Violence against Women in Guatemala

There are a few recent stories about women in Guatemala that you might be interested in taking a look at. The first is by Danilo Valladares at IPS on Surviving the Sexist Genocide in Guatemala. The other reports are by Talea Miller at PBS News Hour on Opening Horizons for Guatemala's Girls and Violence Against Women in Guatemala. The global health unit of The NewsHour is preparing a more complete report for March.

All three articles highlight the horrific violence committed against women in Guatemala (838 women were murdered there last year). They also discuss the work of NGOs, including Norma Cruz's Fundacion Sobrevivientes or Survivors Foundation and Abriendo Oportunidades or Creating Opportunities, in stemming the violence and assisting the victims

Two of the articles discuss the life and death of Mindy Rodas. Here is a video about Mindy from last year. Mindy's husband had slashed her face with a machete in July 2009. Mindy's tortured, strangled body was found in the capital on December 18th.



The second video highlights the work of Creating Opportunities. This organization is "providing the most vulnerable indigenous Mayan girls and young women in Guatemala with personal and professional development skills, mentorship, and leadership opportunities."