Child labor in Guatemala

Child labor is very much a big aspect of the Guatemalan labor force.  National law provides an exception to its ban on working minors, provided they perform "light work" and have the permission of their parent or guardian as well as the Child Protection Unit of the Ministry of Labor.
That Ministry pledged in 2008 not to award any work permits to children under 14 years and has confirmed  this policy remains in place.[1]  Most of this work however is far from 'light work' and as it shows in the video these children are exposed to very dangerous working conditions and even potentially harmful disinfectants.   

Guatemala has the worst child labor figures in the continent. According to the 2006 Survey of Living Conditions, the latest available official data, 528,000 children between the ages of five and 14 work in Guatemala.[1] However the reality is grim, these children need to work so their families can have enough money.  This usually results in the children not being able to attend school either.  The 'minimum wage' for agricultural workers is a little over 7.50 US dollars (68 Quetzals) per day.  

Many of these corporations are aware of the child labor laws but turn a blind eye to it in the name of profit.  Though it isn't always corporations who are guilty of this,  "also noted [is] the continuing trend to subcontract garment sewing in small shops and homes in Guatemala. This practice, which is commonly found in Latin America, allows a factory to boost its production while turning a blind eye to child workers who are employed by these sub-contractors or who assist their mothers working out of their homes."[2]

Often times it is absolutely necessary for these children to also be working.  Since schooling is too expensive children help out there parents in order to put food on the table.  So where do we draw the line?  Some of the sugar plantation workers threatened to burn the plantation down when laws were passed saying they couldnt bring their children in any longer.  From the parents perspective that may mean the difference of 20 Quetzal per day, with the same number of mouths to feed.  Without child labor these folks have less money, but with child labor they can provide for their families.  It is a huge moral dilemma to think that child labor could actually benefit these people more than it could hurt them.



1.http://www.plazapublica.com.gt/content/child-labor-and-exploitation-guatemalan-sugar-industry 
2.http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/sweat/guatemala.htm

Guatemala's Gang Problem

"Hardened in the streets and prisons of California and deported in the 1990s to the Central American countries where they were born, the members of the Mara Salvatrucha street gang swiftly grew into a force of heavily tattooed young men carrying out kidnappings, murder and extortion.

Now, Guatemalan authorities say, they have begun to see new and disturbing evidence of an alliance between the Maras and another of the most feared criminal organizations in Latin America — a deal with the potential to further undermine that U.S.-backed effort to fight violent crime and narcotics trafficking in the region."

 Guatemala is one of the most dangerous countries in the world with a weekly murder rate of 42 people per 100,00 residents in 2011, twice as high as Mexico's. The gangs are central players in a crime wave that has paralyzed the country.  Compared to L.A. gangs, those in Central America are operating without rules.  They have all the swagger of an L.A. gang, they have all the symbols, the tattoos, the signs, but they have none of the structure. They’re still too young to have developed any type of structure.  Many Guatemalan gangs have roots in Los Angeles. During the 1980s — with civil wars being fought in Central America — Salvadorans fled to Hispanic neighborhoods of Los Angeles. They established gangs, "maras" in Spanish, with names to honor their home country. The most notorious were Mara 18 (a reference to 18th Street in San Salvador) and Mara Salvatrucha 13 (a reference to the gang founders who said they were as wise as a trout or trucha).

Guatemala shares a 620-mile porous border with Mexico and many traffickers and other criminals have no trouble navigating the estimated 700 unofficial crossings. A "balloon effect" results when "reductions in illegal drug activity in one country lead to an increase in another," the Wilson Center observed.

But criminal activity is not limited to the drug trade. Widespread abductions, vehicle thefts, extortion, money laundering and human trafficking also plague the nation.

It's no surprise then that a Vox Latina national survey in July found that more than two-thirds of Guatemalans said violence was the issue that concerned them most, far outpacing the combined totals for the economy, unemployment, poverty and lack of education.Given those fears, it's also no surprise that law-and-order candidate Otto Perez Molina -- a former army general -- is polling about two times higher than his nearest challenger in Sunday's presidential election.

It seems like everyone is posting Gangland clips onto their blogs, so here it is, another clip. This one is pretty good though.  Its only ten minutes so its worth a watch.  Gives insight into how ruthless these gangs can be.  

