Latest news with #GuatemalanCriminalCode
Scoop
19 hours ago
- Scoop
From Rape To Lost Childhood: Guatemala Found Responsible For Forcing Girl Survivor Into Unwanted Pregnancy & Motherhood
GENEVA (5 June 2025) – The UN Human Rights Committee has found that Guatemala violated the rights of a girl who became pregnant as a result of rape by forcing her to continue the pregnancy and into motherhood. According to the Committee, this amounted to a breach of her right to live with dignity and reproductive autonomy, and subjected her to treatment comparable to torture. The Committee published today its decision against Guatemala in a case involving a 14-year-old girl who was raped on multiple occasions, denied access to legal abortion, and compelled to assume parental responsibilities under coercive circumstances. 'This is the fourth case the Committee has recently examined on terrible similar situations involving other States in the sub-region,' said Committee member Hélène Tigroudja. 'No girl should be forced to carry the child of her rapist. Doing so robs her of her dignity, her future, and her most basic rights,' she said, adding that 'This is not just a violation of reproductive autonomy — it is a profound act of cruelty.' Fátima* was 14 when she became pregnant after being raped by an ex-director of a public day-care centre that she attended as a child. The rapes occurred after she had left the institution. Her aggressor had maintained contact with the family after Fátima left the institution and earned their trust by providing financial support. When her mother learned about the abuses, she reported them and then was bribed and threatened by the perpetrator, his wife and their family. Despite nine years of criminal proceedings, during which the perpetrator continuously pressured Fátima and her family to drop the case, he escaped justice. Guatemala did not properly investigate the rape, nor did it take effective action to prosecute the perpetrator. Since then, Fátima has been stigmatized as a girl who became sexually active at an early age. As it was impossible to obtain justice and effective remedies in Guatemala, Fátima brought her case to the Committee, claiming her rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) were violated. Guatemala is one of the Latin American countries with the highest rates of both forced motherhood and systematic impunity for sexual violence. Although the Guatemalan Criminal Code allows abortion in specific situations to avoid a threat to the life of the mother, access to legal abortion is almost impossible in practice. Despite her very young age and the foreseeable risks of pregnancy and delivery, Fátima was forced to carry out her pregnancy. After a traumatic and almost fatal delivery, Fátima was forced to breastfeed the child despite her expressed wish not to see him or be involved in his care. The sexual violence and forced pregnancy caused Fátima severe suffering, resulting in two suicide attempts as the only way to escape from her future forced motherhood. Nine years later, the child born out of rape is living with Fátima's mother, but she is the one struggling to help cover his food, clothing and schooling expenses. The Committee concluded that the State party had violated her right to life under Article 6 of the ICCPR, recalling that the right to life also refers to the right to enjoy life in dignity and requires States to adopt positive measures towards the full realization of everyone's right to sexual and reproductive health. 'Silence and inaction by the State are not neutral; they are not only violation by omissions but also factors of revictimization. Forcing a child into motherhood through neglect is a grave human rights abuse,' Tigroudja said. The Committee also found that Guatemala had violated Article 7 of the ICCPR, which prohibits torture, cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment as the Covenant refers not only to physical pain but also to moral suffering. 'In addition to the trauma of the rapes, the pregnancy and forced motherhood, she suffered a high level of distress caused by a combination of acts and omissions attributable to the State party', Tigroudja said. The Committee also concluded that it is a case of intersectional discrimination. 'This case reveals how gender, age, and poverty intersect to silence the most vulnerable,' said Tigroudja. The Committee called on the State party to establish a system to record and monitor cases of sexual violence, pregnancy and forced motherhood among girls and adolescents and to work towards its eradication. It also asked the State party to take measures to remedy the damage incurred by the forced pregnancy and forced motherhood on Fátima's life plans, by enabling her to complete higher education and pursue extracurricular areas that will empower her to advance her life goals. Guatemala is also requested to make a public acknowledgement of responsibility and to guarantee access to education and psychological care for her child born out of rape.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Human rights committee blames Guatemala for forcing girl who was raped to carry out her pregnancy
GUATEMALA CITY — A panel of independent experts who make up the United Nations Human Rights Committee said Thursday they found that Guatemala violated the rights of a 14-year-old girl who was raped and forced to continue her pregnancy. A former director of a government-run daycare facility she had attended as a child raped her on multiple occasions beginning in 2009 when she was 13 and no longer attended the center, but she was denied access to abortion, forced to carry out the birth and care for the child, treatment the committee compared to torture. 'No girl should be forced to carry the child of her rapist. Doing so robs her of her dignity, her future, and her most basic rights,' Committee member Hélène Tigroudja said in a statement, adding that 'This is not just a violation of reproductive autonomy — it is a profound act of cruelty.' The committee monitors countries' adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. When the girl's mother found out about the abuse she reported it to authorities. The man and his wife tried to bribe and threaten the girl's family into withdrawing the report. The case wound on in Guatemala's justice system for nine years, but the man was never punished. 'Guatemala did not properly investigate the rape, nor did it take effective action to prosecute the perpetrator,' the committee said. 'Guatemala is one of the Latin American countries with the highest rates of both forced motherhood and systematic impunity for sexual violence,' the committee's statement said. 'Although the Guatemalan Criminal Code allows abortion in specific situations to avoid a threat to the life of the mother, access to legal abortion is almost impossible in practice.' The committee called on Guatemala to establish a system to record and monitor such cases. In the case of the girl, it said the state should support her to complete higher education and attain her goals. Catalina Martínez, vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Center of Reproductive Rights, one of the groups that brought the girl's case forward, said there is agreement in society that the protection of girls is a priority. 'But that promise is broken when we don't provide access to all health services, including abortion, and we obligate them to assume motherhood that they don't want and for which they are not prepared,' she said. Perez D. writes for the Associated Press.
