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GUATEMALA: THE RAPED AND MURDERED ARE REMEMBERED ON WOMEN'S DAY.

Article Excerpt
There is little to celebrate in Guatemala on International Women's Day. La Red de la no Violencia contra la Mujer nevertheless had reason to turn out in the streets for the March 8 observance. More than a thousand showed up to march. Main streets of the capital were covered in lilac, the color that represents "condolence, pain, and wounds to the spirit." Women were marching to demand, among a host of other disparities, an end to a spectacular wave of murder and violence against the women of Guatemala. Since 2002, 1,049 women have been murdered in the country, a number far greater than that recorded for the more highly publicized cases in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico (see SourceMex, 2004-02-04).

The demand is problematic. There is a contradiction in the hope of official action. The women were demanding action, but the authorities are alleged to be among the killers. In a study of 44 cases, the victim has been identified in 21 cases, and, of those, eight are linked to police, according to Human Rights Ombudsman Sergio Morales, who noted the association but pointed no finger. Police corruption has been a constant in the political history of the country (see NotiCen, 2003-11-13).

Looking into it

On Feb. 15, UN special rapporteur Yakin Erturk had just completed a weeklong investigation into violence against...

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