- by GH
- The Guardian
- Issue #2197
Guatemala has one of the highest rates of violence against women in Latin America, with Indigenous women especially vulnerable. The high rate of missing and murdered women and girls is closely tied to femicide, domestic violence, organised crime, trafficking, corruption, and impunity within the justice system.
According to the 2025 Human Rights Watch report, 48 per cent of Guatemalan women reported gender-based violence at least once in their lives. In the first half of 2024 civil society organisations documented the violent death of 206 women, with 44 per cent classified as femicides. Femicides increased by 14 per cent in 2025.
A number of organisations assist victims and their families. Mujeres Transformando el Mundo is a major feminist legal organisation that investigates abuses and supports survivors and their families. It conducts strategic litigation and runs support centres (CAIMUS) across Guatemala. Grupo Guatemalteco de Mujeres is one of Guatemala’s oldest women’s organisations. It monitors femicide laws, operates shelters and support centres, assists women reporting violence, and runs national campaigns against gender violence. Other organisations include Asociación Generando Equidad, Liderazgo y Oportunidades, Observatorio de la Violencia and the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala.
Maya women face higher risks due to poverty, racism, geographic isolation, weak access to legal protection, and the legacy of Guatemala’s civil war (1960 - 1996) between right-wing governments and leftist rebels. The thirty-six-year conflict was marked by extreme violence, widespread human rights abuses, and the genocide of the Maya population. Sexual violence against Indigenous women was used systematically by state forces and paramilitaries. Courts only began prosecuting these crimes in recent years.
Human rights organisations argue that violence against Indigenous women is the legacy of militarisation and racial discrimination. Researchers and feminist groups point to machismo and patriarchal culture, domestic violence, and economic inequality. The country’s weak law enforcement and corruption allow gangs, organised crime, and human trafficking networks to operate.
Disappearances are a major issue among girls aged 13 - 17, who are disproportionately reported missing, linked to trafficking and sexual exploitation, gang violence, and forced relationships. The country has emergency alert systems for missing minors, but families and activists often criticise the inadequate police response.
Although Guatemala passed a major anti-femicide law in 2008, enforcement remains inconsistent. Specialised courts and prosecutors exist, but many cases are never fully investigated. Indigenous groups, women’s organisations, and student movements regularly organise marches and memorials demanding justice for victims of femicide and disappearances. In 2017 a fire at the state-run ‘Safe Home’ shelter near Guatemala City killed forty-one girls who were locked in a classroom during a protest over abuse allegations. The tragedy became a rallying point against state violence and neglect.
President Bernardo Arévalo has addressed the violence against women, and broader criminal violence, through security reforms, anti-corruption measures, and changes to the judicial system. However, critics, including feminist groups and international human rights organisations, say investigations remain underfunded, rural access to justice is limited, witness protection is weak, and impunity is still extremely high.
The government launched the ‘Plan Centinela Metropolitano’ on 17 February to increase police and army presence in high-violence urban areas. Arévalo vetoed proposed reforms to sexual violence laws, arguing the legislation could criminalise consenting adolescents.