3 days ago
Human rights committee blames Guatemala for forcing girl who was raped to carry out her pregnancy
GUATEMALA CITY -- A panel of independent experts who make up the United Nations Human Rights Committee said Thursday they found that Guatemala violated the rights of a 14-year-old girl who was raped and forced to continue her pregnancy. A former director of a government-run daycare facility she had attended as a child raped her on multiple occasions beginning in 2009 when she was 13 and no longer attended the center, but she was denied access to abortion, forced to carry out the birth and care for the child, treatment the committee compared to torture. 'No girl should be forced to carry the child of her rapist. Doing so robs her of her dignity, her future, and her most basic rights,' Committee member Hélène Tigroudja said in a statement, adding that 'This is not just a violation of reproductive autonomy — it is a profound act of cruelty.' The committee monitors countries' adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. When the girl's mother found out about the abuse she reported it to authorities. The man and his wife tried to bribe and threaten the girl's family into withdrawing the report. The case wound on in Guatemala's justice system for nine years, but the man was never punished. 'Guatemala did not properly investigate the rape, nor did it take effective action to prosecute the perpetrator,' the committee said. 'Guatemala is one of the Latin American countries with the highest rates of both forced motherhood and systematic impunity for sexual violence,' the committee's statement said. 'Although the Guatemalan Criminal Code allows abortion in specific situations to avoid a threat to the life of the mother, access to legal abortion is almost impossible in practice.' The committee called on Guatemala to establish a system to record and monitor such cases. In the case of the girl, it said the state should support her to complete higher education and attain her goals. Catalina Martínez, vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Center of Reproductive Rights, one of the groups that brought the girl's case forward, said there is agreement in society that the protection of girls is a priority. 'But that promise is broken when we don't provide access to all health services, including abortion, and we obligate them to assume motherhood that they don't want and for which they are not prepared,' she said.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Human rights committee blames Guatemala for forcing girl who was raped to carry out her pregnancy
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A panel of independent experts who make up the United Nations Human Rights Committee said Thursday they found that Guatemala violated the rights of a 14-year-old girl who was raped and forced to continue her pregnancy. A former director of a government-run daycare facility she had attended as a child raped her on multiple occasions beginning in 2009 when she was 13 and no longer attended the center, but she was denied access to abortion, forced to carry out the birth and care for the child, treatment the committee compared to torture. 'No girl should be forced to carry the child of her rapist. Doing so robs her of her dignity, her future, and her most basic rights,' Committee member Hélène Tigroudja said in a statement, adding that 'This is not just a violation of reproductive autonomy — it is a profound act of cruelty.' The committee monitors countries' adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. When the girl's mother found out about the abuse she reported it to authorities. The man and his wife tried to bribe and threaten the girl's family into withdrawing the report. The case wound on in Guatemala's justice system for nine years, but the man was never punished. 'Guatemala did not properly investigate the rape, nor did it take effective action to prosecute the perpetrator,' the committee said. 'Guatemala is one of the Latin American countries with the highest rates of both forced motherhood and systematic impunity for sexual violence,' the committee's statement said. 'Although the Guatemalan Criminal Code allows abortion in specific situations to avoid a threat to the life of the mother, access to legal abortion is almost impossible in practice.' The committee called on Guatemala to establish a system to record and monitor such cases. In the case of the girl, it said the state should support her to complete higher education and attain her goals. Catalina Martínez, vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Center of Reproductive Rights, one of the groups that brought the girl's case forward, said there is agreement in society that the protection of girls is a priority. 'But that promise is broken when we don't provide access to all health services, including abortion, and we obligate them to assume motherhood that they don't want and for which they are not prepared,' she said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Human rights committee blames Guatemala for forcing girl who was raped to carry out her pregnancy
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A panel of independent experts who make up the United Nations Human Rights Committee said Thursday they found that Guatemala violated the rights of a 14-year-old girl who was raped and forced to continue her pregnancy. A former director of a government-run daycare facility she had attended as a child raped her on multiple occasions beginning in 2009 when she was 13 and no longer attended the center, but she was denied access to abortion, forced to carry out the birth and care for the child, treatment the committee compared to torture. 'No girl should be forced to carry the child of her rapist. Doing so robs her of her dignity, her future, and her most basic rights,' Committee member Hélène Tigroudja said in a statement, adding that 'This is not just a violation of reproductive autonomy — it is a profound act of cruelty.' The committee monitors countries' adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. When the girl's mother found out about the abuse she reported it to authorities. The man and his wife tried to bribe and threaten the girl's family into withdrawing the report. The case wound on in Guatemala's justice system for nine years, but the man was never punished. 'Guatemala did not properly investigate the rape, nor did it take effective action to prosecute the perpetrator,' the committee said. 'Guatemala is one of the Latin American countries with the highest rates of both forced motherhood and systematic impunity for sexual violence,' the committee's statement said. 'Although the Guatemalan Criminal Code allows abortion in specific situations to avoid a threat to the life of the mother, access to legal abortion is almost impossible in practice.' The committee called on Guatemala to establish a system to record and monitor such cases. In the case of the girl, it said the state should support her to complete higher education and attain her goals. Catalina Martínez, vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Center of Reproductive Rights, one of the groups that brought the girl's case forward, said there is agreement in society that the protection of girls is a priority. 'But that promise is broken when we don't provide access to all health services, including abortion, and we obligate them to assume motherhood that they don't want and for which they are not prepared,' she said.
