NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA

Report of Activities of the International Society for Human Rights in Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America with a population of around 16 million, most of whom live in rural areas.  According to the most recent census, taken in 2002, 40% of the population identifies as indigenous; but other sources say that 60% percent of the population falls under that category. Guatemala is a multiethnic, pluricultural and multilingual society, 22 different languages are spoken in the country: Spanish and 21 indigenous languages.

Guatemala history has been affected by poverty, exclusion, racism and impunity promoted by years of colonialism, wars, subjugation, and military dictatorships. The country remains one of the most unequal countries in Latin America in terms of education, health and women’s and indigenous rights.

In 2019, the election of the members of the Board of Directors was held for the period from February 2019 to February 2021.  The new Board of Directors is integrated as follows:

Guatemalan schoolchildren 1

Lic. María Renee Bobadilla- Presidenta
Lic. Orlando Marin -Pellecer-Vicepresidente
Alexandra Marin-Pellecer Treasure

Activities

Fighting the social discrimination of Mayan children.

The Inter American Human Rights Commission says that the rates of impunity for cases of physical and sexual violence and exploitation of children adolescence surpasses 95% based on public information in the first half of 2016 there were 76 deaths of children and adolescent per month reported in the country. This figure increased in the years 2018 and 2019.

The ISHR-Guatemala received a donation of 60,000 books from ABC and Mathematics from the Latin American Committee of ISHR- based in Miami to be distributed in rural schools in the poorest areas of Guatemala where most children are from the Maya ethnic group.

The ISHR Guatemala also received a $10,000 donation to hold the first seminar on Preventing Sexual Abuse for children and adolescents. This donation was received in airfare tickets, cost of hotel for international guest.  The donation was received from the Latin American Committee of the ISHR.

The organization has been working in the following areas:

Guatemalan schoolchildren 2

1. The rights of children and adolescents (Education and prevention)

Combating discrimination against indigenous-Maya children and adolescents.

2. Delivery of educational materials

The educational material has been delivered to schools where the children did not have books to study. In rural areas in Guatemala, schools do not have appropriate school supplies or classrooms, creating social-economic inequality between young people in prosperous cities and children in rural schools who are mostly of Mayan origin.

3. Prisoners’ Rights

Activities carried out in collaboration with Cofraternidad Carcelaria de Guatemala