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Country Snapshot: Guatemala and Democracy and the Rule of Law
Photo: USAID/Luis Còrdova, Partners of Americas
Young Mayan and Ladino women and men gather in Sololà Guatemala for youth leadership training sessions.
"Now I am motivated to study beyond sixth grade no matter how impossible it seems to do it." - A program participant
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USAID’s democracy and rule of law activities provide training and technical assistance to increase the capacity of Guatemala’s legal system to foster and protect women’s rights. In addition, by creating the environment for a more responsive government, USAID will provide opportunities for all citizens to benefit from an improved legal system characterized by greater accountability and transparency without regard to gender, race, religion, or ethnic background. At the same time, USAID/Guatemala recognizes that there are key areas where the experiences of women and men differ, and activities need to take those differences into account. These concerns have been built into a series of activities such as:
Women’s Legal Rights Initiative (WLR)
Crime Prevention/Rule of Law Programs
Anti-corruption and Transparency Program
Decentralization and Local Governance
Women’s Legal Rights Initiative (WLR)
USAID’s Women in Development (WID) Office supports the Women’s Legal Rights
Initiative (WLR), implemented by Chemonics and its local
partners, the University of San Carlos Law School (USAC)
and the Public Ministry in Guatemala. WLR developed and
successfully implemented a graduate-level curriculum
that focuses on gender and the law for judges, lawyers,
and women’s
organizations. As of April 2005, the program’s 47 graduates had implemented
26 advocacy projects in their home institutions and achieved
impressive results. For example, graduates working in
the judicial sector have incorporated gender-based standards
that provide all women, including those who have committed
crimes, with greater access to the judicial system. Within
the Public Ministry, WLR worked with the Ministry’s training academy
(UNICAP) and the Prosecutor for Women’s Issues to train prosecutors across
the country on how to implement the Domestic Violence
Law, taking into account gender and multicultural concerns.
UNICAP continues to monitor prosecutors and report its
findings to the Attorney General. WLR also worked with
the Public Ministry to develop a public awareness campaign
including the production of posters, brochures, and 10 radio spots, five
in Spanish and five in the Mayan languages of Q’eqchu,’ Kich’e, Cakchiquel, Mam,
and T’zutuji’l. The public awareness campaign has been so successful
that the Public Ministry now displays the violence against
women brochure on its web site (http://www.mp.lex.gob.gt),
radio programs reaching audiences nationwide are broadcasting
the new spots, and the USAID/Justice Center’s network of committees on
violence against women is using WLR’s posters and brochures.
Crime Prevention/Rule of Law Programs
Crime prevention efforts and assistance to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the justice system will take into account crimes that particularly affect women, such as rape, domestic violence, and the recent apparent targeting of young women in serial killings. Under the Rule of Law Program, a Gender and Ethnicity Plan will develop specific interventions aimed at women and indigenous groups.
Anti-corruption and Transparency Program
Although men and women are both victims of corruption, their experiences
of this vice are often based on role differentiation.
Surveys conducted with victims of corruption are being designed to provide
additional data that will further illuminate gender differences and help
suggest appropriate interventions. A Gender Action Plan is being developed
as part of the program to ensure that gender considerations are integrated
into the program activities.
Decentralization and Local Governance
Political participation of women at the municipal level is significantly
lower than that of men. USAID assistance in implementing
the Municipal Code, increasing participatory decision-making, and improving
management systems will look for opportunities to promote women’s political
participation and leadership, especially indigenous women whose participation
rate is the lowest of all groups. The program will identify gender barriers
and include ways to address these barriers in its annual work plans.
Guatemala Program Objectives
Economic Growth
Democracy and the Rule of Law
Health
Education Selected Activities:
ATA/AGEXPRONT
Asociación Ajpatnar Chortí
The Biodiversity and Sustainable Forestry-BIOFOR Project
Foundation for Financial Advice to Development and Social Service Institutions (FAFIDESS)
Nutrition Institute of Central America and Panama (INCAP)
Quality Coffee Program
Women’s Legal Rights Initiative (WLR)
Crime Prevention/Rule of Law Programs
Anti-corruption and Transparency Program
Decentralization and Local Governance
La Asociación Pro-Bienestar de la Familia de Guatemala
(APROFAM)
Calidad en Salud 2
The POLICY II Project
Proyecto Pro Redes Salud en el Altiplano
Private Sector alliances
Proyecto Acción SIDA de Centroamérica (PASCA)
Asocation Guatemalteca de Educacion Sexual (AGES)
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Global Snapshots: Guatemala
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