AMBASSADOR'S MEETING ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

UNCLAS GUATEMALA 001547 SIPDIS DEPT FOR G/IWI AND G/TIP DEPT ALSO FOR WHA/CEN, DRL, AND H DEPT PASS TO USAID FOR LAC/CAM EBOSTIC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KWMN PHUM KCRM KJUS KDEM SOCI GT SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ¶1. Summary: Ambassador and Embassy officers met November 24 with a delegation of American and Guatemalan activists organized by a U.S.-based women's rights NGO to discuss violence against women in Guatemala. Delegation members expressed their concern over the climate of impunity and the level of violence. The Ambassador underscored USG support for their awareness-raising "White Ribbon Campaign," and highlighted post's continuing efforts to help the GOG and civil society combat domestic violence and other forms of violence against women in support of U.S. House Resolution ¶100. End Summary. ¶2. On November 24, the Ambassador met with Lucia Munoz, Guatemalan-American founder and director of U.S.-based NGO "Mujeres Iniciando en Las Americas" (MIA),and a 12-member MIA delegation to discuss femicide and violence against women in Guatemala. The delegation included American college students and teachers, the Program Director of the National Council of Women's Organizations, the local coordinator of the "Men Against Femicide" project, and the father of a murdered woman. ¶3. Munoz founded MIA in 2005 to promote and defend the human rights of women in Latin America and to focus attention on the hundreds of murders of women in the region that go unsolved each year. In March 2008, she launched the Guatemala chapter of the White Ribbon Campaign, a worldwide effort of men working to raise public awareness to end violence against women. The pilot program in Guatemala educates primary and secondary school students at three private schools through workshops on gender equality. Munoz said she hopes to expand the program to public schools. ¶4. Munoz encouraged Embassy's continuing support of the goals of U.S. House Resolution 100, passed in May 2007, to address the unsolved murders of more than 2,000 women and girls in Guatemala since 2001. (Note: According to official Embassy sources, 29,900 people have been murdered in Guatemala since 2001, including 2,923 women. End note.) Munoz noted that the resolution recommended that the Ambassador meet with the families of the victims and women's rights organizations. Munoz requested Embassy assistance in arranging a meeting with new PNC Director Marlene Blanco. ¶5. The Ambassador told the delegation he would meet with victims' families. He also expressed interest in visiting the schools that are participating in the White Ribbon Campaign, and noted that he had raised the issue of killings of women with PNC Director Blanco and Attorney General Jose Velasquez during a recent meeting. ¶6. Jorge Velasquez, father of 19-year-old law student Claudina Isabel Velasquez who was killed in August 2005, expressed his frustration over the failures of the system and his painstaking efforts to seek justice for his daughter. (Note: A 2006 BBC documentary detailed the case and highlighted numerous shortcomings in the investigation. End note.) Velasquez lamented the lack of advances in the case over the past three years, and the lack of political will to address the serious issue of violence against women. ¶7. Other delegation members also expressed concern over the climate of impunity and the seeming lack of political will to address the problem, and asked what they could do as American citizens to instill political will. The Ambassador suggested that they continue their important campaign and maintain close contact with Congresswoman Solis, the author of Qclose contact with Congresswoman Solis, the author of Resolution 100, to advocate for change. He observed that the problem of violence against women is part of a larger societal problem -- the overall lack of justice and security in Guatemala -- and that the tragic case of Claudina Isabel was similar to other more recent cases in which investigations stalled as a result of fear, lack of interest, or deliberate attempts to obstruct justice. ¶8. The Ambassador commented that Guatemala has had a frustrating search for justice and security. Violence has increased and institutions have weakened since the end of the country's internal conflict. Political debate, while generally constructive, has not led to broader state policies addressing the need for improved security and justic. He said the GOG needs to look more broadly to ommunity policing, expanding the police force, and strengthening its leadership to bolster preventive efforts. ¶9. A USAID Democracy and Governance advisor outlined USAID efforts to help the GOG combat killings of women, including a five-year (2004-2009) rule of law program aimed at improving public prosecutors' performance in investigating and prosecuting homicides of women by reorganizing the Special Prosecutor's Office for Crimes Against Life. He noted that of the 20 prosecutors in the Special Prosecutor's Office, four are dedicated to investigating and prosecuting homicides of women. A USAID-funded Costa Rican prosecutor has conducted a baseline survey and is making recommendations on a case-by-case basis and providing ongoing on-the-job training on prosecution of homicide of women. ¶10. In a separate, subsequent conversation with poloff, Munoz expressed appreciation for the meeting with the Ambassador. The following day, she and her delegation participated in the "No Violence Against Women" march in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25). On December 1, when she was scheduled to meet with USAID, Munoz called poloff from the PNC to report that the delegation's parked van had been broken into and that they had been robbed of approximately USD 10,000 in cash, USD 10,000 worth of photographic equipment, and their passports. She expressed frustration with the PNC's attitude of blaming the victim, and commented that the incident provided an opportunity to experience firsthand the "dysfunctional justice system" that she had heard about in her discussions with civil society leaders. ¶11. Comment: Killings of women constitute an estimated 10 percent of the overall homicide rate in Guatemala. According to a 2007 UN study, most homicides of women in Guatemala are the result of domestic violence. Based on that study, NAS, in conjunction with NGOs, has opened eight shelters for female victims of domestic violence in the Guatemala metropolitan area. While education alone will not reduce the level of violence in Guatemala, Munoz' pilot program "Hombres Contra Femicidio" (Men against Femicide) and similar awareness-raising campaigns that target students, especially younger students in their formative years, are a step in the right direction. McFarland