Interesting Video of New Presidents History in Genocide

In a previous post i had mentioned the trial of current president Mondtt in the involvement of genocidal crimes during the Guatemalan civil war.  However i found this clip of current president Otto Perez being interviewed that shows that he was a also involved in giving orders to kill "counter-insurgents" during that time.  This video points out that Guatemala's president has immunity from being put on trial, but when/if he leaves he may be put on trial just as Mondtt has been put on trial.  This is the CURRENT president standing over these dead bodies, he went by the name Major Tito at the time, and he was a major player in implementing the murders of thousands of people.  He talks about US support with counter insurgency, and the possibility of supplying helicopters to the Guatemalan government.  He is is also caught on tape saying straight out that the weapons he will be using from the US/Israel will in fact be used against the people of Guatemala.   

Witnesses still recall the horrors of army-led massacres before Major Tito's arrival: soldiers executing 20 people in front of the church, cutting off the arms and gouging out the eyes and tongues of the villagers while the rest of the town was forced to watch. Forty more villagers were burned alive in another incident, and hundreds fled into the mountains for months to escape further attacks.[1] However Perez is no longer seen as this ruthless General, once ruling with an iron fist, the citizens of Guatemala actually like that trait in him.  "Today, many Guatemalans see Perez as the man who can keep drug traffickers and youth gangs at bay. They have turned to him not in spite of his perceived iron fist but because of it."[1]  His promise to crack down on drug trafficking that spills over from Mexico has been a major factor in his ability to win support among Guatemalans.  He has yet to take a stance on the trials of former generals in the genocide case, neither stanidng behind it or against it.  

"Certainly Perez's military background ... poses some very interesting questions for the country going forward," said Daniel Sachs, an analyst at consultancy firm Control Risks in London. "It's assumed that he was involved in some pretty nasty stuff but there has been no real international investigation either by a civil society group or actually even possibly by a court into what he was up to."[1]




1.http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/11/us-guatemala-perez-f-idUSTRE7AA38320111111

Guatemalan Migration

This Frontline video shows the tale of two cities in Guatemala whose people are desperately poor and in need of things like medical care and money to pay back their debt.  In search of better opportunities the villagers went to the U.S to work in a Kosher meat packing plant in Iowa.  When immigration officials raided the plant many workers were deported and the small Iowa town whose economy relied on the plant was devastated.  The immigrants ended up going back to their small towns with shame on their faces.  They didn't know what would become of their families or their debt.  There is no economy in the small villages where they are from and they are sometimes just lucky enough to have food to feed their families.  The ones that didn't get caught in the raid ended up going back to Guatemala anyways because the raid left the dependent U.S. town without a way to make money.  Even the legal U.S. residents went looking for donations and other handouts.  

This is an interesting video in that it made me see how much a part of our economy illegal migrant workers are, though of course not all workers are illegal.  Living in California we should be especially aware of how much we rely on them.  What we see as an immigration "problem" is really an aid to our community as well as theirs.  We get people to farm our fields which in turn puts food on the shelves of our stores, which in turn gives the rest of Californians something to eat.  If we deported all the "illegal" workers, who would be picking our crops for our stores? Surely not the white Republicans who have such an issue with it.  

But this brings up a touchy subject for Americans.  Its a double edged sword of topics, do we let the illegal workers flock to the U.S. for migrant work and let them make money to feed their families? Or do we continue to complain that their "taking our jobs"?

U.S. Involvement in Guatemalan Civil War.

http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/19/genocide_trial_of_former_dictator_ros

For the first time anywhere in the world, according to the United Nations, a former head of state is being tried for genocide by his own nation's justice system.  That man is Efrain Rios Montt, an ex-military dictator who ruled Guatemala from 1982 to 1983.  The military, under Montt's rule, used the rebel threat as a guise to exterminate rural Ixill Mayan villages accussed of harboring insurgents, this campaign to kill insurgents led to the genocide of more than 1,700 Ixill Mayan's.  Characteristically, accusations of genocide have been presided over by international judges.  The Guatemalan attacks are considered by many experts as the only incident of genocide in the western hemisphere during the Modern Era.

U.S. involvement at the time the attacks were occurring is seen as controversial.  We all associate Ronald Reagan with this image of nostalgia and jelly beans, but behind this image lies the fact that he supported and supplied the right-wing military regime that slaughtered thousands of Guatemalan Indians in the early 1980's.  In the name of exterminating "Marxist guerrilla's" and the people associated with their "civilian support mechanisms", Ronald Reagan agreed to supply military support and aid to Montt's brutal right-wing regime.  The Reagan administration expressed no problem with killing civilians if they were considered supporters of the guerillas who had been fighting against the countries oligarchs and generals since the 1950's.

