both from the pulpit and in public forums since the mine’s beginning, for which he has received death threats and law suits for ‘provoking violence among peasants toward mining activity.’

— Pronunciamiento Público —

Tercer Encuentro Nacional de Mujeres Mayas, Garifunas y Xinkas

“Por los Derechos Individuales y Colectivos de las Mujeres Mayas, Garifunas y Xinkas”

En la actual coyuntura política y crisis económica nacional e internacional, las mujeres indígenas ante el desafío de fortalecer nuestra participación organizada y avanzar por mejorar nuestras condiciones de vida, desarrollamos el “Tercer Encuentro Nacional de Mujeres Mayas, Garifunas y Xinkas” para iniciar un proceso de monitoreo y auditoría social de la implementació n de la Agenda Articulada de Mujeres Mayas, Garifunas y Xinkas en los diferentes planes, programas y política que impulsa el Estado guatemalteco.

El cual partió del foro público denominado “Políticas Públicas y Mujeres Indígenas”, además fue la base del análisis y discusión que las participantes, provenientes de diferentes comunidades lingüísticas quienes en seis mesas de trabajo compartieron con representantes de instituciones gubernamentales, responsables de ejecutar e implementar políticas públicas para toda la población respetando sus diversas identidades culturales, sociales, políticas y económicas.

De acuerdo a los resultados de las mesas de trabajo demandamos lo siguiente:

Generales:

• Inclusión del enfoque de mujeres indígenas en todos los procesos de desarrollo y ejecución de las políticas públicas.

• Garantizar la permanencia de funcionarias y funcionarios públicos en las instituciones gubernamentales para el seguimiento de los procesos y propuestas impulsados a favor de los pueblos y mujeres indígenas.

• Socialización de la Agenda Articulada de las Mujeres Mayas, Garifunas y Xinkas, de la Política Nacional para la Convivencia y erradicación de la discriminació n racial y de la Política Nacional de Promoción y Desarrollo Integral de las Mujeres 2008-2023.

• Desarrollar campañas de sensibilizació n a hombres y mujeres sobre los derechos de las mujeres y derechos específicos y colectivos de las mujeres indígenas.

• Coordinaciones con funcionarias y funcionarios mayas para asegurar la implementació n de los contenidos de la agenda articulada de Coordinaciones con funcionarias mayas para los seguimientos de la implementació n

Acceso a la justicia:

• Acceso y cobertura en territorios con mayor población maya, garifunas y xinka del sistema de justicia.

• Uso y respeto de los idiomas y prácticas culturales mayas, garifunas y Xinkas en los procesos y estructuras del Organismo Judicial.

• Fortalecer y desarrollar campañas que fomente la cultura de denuncia.

• Procesos de sensibilizació n a los operadores de justicia para una mejor atención.

Abordaje del racismo y violencia contra la mujer:

• Participación de mujeres indígenas en procesos de elaboración de las políticas públicas para garantizar acciones especificas que erradiquen racismo y violencia contra las mujeres.

• Impulsar los marcos legales y mecanismos institucionales para la erradicación de todas las formas de violencia y racismo en contra de las mujeres indígenas.

• Coordinación de acciones entre la CODISRA y SEPREM para la implementació n de la Política Nacional para la convivencia y erradicación de la discriminació n racial, tomando en cuenta los ejes comunes.

Participación política:

• Las Coordinadoras de las Oficinas Municipal de la Mujer sean propuestas por las organizaciones de Mujeres.

• Garantizar la participación de las mujeres indígenas en los Consejos Departamentales de Desarrollo.

• Creación del Instituto Autónomo de Formación Política para Mujeres Mayas, Garifunas y Xinkas tomando en cuenta la cosmovisión de cada pueblo.

• Que el Programa Mi Familia Progresa llegue a las familias que realmente lo necesitan

• Seguimiento a la propuesta de Reforma a la Ley Electoral y de Partidos Políticos considerando la situación política y económica de los pueblos y mujeres indígenas.

Economía, trabajo y migración:

• Priorizar programas y proyectos que respondan a las realidades económicas de las mujeres indígenas.

