November 25, International Day of Nonviolence Against Women
The Consortium of Actors for Change1, together with other organizations of the “November 25 Collective”, organized public programs of theatre, music, speeches, forums and a caravan through the center of the capital. The Consortium requested NPG accompaniment for some of these events because they had recently received threats both at the institutional and personal level.
The statistics on femicide in Guatemala are alarming. Though still fewer than men, the rate of attacks against women is increasing. In the last five years 3,500 women have been murdered in Guatemala; usually women under thirty, poor and often with signs of the so-called “social cleansing” campaign of clandestine armed groups.
According to Diane Russell, a well know author on the subject, Guatemala is a woman hating culture largely because of the war where the military trained men to think of women as enemies because they gave birth, presumably to potential future guerrillas. According to some testimonies gathered since the war, women were seen by both sides as a target for aggression.
For three generations there has been no punishment of such murders. Only three of every 100 cases of assassination or homicide for either sex get to trial. According to the Institute of Comparative Studies and Penal Sciences, the remaining 97 languish unresolved due to the indifference or corruption of judicial authorities.
La Unidad Report and International Pressure
La Unidad2 released its bi-monthly report for September-October and reported that there had been an increase in the number of attacks just after the September 9 elections and again in the first part of October.
When the attacks were especially intense in June the human rights groups organized a solidarity and press event to support one of the groups being attacked. Representatives of human rights groups, international accompaniers including NP, and diplomats were present. There was a marked reduction in attacks after this event. In October, less public actions were taken, but included an increase in investigations by the police, an urgent action alert following the assassination of a union activist, and a press campaign about the situation in general for human rights defenders by Amnesty International. Again, the number of attacks recorded by La Unidad went down. La Unidad expressed assurance that these public actions had a direct affect on the reduced number of attacks in those months.
The report also noted that the number of attacks in 2007 has followed a downward trend and will undoubtedly end the year much lower than in 2006. In the period of January through October 2007 there were 178 attacks. The same period in 2006 saw 247 attacks.
Police Operations in Violent Neighborhoods
Zone 18 of the capital has become infamous for its gang violence, hold ups, drug sales and extortions of the residents. NPG had heard from friends who reside there that people live in fear and isolation; many are forced to pay the gangs or risk being killed.
The Department of Interior (Gobernación) sought to correct this state of lawlessness and insecurity by carrying out operations to capture criminals and arms. On November 28 the National Civil Police entered Zone 18 with 200 personnel plus back-up support from the army. They raided 50 houses and arrested 10 people, including three known mafia leaders.
Unfortunately, for the parish of El Limón, this operation came too late. In November NPG volunteers accompanied La Unidad to investigate a case of extortion against an employee of the local parish. The man had received a call threatening to kill him and his family unless he paid Q50, 000 ($6,544). Later one of the parish priests, a 70 year old Italian, also received a threat. Both victims chose to leave the country.
Nevertheless, the effort to address the impunity of organized crime by Gobernación is worthy of note. In contrast to past years, the armed incursions into neighborhoods are now preceded by investigations and warrants, demonstrating some acceptance of a rule of law.
“Express Kidnappings”
In addition to extortion, drug trade, robberies, and human trafficking, organized crime and armed gangs have found a quick way to collect money. So-called “Express kidnappings” have increased in recent months according to the Office of Kidnappings of the Justice Department. Their spokesperson claims the increase is related to the elections and says they are more common towards the end of the year.
The victims are usually women of wealthy families. Sometimes they are abducted when leaving shopping centers or their cars are blocked and they are forced out. The kidnappers immediately call the family, sometimes on the cell phone of the victim, and within an average of six hours they receive the money they ask for, usually around Q10-20,000 ($1,300-$2,600). The victim is liberated in a public place.
In 2007 the Justice Department has received 104 complaints, seven of those in the first five days of November. The National Civil Police that works directly with the cases refuses to give numbers, but says they are aware of three bands of kidnappers including one that operates out of a prison. The majority of the kidnappings occur in the capital.
Adoptions
Adopting a baby from Guatemala is relatively quick and easy. The transaction can be accomplished in 3-4 months. Guatemala is fourth in the world for its number of adoptions. Over the past 10 years more than 25,000 children have been adopted. According to the Social Movement for Children and Youth (SMCY), there is no way of knowing (no centralized record) what happened to 90% of those cases.
Weak laws and poor enforcement have provided ample space for kidnapping and selling children for adoption. The average cost to adopt a child is $27,000, making it profitable for organized crime, orphanages, and lawyers.
