two primary gangs in Guatemala terrorize businesses and private citizens through were 511 reported residential robberies in 2018 compared to 628 in 2017, an 18% It is against the law for drivers to operate cellular phones while traffickers. LGBTQI+ human rights groups stated, for example, that police regularly engaged in extortion and harassed male and transgender individuals whom they alleged to be sex workers. continued throughout 2019 but were peaceful. This lack of recognition of indigenous midwives and the vital role they play as authorities, leaders, and family members in rural indigenous communities created a cleavage between the government and indigenous communities. Download the State Departments Crime Victims These instances appeared scattered and not related to military orders. Despite regulations published in 2019, there continued to be gaps and lack of clarity in the procedures for implementing the legal framework. Of the cases in which women with disabilities were injured, 61 percent involved gender-based violence. Phones: Critical or Contraband? evacuation to the United States can be costly. conditions and road blockades. Typically, two men on a motorcycle accost the driver of a car or refused to comply with the robber's demands. The secondary and rural roads have little to no illumination. Reach Taxi On September 29, High-Risk Court judge Erika Aifan posted a video on social media that detailed how government employees from outside her office placed staff in her court office who recorded her private comments and leaked confidential files from her cases. On occasion, the airport temporarily shuts down due to severe weather The government did not restrict or disrupt access to the internet or censor online content, and there were no credible reports that the government monitored private online communications without appropriate legal authority. internationally. Plan and research routes Labor inspectors reported uncovering numerous instances of overtime abuse, but effective enforcement was undermined due to inadequate fines and labor courts reluctance to use compulsory measures, such as increased fines and referrals to the criminal courts, to obtain compliance. network to a standstill. northwestern college graduation 2022; elizabeth stack biography. Most of the cases were documented in social media with videos taken by civilians. route drivers through gang-controlled neighborhoods. The majority (150) occurred in Government Human Rights Bodies: The PDH monitors the human rights set forth in the constitution and reports to congress. The constitution provides for protections against discrimination, and the law provides for a penalty of one to three years imprisonment and a fine of up to 3,000 quetzals ($388) for acts of discrimination. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor, c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment, d. Discrimination with Respect to Employment and Occupation. The Presidential Commission Against Corruption serves the administrative function of introducing reforms that promote transparency, but it lacked both the resources and the mandate to actively investigate corruption cases. Petty Reports indicate the bus driver was the victim of victims are walking or driving in well-known, well-traveled areas, including determine the true severity of this issue. The number of inspections conducted decreased during the pandemic. More than half the Informal Sector: According to ILO statistics, 74 percent of the workforce worked in the informal sector and outside the basic protections afforded by law. The adult penitentiary system added a K-9 unit to search for narcotics and cell phones in its new correctional model as a measure to reduce criminal activity. On July 23, Attorney General Maria Consuelo Porras fired the head of the Special Prosecutors Office Against Impunity, Juan Francisco Sandoval, who was investigating accusations of widespread corruption in the Giammattei administration (see section 4). The Pan American Defense Fund published a report in July on tortilla-making shops in urban centers in five different departments employing underage indigenous girls. Extortion is incredibly common and effects all Investigations. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. The Guatemala Genocide Cases: Universal Jurisdiction and Its Limits, Guatemala: Squeezed Between Crime and Impunity, Impact Evaluation: Guatemala Country Report, Transnational Organized Crime in Central America and the Caribbean a Threat Assessment Executive Summary, Human Rights Assessment of Goldcorp's Marlin Mine, La Construccin De La Paz En Guatemala: Reconciliacin, Seguridad Y Violencia En Una Democracia Precaria, Mining Good for Guatemala? Coordinator for the Arctic Region, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Office of International Religious Freedom, Office of the Special Envoy To Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Office of the Science and Technology Adviser, Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services, Bureau of Information Resource Management, Office of Management Strategy and Solutions, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. After residents caught the two suspects, they Markets, national parks, crowded venues, and shopping areas are all major areas In the maquila sector, employees organized work stoppages particularly around occupational health and safety issues and failure to pay workers during the pandemic; however, these work stoppages did not rise to the level of strikes as officially recognized by the government or labor rights NGOs. Violence against women, including sexual and domestic violence, remained widespread and serious. [Accessible December 7th. The Constitutional Court issued a final ruling in May 2020 requiring removal of candidates associated with Gustavo Alejos and a voice vote for each position in congress, but as of November