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Aid Groups Work to Curb Violence, Exploitation on Streets, but Much Work Remains
Guatemala City has long been deemed a dangerous place for kids. Thousands are homeless and must scrape by – begging, scavenging for food, sleeping in doorways. It’s a culture of victims and, increasingly, one of violence. In January and February, a total of 115 of the city’s children and teenagers were killed by gunfire. On January 1, eight children were murdered. On February 2, six kids were gunned down. On February 14 – Valentine’s Day – another five died by gunfire. At the present rate, the child-murder toll in this city of two million will surpass last year’s total of 465 sometime in September.
So what’s behind all the mayhem? “Certain groups, including security forces, feel that by torturing, kidnapping and murdering (children and teens) they’ll teach others a lesson to leave the street,” said Hector Godinez, who heads the legal office of Casa Alianza, a non-profit organization seeking to help street children in Latin American countries.
Street gangs, too, encourage a culture of violence. In 2001, World Vision created "Youth circles,” a program that aims to keep Guatemala City’s 10-to-18-year-olds out of gangs. So far, 30 youth circles have been created and 900 kids have joined. The Christian humanitarian organization also has set up Sowers of Hope, a program that engages the city’s youth in community projects. In 2001, 144 Sowers of Hope clubs were created, involving 5,507 children and teenagers.
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“World Vision’s programs provide opportunities for young people to realize that violence is not their only choice,” said Fernando Galindo, the agency’s communications manager in Guatemala. “They can look at their world from a different perspective and see that they have other options to develop their abilities and influence the world around them.”
Another positive development involves the recent passage by the U.S. Congress of the PROTECT Act, a bill establishing stronger laws to protect children in developing countries from U.S. pedophiles. The act, which was endorsed by World Vision, increases imprisonment penalties to 30 years for convicted sex tourists. It also targets people or organizations that assist or organize sex tours.
“The sexual exploitation of children is an abomination and should not be tolerated anywhere,” said Joseph Mettimano, World Vision’s child protection policy advisor. “The United States has a duty to convict and punish any U.S. citizen that travels abroad to sexually abuse children.”
The PROTECT Act also establishes “Code Adam” and “Amber Alert” programs. “Code Adam” is a protocol used to prevent child abductions. “Amber Alert” is designed to quickly stop kidnappers through the use of television and radio broadcasts and electronic highway signs.
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