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Guatemala's Femicide Crisis - August 5, 2009

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/08/200984134334229388.html

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Direct Link to 17-Page Report:

GUATEMALA'S FEMICIDE LAW: PROGRESS AGAINST IMPUNITY?

http://www.ghrc-usa.org/Publications/Femicide_Law_ProgressAgainstImpunity.pdf

 

"Guatemala ranks among the most dangerous places in Latin America, especially for women....Violence against women and girls has escalated markedly in the past 10 years.....On April 9, 2008, Guatemala's Congress passed the Law Against Femicide and Other Forms of Violence Against Women, officially recognizing femicide as a punishable crime. The law codifies an expansive definition of violence against women......The Femicide Law in Guatemala represents an important step in stemming the targeted and brutal murder of women.....However, much more is needed to fight this battle, as even after the law was passed, the number of women murdered continues to rise...."

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http://www.madre.org/index/get-involved-3/current-campaigns-9/flashlights--whistles-help-guatemalan-women-organizing-against-femicide-192.html

 

Flashlights & Whistles Help Guatemalan Women Organizing Against Femicide

c. Helen Marden, MADREIn the past decade, nearly 4,000 women and young girls have been murdered in Guatemala. Many of them, including girls as young as 10, were tortured and raped, their bodies left in public places.  As a result, women have coined the term “femicide” to describe these widespread, gender-based killings committed with impunity. Of the 383 women’s murder cases in 2003, more than 300 are still awaiting results from police investigations today.

In response to the murders, women in Guatemala are organizing to protect each other. MADRE's sister organization, the Women Workers' Committee in Guatemala, has created neighborhood watch groups in their communities. Sandra Gonzales of the Women Workers' Committee describes the violence as "getting worse every day." However, she says "with your help we can continue to defend human rights for all women."

According to Sandra Gonzales, "Flashlights and whistles are essential to providing security for women and girls in our community," where there are no street lights and no reliable police protection





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