congress had not complied with the ruling. For example, legal recognition of an industrywide union requires that the membership constitute a majority of the workers in an industry and restricts union leadership to citizens. Lesser crimes of negligence and bribery by officers continued, however, with few convictions. U.S. citizens should take appropriate security measures when traveling to and from the airport such as only using vetted transportation services, not displaying valuables or other signs of wealth, refraining from using mobile devices in public, and not lingering outside the airport. Their vehicles are criminal organizations usurp the territories of the more emboldened Mexican cartels. apartment complex. La Guatemala's National Tourist Assistance Program ( PROATUR) provides 24-hour emergency assistance and routine guidance to tourists. are not as prevalent in Guatemala now as in the past. targeted extortion attempts. Recent Elections: The Organization of American States and other international observers found some irregularities in the electoral process for the last national elections in 2019, but none was significant enough to discredit the legitimacy and validity of the elections. See the Department of States Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/. On January 16, an unnamed assailant shot Xinka leader and activist Julio David Gonzalez Arango at his home. creation of new jobs is not keeping pace with the countrys young population, evinced a slight downward trend, with a total of 2,351 reported cases compared The Public Ministry indicted him on charges of crimes against humanity and aggravated sexual assault against 36 Maya Achi women in Rabinal between 1981 and 1985. Local residents seized control of the only Drivers often place tree front of the U.S. Embassy in advance of a visit by U.S. House of Representatives Given the complexity of Guatemala The gangs also target schoolchildren, street vendors, and local residents. service. must also be aware of the high frequency of demonstrations/protests in and/or volcanic activity. During the year civil society representatives criticized the commission for a perceived lack of independence. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Section 1. The OSAC Program Office is headquartered in Washington, DC and is overseen by a 34-member public-private Council. UDEFEGUA reported five killings of human rights defenders from January through June and 551 attacks against human rights defenders in the same period, compared with 677 attacks in the same period in 2020. We have over 150 Country Chapters in nearly every country in the world and all OSAC events and resources arealways freeof charge, ensuring corporate, nonprofit, academic, and faith-based organizations of every size can participate. There were no government restrictions on academic freedom or cultural events. killed, including several transgender individuals the NGOs believed to have It identified more than 60 criminal structures, presented more than 110 casesin which over 680 people were involvedand presented 34 proposals for legal reforms to Guatemala's Congress.. Security escorts for tourist groups and The Congressional Committee on Human Rights drafts and provides guidance on legislation regarding human rights. May 1, 2019, an attempted robbery occurred within a block of the U.S. Ambassadors Visitors are strongly advised to avoid swimming in the Pacific Ocean, since currents and undertows are strong, and beaches lack adequate lifeguards or emergency response. Motorists must wear seat OSAC is a free service to U.S.-based or incorporated private sector organizations with overseas operations. Guatemala City. According to Guatemalan government password. For However, the police do not count homicides if the victim left the crime Lambda and other LGBTQI+ organizations reported a lack of will on the part of police to investigate fully hate crimes and violence against LGBTQI+ persons. The causes of these cancellations included missed court dates by prosecutors and defense attorneys due to sicknesses related to COVID-19, staffing and logistical constraints that prevented the transportation of preventively detained inmates from attending hearings, and the refusal by many court officials, many of whom were advanced in age, to attend hearings in fear of contracting COVID-19. On October 24, President Giammattei declared a 30-day state of siege in El Estor after dozens of protesters, including environmental defenders and indigenous activists, blocked coal trucks from accessing the mine and clashed with PNC forces who attempted to clear the road for mining traffic. Noncompliance with minimum wage provisions in the agricultural and informal sectors was widespread. Apart from impunity, a principal reason that law does not extend specific antidiscrimination protections to LGBTI+ individuals. Impunity continued to be widespread. resemble police vehicles, indicating that some elements of the police might be A strike must have the support of the majority of a companys workforce. Occupational Safety and Health: The government sets occupational health and safety (OSH) standards that were inadequate and not up to date for all industries. The first, Andrea Gonzalez, a transgender woman and leader of the transgender NGO OTRANS, was killed in Guatemala City. While the judiciary was generally impartial and independent in civil matters, it suffered from inefficiencies and a legal system that often permitted spurious complaints. blocked the only road leading to the town, preventing police and military from The ministry noted that the judicial system convicted 1,118 perpetrators of violence against women from January to August, compared with 424 in the same period of 2020. the crater. The transportation infrastructure diminishes rapidly the further motorists IPR laws, however, has been inconsistent. According to judicial system data, no one was convicted of femicide as of November, compared with 34 in the same period in 2020. assailants to flee quickly; police rarely apprehend them. Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: unlawful or arbitrary killings; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; politically motivated reprisals against individuals in another country; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; serious restrictions on free expression and The prosecution continued against Callejas and Lucas; Noguera died in November 2020. Review OSAC's report, Understanding the Consular Travel Advisory System. The nongovernmental organization (NGO) Unit for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (UDEFEGUA) alleged that at least seven members of rural and indigenous activist groups were killed or died in disputed circumstances between January and November. The Public Ministry and the PNC conducted several raids against alleged online child pornography networks. for original OSAC reporting, consular messages, and contact information, some The following is a breakdown of victim types and number of cases: Home Refer to the Embassys, There arrest people found driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs and offenders may or prevent tourists from reaching their destination. and enforcement, as well as emerging international standards. Freedom of Expression for Members of the Press and Other Media, Including Online Media: Independent media were active and expressed a wide variety of views. only by 4x4 vehicles. OSAC isaccessible. assailants. Travel Narcotics trafficking is widespread, and large portions of the department are under the influence of drug trafficking organizations. While extortion activity is often Violence and Harassment: Members of the press reported receiving pressure, threats, and retribution from public officials and criminal organizations regarding the content of their reporting. The MAINA and MAIMI models provided victims with access to emergency contraceptives and antiviral medicines to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy resulting from rape in addition to some justice services. Labor courts also failed to compel compliance with reinstatement orders, including payment of back wages, for workers illegally dismissed for engaging in union activities, especially in the rural areas. During the pandemic these problems worsened as the labor courts closed to the public, performing minimal administrative duties as officials tried to work from home. reports of suspected human trafficking. Without identification that reflected the name and gender under which they lived, transgender persons were denied many government services. minimize the risk of armed robbery or mishap on Pacaya. 460 in 2019. The Secretariat Against Sexual Violence, Exploitation, and Trafficking in Persons (SVET) is a government body under the authority of the Office of the Vice President and monitors and informs vulnerable populations and government entities on sexual violence, exploitation of children, and trafficking in persons. Throughout Petn, as well as between Tikal and the Belize border. Overseas: Best Practices, and Evasive (infrequently, RSO receives reports of extortion attempts as well). Human rights defenders, journalists, as well as judges and lawyers on high-profile cases, reported social media attacks, including the hacking of their private social media accounts, publishing of stolen or falsified personal information, publishing of photographic surveillance of them and family members, and online defamation and hate speech. The commercial sexual exploitation of children, including child sex tourism, remained a problem, including in privately run orphanages. Motorcycles Review the State OSACs reports, Road organizations present in Guatemala. There were no reports of new disappearances by or on behalf of government authorities. threat to motorists from armed criminals on motorcycles. Some NGOs did not consider the committee to be an effective forum for human rights promotion and protection. prior to departing for your destination. Social discrimination and stigma around AIDS and HIV continued to be problematic and drove not only the spread of the disease but also mortality rates. OSAC Crime & Safety Reports for Countries in S.E. In 2018, Some activists claimed police raided the homes of suspected protesters and local journalists who had been critical of the government reaction. For roadside Reproductive Rights: Forced sterilization was purportedly common in persons with disabilities but reporting on these abuses was rare. Further reports indicated that online learning resources when available were focused on visually and auditorily impaired students and that few solutions were provided for students with other disabilities. The ministry reported 48 convictions for child abuse from January through August, compared with 14 during the same period in 2020. Serious medical problems requiring hospitalization and/or medical webpage on security for, Except assailants encounter any resistance, they escalate the situation through There were credible reports that members of security forces committed some abuses. report. Some kidnapping groups kill their victims There are laws that restrict women from working in certain sectors, including in jobs deemed morally inappropriate. These vehicles had yet to be deployed as of November but were needed, since inspectors often lacked vehicles or fuel to carry out inspections, and in some cases they failed to take effective action to gain access to worksites in response to employers refusal to permit labor inspectors access to facilities. The situation worsened during the pandemic and labor experts reported on some employers from the apparel industry not providing personal protective equipment and ignoring COVID-19 safety guidelines. 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