• Garantizar la seguridad ciudadana de las mujeres a nivel local, departamental y nacional.

• Asignación de presupuesto a las Oficinas Municipal de Mujer para la ejecución de propuestas y proyectos productivos que beneficien a las mujeres indígenas.

• Coordinaciones con AAGAI Y ANAM para el acompañamiento e implementació n de las reformas legales que beneficien a las Oficinas Municipal de la Mujer.

Salud integral desde la identidad cultural:

• Respeto y aplicación de los conocimientos y saberes de los pueblos indígenas.

• Sensibilizació n a los funcionarios de salud para la aplicación de las prácticas de los pueblos indígenas.

• Conformar una comisión ante la OPS y Organismos Internacionales para monitorear a los agentes de salud, para tomar en cuenta las propuestas de las organizaciones de mujeres indígenas.

• Promover la consulta para la conformación de los equipos de trabajos.

• Reconocer el trabajo de las comadronas en el sistema de salud desde sus conocimientos y saberes.

Tierra, territorio, vivienda y recursos naturales:

• Que se asignen presupuestos específicos para el seguimiento de procesos relacionados a pueblos y mujeres indígenas.

• Socialización e implementació n de los contenidos de las Coordinaciones con funcionarias mayas para los seguimientos de la implementació n.

• Unificación de acciones gubernamentales para evitar la duplicación y dispersión de planes, programas y recursos.

Por ello demandamos y exigimos a las autoridades de los tres organismos del Estado, responder y atender los aspectos específicos y vulnerables para la defensa y promoción de los derechos individuales y colectivos de los Pueblos y las mujeres Mayas, Garifunas y Xinkas.

Iximulew Kab’lajuj Aj – Guatemala, agosto 12 de agosto de 2009.

Compiled by Patricia Anderson and Santos Tale Tax

Mining

Experts and community leaders from around the world met held an International Conference on Mining in Antigua, Guatemala last week. Members of communities affected by mining gave testament to the contaminated water, desertification and general community conflict caused by mines. Pedro Pinto, of Honduras, commented: “The extraction of gold in my country has been going on for five years and has caused the death of several animals on two occasions because the cyanide used to extract the metal has contaminated the rivers.” Guatemalan delegates emphasized the importance of respecting community voices in the mining process.

On its closing day, the International Conference published a declaration detailing the ways in which mining companies enjoy impunity. The statement notes how mining companies damage the environment and the health of their workers and surrounding communities with rare regulations or sanctions from Latin American governments.

In response to the Conference, Douglas González, director of the Mining Guild, said: “In Guatemala we have no cases of environmental catastrophe due to mining; and since the technology used has advanced considerably, the impact on the environment has been mitigated. The population of Guatemala has no reason to worry.”

Health

An outbreak of dengue in the Eastern department of Izabal has caused 170 people to be hospitalized. Ninety-two of the cases have been reported by the department as hemorrhaging dengue, all of which are children under the age of 13. However, the Ministry of Health has only reported 18 hemorrhaging cases. Hospital workers have denounced the Ministry of Health for its unwillingness to confirm all hemorrhaging cases, its lack of preventative measures and its overall poor management of the outbreak. Nine children died due to dengue last week.

The number of gripe A cases (H1N1)—Swine Flu — has risen to 624, an increase of 92 people since July 31.

Environment

In the department of Izabal, 5,197 square kilometers of virgin forests are cut down per year to make way for expanding agriculture and growing urban areas. Forty percent of the department’s lands are protected, making a portion of the deforestation illegal. The National Counsel of Protected Areas has urged vigilance, control and community education to prevent illicit deforestation.

Climate Change

An exceptionally dry rainy season with unseasonable frost has caused wide-spread crop damage – the estimated at crop loss totals 38,000 quetzales. These uncharacteristic weather patterns have been attributed to overall climate change. More than 16,000 families have been affected, and corn production is down 40%. Crop production is not expected to better in 2010 due to the long draughts and characteristic cold of El Niño.

Poverty

Due to the long dry spell, three thousand communities are in risk of hunger and starvation. In the department of Zacapa 17 children have died this year from severe malnutrition and related diseases such as diarrhea.