Brutal Civil War

A Brief History of the Guatemalan Civil War.

More than 200,00 people were killed over the course of the 36 year long civil war that began in 1960 and ended with peace accords in 1996.  The fighting was between the left wing guerrilla groups and the government military forces.  83% of those killed were Mayan and 93% of human rights violations carried out during the conflict were done by state forces and military groups.  The long conflict was marked by abductions and violence, including mutilation and public dumping of bodies.  

Not to mention that the U.S. trained officers in counterinsurgency techniques and assisted the national intelligence apparatus.  The C.I.A. backed a coup commanded by Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas against the democratically elected president Jacobo Arbenz.  The U.S. considered Arbenz a communist threat after legalizing the communist party and moving to nationalize the plantations of the United Fruit Company. 

 (Montt with former President Reagan)

After the coup, Castillo was declared president and set about reversing land reform that benefited poor farmers.  He also removed voting rights for illiterate Guatemalans.  

During the 1970's a series of military dominated governments escalated violence against guerrilla groups and indigenous communities.  In 1981 the Inter-American Human Rights Commission released a report blaming the Guatemalan government for thousands of illegal executions and missing persons in the 70's, and documenting accounts of the slaughter of members of the Indian communities.  

(A demonstration of all the missing people from the Civil War)

Enter General Efrain Rios Montt, who in 1982 seized power following a military coup.  He annulled the 1965 constitution, dissolved Congress and suspended political parties.  In the countryside and in rural indigenous areas, Montt formed local civilian defense patrols to work alongside the army.  Through this he was able to reclaim most guerrilla territory.  It was at this point however that marks one of the most violent periods of the civil war during which a large number of indigenous civilians were slaughtered.  

(Montt circa 1982)

(Montt today awaiting trial)

In 1985, a new constitution was drafted and democratic elections were held after Montt was ousted in another coup.  Peace talks began in 1994, and by 1996 peace accords were signed ending the 36 year internal conflict.  Today, almost 15 years after the end of the civil war, violence and intimidation continue to be a major problem in political and civilian life

Colonial Guatemala; An Overview

Before the Spanish came to Guatemala, the Ancient Maya were one of the most highly developed peoples in precolonial America.  They had a sophisticated calendar, astronomical observances, and constructions skills among other things.  Historians believe that most Mayans built their cities from 300AD-900AD, but in 850 AD some Mayans began to abandon their cities because of soil exhaustion, climate change, and armed conflict with other peoples, though these reasons are only speculated and are being debated.  In fact, many of the Mayan cities were already abandoned when the Spanish got there in the 16th century.

Unlike many colonial Latin American countries, Guatemala did not see the same economic prosperity that Mexico or Peru saw, this was because they lacked things like precious metals.  However, the cultivation of cacao was one of its major economic activities, and later cochineal would also be a main cultivation crop (Cochineal was a red dye derived from the bodies of insects.) This cultivation of cacao brought over slaves from Africa as well as the enslavement of the native peoples and the repercussions of this can be seen today. Though commerce was never extensive in Guatemala at that time, a good port was never set up, internal transportation was difficult, and pirates harassed the coast and preyed on shipping.

Guatemala won its independence from Spain in 1821 and from Mexico in 1823.  After this independence the country was led by a slew of military leaders who further privileged the church and aristocrats and degraded the indigenous peoples of Guatemala.

The Catholic church set up encomienda's which were; " The encomienda was a grant of Indian labor and tribute, though not necessarily of land, over a geographical area. The encomenderos holding such a grant were allowed to tax the indigenous peoples under their care and to conscript them for labor in exchange for their promise to maintain order and educate the indigenous populace in the Spanish language and Catholicism. "  Other efforts were made to try and assimilate the indigenous people and have them accept the cultural practices of the Catholic church instead of their own.  Though the indigenous people mostly just went underground with their old practices and continued to 'assimilate' like the Catholics wanted them too.  

The information on this blog was found using these websites.
http://www.moon.com/destinations/guatemala/background/history/colonial-guatemala
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/701217/Guatemala/40947/The-colonial-period