Report Condemns Treatment of Guatemala’s Indigenous Women

According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the most frequent crime in Guatemala is violence against women.

A report issued by the Consortium for Sexual and Reproductive Rights revealed that over 8,100 cases of sexual violence have been reported against Indigenous women in the country so far this year.

The organization’s report, entitled “Situation of Indigenous and trans Indigenous women in the exercise of their sexual and reproductive rights,” reflects the demands of Guatemalan indigenous women for protection of their reproductive and ancestral rights.

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This year, 2,143 cases of sexual violence have been reported against Indigenous girls under 14 years of age, and 8,180 cases for the same cause against Indigenous women of all ages, said Silvia Menchú, one of the organization’s leaders.

According to the leader, the national budget does not address the situation of Indigenous women. Menchú condemned the state of abandonment to which the state of Guatemala relegates its Indigenous population.

#Guatemala 🇬🇹 | Compartimos y hacemos eco de las voces del Consorcio por los Derechos Sexuales y Derechos Reproductivos de las mujeres en Guatemala, en el marco del Día Internacional de las Mujeres Indígenas. #ComunicadoDePrensa pic.twitter.com/ZzGPr1MmSz

— Oxfam en Centroamérica (@Oxfam_CA) September 13, 2022

Menchú said that indigenous Guatemalan women are discriminated against, and that the accusations have led to only 833 convictions. Maternal mortality within the Indigenous population is estimated at 156 per 100,000 cases, while it is about 118 per 100,000 cases in the non-Indigenous population.

The organization’s report quoted the country’s Ministry of Health as saying that a total of 2,906 cases of pregnancies in Indigenous girls under 14 years of age, and 533 births, have been recorded over this year’s first semester.