Economy

The Basic Cost of Living has risen 2.8 quetzales in the last month and 18.99 quetzales in the last year. The director of the National Institute of Statistics emphasized that only 7 of the 26 crops that make up the calculation have risen, and that 17 crops have actually dropped in price. The price of onions has increased the most, 16.5 percent since 2008.

Analysts from the Association of Investigation and Social Studies say that the government of Guatemala had too small of a vision and invested too late in the economy when faced with last fall’s economic crisis. While time was being spent coming to an agreement about inversion, commerce and consumption fell by 8 percent. In relation to last year, commerce has fallen by 1.7 percent overall in Central America, compared to the 1 percent decrease in the United States.

Women’s Rights

400 women have been violently killed since the start of the year, 6 in the last week. Human rights attorney Sergio Morales says that 82 percent of the women were killed strictly because they were women. However under the current laws, only 19 can be classified and charged as femicide. 56 of the women were under the age 18. A large number of the victims were raped, tortured or dismembered.

Migration and the Economy

Remittances have fallen 9.5 percent in the first seven months of 2009, a difference of 248.2 million USD. Remittances were highest in July of this year, with 365.3 million USD entering the country. However, this number still falls sort of the 409.66 million USD seen in July 2008.

In 2008, more than 4 billion dollars were sent back to Guatemala in the form of remittances. Remittances make up 12 percent of Guatemala’s GDP and sustain at least 1 million Guatemalan households.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

On our last official delegation day, we got up early to go to a school in zone 18, a pilot program that is sponsored by MIA. Partially destroyed by a flood less than a year ago, much of the school was ruined. The delegates grabbed some shovels and started leveling out the land to supply a foundation where a new computer lab will be built, and met one of the female students that MIA helps to sponsor so that she can continue her education.

We then drove to San Lucas Sacatepequez, for what was the most devastating meeting of the entire week. We went to the home of Aura Suruy, whose three daughters, ages 7, 9, and 11, were all beaten, raped, and murdered this past May 29 (http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2009/junio/16/321595.html). In unbearable pain, the mother has got help with her case from Fundacion Sobrevivientes and also got some help of MIA’s big sister organization, the Guatemala Peace and Development Network (GPDN), to help sponsor her male children’s continuing education.

Ending the delegation on such a horrific story definitely ignited the anger in us to come back to the U.S. and work for Guatemala in whatever ways we can.

El Ministerio Público (MP) y el Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Forenses (Inacif) exhumaron los cadáveres de tres niñas asesinadas en Chicamán, San Lucas Sacatepéquez, el 29 de mayo último.

El trabajo duró seis horas y consistió en extraer tejido corporal, muestra de huesos y cabello de Wendy Josselin, de 12 años; Diana Liseth Suruy Socoreque, 8, y Heidy Yolanda Cuc Suruy, 7. Según querellantes del caso, la inhumación es para procesar el ADN de las niñas, ya que durante la necropsia los médicos del Inacif olvidaron reunir esos componentes.

Norma Cruz, directora de la Fundación Sobrevivientes y querellante en el caso, criticó a los responsables del Inacif y señaló que esos procedimientos se deberían efectuar de oficio durante la necropsia.

“Aunque es doloroso para la madre de las niñas, ese procedimiento es fundamental, y se hace ahora por ineficiencia del Inacif, pues siempre tienen que hacerlo cuando ingresa un cadáver por hechos de violencia, para determinar las causas de la muerte y para recabar evidencias”, expresó.

Por el asesinato de esas niñas están acusados Luis Roberto Socoreque Mashan, Maroni Hared Silva Urbina y Axel Noé Cho Aspuac.

http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2009/julio/30/331709.html

POR JUAN FERNANDO ESTRADA

En Guatemala, 14 de cada cien niñas trabajan como sirvientas en hogares particulares, en forma poco o nada remunerada, y a expensas de sufrir abusos de otro tipo, lo cual las pone en desventaja frente a los varones.