The adoption cartel has been one of the most ruthless mafias in Guatemala. One of the health promoters that NPG volunteers met in the process of accompanying the Consortium of Actors for Change may have stepped unwittingly in to their path. Santiago was witness to a child abduction. He began to be followed and within a week was found dead.
The press has drawn attention to cases of stolen babies and children, and the existence of adoption rings. UNICEF has been in the forefront pressuring the Guatemalan government to pass stricter laws regulating adoptions. Several human rights organizations such as Survivors Foundation, SMCY, and Casa Alianza, have staged public protests and lobbied the legislature to make changes.
Finally, it appears some things are changing. In 2006, 4,918 children were adopted. In 2007 only 2,845 adoptions were approved, 95% for families from the USA; 1,320 cases were returned to the lawyers for not fulfilling the requirements.
After a decade of attempting to reform the system, a new law was approved December 11, which will require that the state be the guarantor of all adoptions. Present at the vote were ambassadors from various countries and the U.S. consul as well as representatives from the social movements. This brings the process in line with the Geneva Conventions and requires a newborn remain with his or her biological parents for a period of 6 weeks after birth. The Congress was heavily lobbied by lawyers who will now have no role in the process, excepting those working for the new National Council of Adoptions.
If enforced, the new law will reduce the incentives for organized crime and human traffickers, though that will depend on the extent to which they are able to infiltrate the responsible government agency.
The work of the team
Santa Lucia: In October NPG reported on the trial taking place in the municipality of Santa Lucia Cotzamagualpa. Members of the local development council (COCODE) had attempted to enforce limits on the hours for liquor sales, but found themselves involved in a shoot out between the police and the owners of the store in question. The store owner was killed and a son was wounded. The store owners have accused the council members and police of the crimes. During the long process of pre-trial investigation the accused have received threats; and two of the accused and two witnesses have been killed.
La Unidad has assisted in the case by providing accompaniment for the accused during the trials. NPG accompanied La Unidad on eleven occasions until the trial was suspended temporarily.
On December 8, yet another member of the development council was murdered. Felipe Alvarez was well known to the NP volunteers for his kindness and humility. He was aware of the danger of his position, but had few alternatives and chose to remain in his home.
Consortium-- Women’s Annual Conference: Two NPG volunteers accompanied the Consortium in a three day workshop with women survivors of the war. This included an additional two days of travel to and from Huehuetenango. The Consortium has received numerous threats and an additional call was received during this conference in which the caller told them to be careful during their return journey. As a result NPG accompanied a group of women for an additional day on their final leg home.
NPG also accompanied the leadership for their yearly evaluation meetings. During that time they observed a man with a cell phone watching the building and walking up and down the block. This combined with other threats has created serious security concerns among the leadership. NPG accompanied one of the leaders to the Justice Department to file a complaint.
Semillero: In this small coastal town banana workers are paid less than the minimum wage, denied social security, and hired for less than 50 days to avoid workers compensation payments. The employees of the Olga Maria plantation began in July to organize a union. Within days of its legal registration in November, the leadership began to receive threats, including armed men from the plantation security force coming to their houses. One man told the union president that he and his family would end up dead in a ditch just like in the war years if he wasn’t careful.
One member of the leadership disappeared. Given the level of intimidation it was feared he would not reappear alive. NPG accompanied La Unidad to Semillero on two occasions to investigate. They ultimately learned that the disappeared union leader had accepted a payment from the plantation owners and gone to another region of the country. The other leaders have registered the incidents of intimidation and threats against them with the Justice Department.
Cahabón: The Guatemalan government is committed by law to pay reparations to the people affected by the war. However, in order to receive their payments, people need to fill out papers with their regional COCODE (Development Council). A group of internally displaced persons (IDPs) that fled the region during the war to resettle in Peten returned to their original community to complete this requirement and to locate the remains of family members. They were threatened and told to never return to the town.
NPG accompanied La Unidad’s Spanish volunteer to investigate. They were told by the people of the original community that they feared the IDPs wanted to reclaim their lands. In addition, as some of these current residents had participated in the Civil Patrols during the war they may have feared that the visiting group wanted to claim justice. After talking to La Unidad, the COCODE leadership agreed to allow the IDPs to come back to do their paperwork. The presence of two foreigners in this isolated community seemed to have a conciliatory affect.
The IDPs now have the option to register their complaint with the local Ombudsman’s office and received police accompaniment to return again.
Ixqil Women’s Group and Midwives of Las Cruces: La Unidad offered workshops on organizational development and security measures to these groups. NPG accompanied them for 2 trips to Peten, in the Northern region of Guatemala. Ixqil has received frequent threats for its work in defense of women.
Written by Betsy Crites