Blog #2 - Laura

On Prensa Libre, both ‘Mayoría de actos de violencia sexual ocurren antes de los 15 años’ and ‘Artistas guatemaltecos lanzan disco en defensa de los animales’ address the issue of violence in Guatemala but the focus is very different. I couldn’t help but find it ironic to see the articles situated side by side on the website when they present such differing focuses on the issue of violence.

En el primer articulo, el asunto de violencia sexual contra jovenes es dirigido. El artículo indica que la mayoría de actos de violencia sexual son cometida contra personas bajo la edad de 15. También destaca el hecho que el sistema de la justicia en Guatemala no paga suficiente atención a la investigación de estos crímenes. A causa de esto, los criminales no tienen estímulo para parar. También hay una falta de ayuda psicológica para víctimas de asalto sexual en Guatemala. Recientemente el director de la Misión Internacional de Justicia Ha expresado la necesidad de proporcionar prosecuters con mejores herramientas y la instrucción para tratar con la situación.

With this in mind, I found it somewhat striking in the second article to see that the cause which many public figures have chosen to dedicate themselves to is violence against animals. This article describes the efforts of musicians in Guatemala to prevent violence against animals. Several artists have collaborated to create a CD with songs which emphasize the notion that ‘los animales tienen sentimientos al igual que los humanos’. The goal of the CD is to make the public more sensitive to the issue of violence against animals.

The contrast between these articles made me wonder if they were indicative of the sentiments held in Guatemala. Are animal rights a more pressing issue to the general public than the persistent sexual violence committed against minors? Or maybe animal rights have been glamorized in Latin America just as they sometimes have been in North America, whereas the issue presented in the first article may be more taboo to talk about. I was also surprised by the second article since I did not think pets were very common in Guatemala.

http://prensalibre.com/noticias/justicia/Mayoria-victimas-violencia-sexual-abusadas_0_365963623.html

http://prensalibre.com/noticias/comunitario/Artistas_guatemaltecos_disco_defensa_animales_0_365963624.html