El informe publicado en la revista Desafío por la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (Cepal) y la Oficina Regional para América Latina y el Caribe de Unicef, dice que Guatemala es el país con más niñas dedicadas al trabajo doméstico (14.4 por ciento), seguido por Honduras (10.3 por ciento), Nicaragua (9.8 por ciento) y El Salvador (6.7 por ciento).

El documento presenta testimonios de menores y adolescentes de varios países de la región, quienes cuentan su experiencia como trabajadoras domésticas.

“A mí me hubiera gustado mucho seguir estudiando, porque sé que el estudio es muy importante para mí” relata Ruby, de 15 años, de Guatemala.

El informe detalla que el país se ubicó junto a Bolivia y Perú en los lugares donde se registra más deserción escolar de niños, que de niñas. “Si tan solo hubiera seguido estudiando no estuviera trabajando, el estudio vale mucho”, continua el relato de la pequeña.

En la distribución por el tiempo en los quehaceres del hogar, las niñas trabajan 4.1 horas y los niños lo hacen durante 2.8, añade el informe. “Así como yo hay muchas niñas y niños, a veces el maestro pide muchas cosas y los padres no tienen dinero”, finaliza el relato de Ruby, el cual aparece junto a otras tres historias similares, pero en distintos países de la región.

Las vivencias de Ruby se suman a los más de 507 mil niños y niñas que trabajan en Guatemala, sin ser recompensados de manera justa, según explica el informe “Entendiendo el Trabajo Infantil en Guatemala”, presentado por la Organización Internacional del Trabajo, en el 2003.

Además, esas condiciones vuelven a las niñas vulnerables a cualquier tipo de abuso psicológico o sexual por parte de sus empleadores.

Nidia Aguilar, defensora de la Niñez de la Procuraduría de los Derechos Humanos (PDH), agrega que esta situación se comenzó a investigar hace pocos años, debido a la falta de denuncias.

“Se tiene conocimiento de la situación, y hay casos de menores explotadas laboralmente”, informa Abraham Baca, portavoz de la Procuraduría General de la Nación (PGN).

Baca ejemplifica estos casos en las coheterillas de San Raymundo, Sacatepéquez, donde laboran menores, dentro de ellos niñas que reciben menor sueldo que los varones.

Trabajan en sus hogares

El estudio revela también que muchas niñas ejercen trabajo no remunerado dentro de sus propios hogares, donde asumen responsabilidades inapropiadas para su edad.

“Ese tipo de abuso en niñas y adolescentes es el menos visible”, comenta Nidia Aguilar, de la PDH, y añade que laboran jornadas largas, sin remuneración alguna.

“Muchos padres prefieren que sus hijas trabajen en casa que enviarlas a la escuela”, enfatiza Aguilar.

El documento en general destaca datos que expresan la gravedad tanto en la región centroamericana como en toda Latinoamérica.

Las organizaciones en pro de la niñez consultadas en el informe concluyen en que es necesario promover políticas educativas y laborales que transformen el modo de pensar de los estratos sociales más bajos e inculcar que la educación está por encima del trabajo.

Opiniones

NIÑEZ PDH  NO DEBEN TRABAJAR

“Se debe hacer conciencia en todos los sectores de la sociedad porque ningún niño menor de 14 debe trabajar. Ellos tienen que estudiar”, advierte Nidia Aguilar, defensora de la Niñez, de la Procuraduría de los Derechos Humanos.

Aguilar agrega que por tratarse de niñas el tema puede resultar desconocido, debido a la falta de denuncias.


PGN: PROBLEMA NACIONAL

“Las estadísticas demuestran que esta tendencia se da más en el área rural que en la capital, pero es un problema que abarca a todo el país”, comenta Abraham Baca, portavoz de la Procuraduría General de la Nación. Baca subraya que muchas veces durante los monitoreos las niñas se esconden en sus lugares de trabajo, para no ser detectadas.

ESTUDIO: TRABAJO INFANTIL

Es una tendencia regional al alza

• Alrededor de 507 mil niños y niñas trabajaban en Guatemala, en el 2003.

• Según las tendencias, el número se pudo duplicar.

• Las edades oscilan entre los 7 y 17 años.

