Violence is obviously an important topic to discuss when thinking about going to Guatemala. Not only is it important to understand for security reasons and to know what precautions to take, but also to understand the dynamics of the country because violence past and present has played such a role in shaping Guatemala’s culture and society. We have discussed many examples of past violence (the Spanish conquest, the October revolution, the civil war) and have discussed some causes of present violence such as gangs, impunity and corruption but in this blog I would like to discuss the specifics of present day violence in the country.
An article from the Prensa Latina reported that in January alone Guatemala had 463 violent deaths, with gun deaths leading as usual. This figure was taken from the National Institute for Forensic Sciences of Guatemala (INACIF), who see all bodies for post-mortems. In comparison, Canada (a country more than double the population), there were 610 homicides cited for all of 2009. The article goes on to explain that most violence in Guatemala occurs in Guatemala City, followed by Quetzaltenango, Izabal, Petén and Escuintla, and that the most deaths occurred on January 1st with a total of 38. Prensa Libre is referenced as saying that many assassins and heads of gangs are identified, but it is difficult to proceed with these cases because police officers are often involved.
This research was prompted because on the Prensa Libre website I found a forum that asked the readers what they would suggest to combat violence in the country. Some suggestions include improving the judicial system, cleaning up the police force, making repeat offender jail times increase exponentially, criminalizing all guns except for the army and the police, introducing a work program in jails, increasing education and food programs, and introducing the death penalty. There were many comments on this forum, full of ideas both good and bad. I think the most positive effect of this forum is to get people thinking and talking about solutions.
Here is my suggestion, en Español,
Para combatir la violencia en Guatemala, sugiero que el gobierno ponga más dinero en el sistema de la educación y los programas de deportes. Los niños necesitan una razón para no se unen a los bandos. Si tienen mas oportunidades por hacer las actividades de deportes, o música, o cultura, tal vez ellos no quieren unirse a unos bandos. También, un otro idea por un programa, es un programa de trabajo para que los niños puedan ganar dinero para los medios legales. Así que, ellos no se sienten que deben unirse a un bandos para proveer para sus familias, presente o futuro. Las lecciones de vida que los niños aprenderán en estos programas podrían disminuir el poder de los bandos y tal vez la violencia que viene con los bandos.
I understand that decreasing violence is a major issue in Guatemala and around the world, and is an issue that will be very difficult to solve. It will require multiple innovative solutions and dedicated people behind the ideas to be able to affect any sort of change in these countries but I believe that it is possible. I don’t think that my solution will completely curb violence, and may not even be effective in this society based on many factors at play, but I do believe that until you decrease the appeal of the gangs, violence will continue. I think that the most effective change could be made with children trying to give them options other than gangs to make money and provide for their families.
Sources
http://www.prensalibre.com/noticias/FORO-Sugerencias-combatir-violencia_0_369563234.html
http://news.brunei.fm/2010/02/02/violence-in-guatemala-hits-a-new-high-in-jan/
http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/07/20/14765636.html
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