Human Rights, Trade, and Poverty in Guatemala

A Canadian judge denied bail for Jorge Sosa. Sosa is wanted by Guatemalan authorities for allegedly participating in the 1982 Dos Erres massacre. He is also wanted by US authorities for lying about his past when applying for US citizenship.

Two things. First, I haven't really read much about the Guatemalan government clamoring for his extradition, but I might have missed it. If you see it, let me know. Second, given that we were supporting the Guatemalan military and government in 1982 and President Reagan was meeting with the man in charge, it's pretty pathetic that one would have to lie about being a part of that military because it would be held against you when applying to become a US citizen.

Unsurprisingly, Guatemalan textile businesses are unhappy with the government's decision to increase the minimum wage by 15%. They are threatening to lay off a significant number of workers sometime this year.

The Guardian has a report on the estimated 1.5 million children working the streets in Guatemala.

It's nearly impossible to judge how many children in Guatemala are missing out on a formal education to work the streets as José does. Viva, an umbrella organisation for charities that help street children, says up to 1.5 million are consistently out of school – about a fifth of what the country's pupil population should be. Unesco's Education for All Global Monitoring Report, published this month, reckons one in 28 Guatemalan children are missing out on school.

Finally, Danilo Valladares has a story on Overcoming Barriers in Central America for IPS. Valladares highlights some of the depressing social and economic indicators in Central America, including Guatemala.

In Guatemala, for example, "At age seven, only 54 percent of Mayan girls are in school, compared with 71 percent of Mayan boys and 75 percent of Ladina (persons of mixed race ancestry) girls," says a 2007 study by the U.S.-based Population Council, a non-governmental organisation that advocates reproductive rights...

Paradoxically, "Girls and women in the region have a high level of academic performance. So when they do make it to secondary school, they are more likely to finish their studies than boys," she added.

In the case of Guatemala, Verdugo said an essential measure was the government's announcement that public school was effectively free of cost as of 2009. Although the right to free education is enshrined in the constitution, until that year schools required payment for services, which limited access for children from poor families.

In Guatemala, more than half the population of 14 million lives in poverty and 17 percent in extreme poverty, according to United Nations figures. And while official statistics put the proportion of indigenous people at 40 percent of the population, native organisations say the proportion is more than 60 percent.

In 2000, eight out of 10 indigenous Guatemalans were poor, compared to four out of 10 for the rest of the population -- numbers that have seen little change since 2006, according to a government report presented in late 2010.

Three important topics for the next president - the legacy of human rights violations, trade, and poverty. Given the challenges that Guatemala confronts, it's disappointing that the next few months are likely to be about whether Torres, Rios Montt, Arzu, or Caballeros is allowed to run for office.