• De cada cien niños y niñas en este grupo, 20 trabajan, 62 estudian y 18 no estudian ni trabajan.

• Cuatro de cada cien niños trabajadores tienen apenas 5 ó 6 años de edad.

• Esto quiere decir que hay más de 12 mil niños trabajadores de esa edad.

• En Guatemala, 14 por ciento de las niñas laboran fuera de sus casas.

http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2009/febrero/08/293667.html

POR CRISTINA BONILLO / PERIODISMO COMUNITARIO

A través de varias campañas, organizaciones de mujeres, de la sociedad civil, instituciones estatales y organismos de cooperación internacional, pretenden poner fin a la violencia que afecta a las mujeres guatemaltecas, y que en lo que va del año ha cobrado la vida de más de 600.

La iniciativa internacional 16 días de activismo para la eliminación de la violencia contra las mujeres, encabezada por la ONU, la Comisión Europea y la Secretaría Presidencial para la Mujer, organiza actividades culturales, desde el próximo 25 de noviembre hasta el 10 de diciembre —teatro, cine, conciertos—, talleres, capacitación y marchas por todo el territorio nacional. Se trata de sensibilizar a la sociedad y cambiar el imaginario cultural que se tiene de que, cuando una mujer es víctima de violencia, es “porque algo habrá hecho”, explicó la secretaria para la Mujer, Sonia Escobedo.

Pocos avances

Pedro Henríques, representante de la Comisión Europea, recordó que en Guatemala “son pocos los progresos” que se han dado para detener la violencia contra las mujeres. “El asunto va más allá de la situación de inseguridad, ya que contra la mujer no solo se dan asesinatos, sino otros tipos de violencia física, psicológica, patrimonial, económica y sexual”, expresó. La mayoría de estos tipos de abuso se invisibilizan, especialmente en lo relativo a la violencia económica.

Nadine Gasman, representante de las Naciones Unidas, refirió que la violencia contra las mujeres “supone una carga devastadora” para Guatemala, y manifestó que el Gobierno tiene aún muchos retos por cumplir, entre ellos la asignación de más fondos para la justicia y la salud, así como la capacitación de personal de todos los ámbitos y en lo relativo a los derechos de la mujer. También recordó que es necesario acabar con la brecha étnica existente en el país, ya que las mujeres indígenas son las que menos acceso a servicios y oportunidades tienen.

Conflicto armado y mujer

Otras iniciativas presentadas ayer apuestan por sacar del silencio a las mujeres que fueron asesinadas o violadas durante el conflicto armado, entre ellas el I festival regional por la memoria Mujeres y guerra, que se llevará a cabo en Huehuetenango, del 25 al 27 de noviembre.

Por su parte, la Unión Nacional de Mujeres Guatemaltecas aprovechará la celebración del Día Internacional de la no Violencia contra la Mujer para denunciar la impunidad en la que quedaron las víctimas de femicidio durante la guerra, así como las condiciones de pobreza extrema en que viven éstas, el racismo contra la mujer indígena y la ausencia de condiciones para el ejercicio pleno de la ciudadanía de miles de mujeres en todo el país.

Para ello participarán en marchas, y presentarán obras de teatro, cine y foros en varios puntos del país.

VÍCTIMAS

En el 2008 han sido asesinadas más mujeres que en el 2007, pese a la aprobación de la Ley contra el Femicidio.

• En el 2008 han sido asesinadas 626 mujeres, frente a las 590 víctimas del 2007.

• La mayoría de ataques han sido con arma de fuego, seguido por arma blanca y estrangulamiento.

• Desde el 2001, cuatro mil féminas han sido asesinadas y más del 90 por ciento de los casos no han sido resueltos.

• De seis mil denuncias por violencia intrafamiliar, sexual y femicidio, solo mil 800 llegaron a tribunales.

• El 80 por ciento de las mujeres no denuncia, por miedo a represalias.

• La capital es la más afectada, seguida de Escuintla, Petén, Izabal, Suchitepéquez y Chiquimula, según el Ministerio de Gobernación.

http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2008/noviembre/22/278565.html