By Carolina Vásquez Araya on March 8, 2021
A mother of one of the girls who died in the fire. Photo: Liano Milton/PANO
International Women’s Day, a symbolic date to reflect on violence against women, was marked four years ago with the terrible death and serious injuries suffered by 56 girls and adolescents held in the overcrowded Virgen de la Asunción Safe Orphanage in Guatemala. Since then, the Guatemalan authorities have evaded any responsibility for the tragic event, and their justice system has failed to respond promptly and effectively to the demands of civil society organizations and the victims’ families.
The teenage girls burned to death in the fire that exposed the sordid underbelly of that home and the shady business dealings there not only suffered an atrocious death; society, conservative and prone to superficial judgments of the less fortunate, also victimized them as criminals and troublemakers, unhesitatingly placing the blame for that day’s events on them and ignoring the personal history of each one of them. Over the years, however, it has been some conscientious journalists who have become committed to the search for the truth by carrying out exhaustive investigations and followed up on the cases in order to uncover the dark history behind these “Safe Homes” that really have become veritable centers of torture and human trafficking run by the state. Mariela Castañón’s series of reports has already exposed the subhuman conditions in these centers.
It is highly relevant to insist on the true nature of political action in a nation. Because the way in which political activity has been prostituted and how the centers of power have been sold to the highest bidder, every day distances those in power from their goals, ethical foundations and constitutional mandates. The neglect in which large sectors of the population – women, children, adolescents and the elderly – find themselves clearly demonstrates the degradation of government activity and highlights the danger that threatens our weak democracies. Added to this picture of shortcomings and mismanagement are the devastating effects of a pandemic that has been mismanaged and, in all likelihood, used as a lever to establish dictatorships and discriminatory regulations.
This International Women’s Day reminds us of the importance of keeping a close watch on governments and their decisions; the current regression in the enjoyment of civil rights due to new norms of conduct in the face of the pandemic has a special impact on the aforementioned groups, especially on the rights of women and children, the main victims of any disruption in the social scenario. Governments have an absolute obligation to orient their plans and proposals towards the well-being and prosperity of their inhabitants and, most especially, to attend to the needs of the most vulnerable sectors.
Likewise, those who hold high positions in the three main branches of government are directly responsible for the acts committed by those who serve under them in their various capacities. Therefore, the security and lives of the people rest squarely on their shoulders and they are obliged to answer to the citizenry when they have betrayed their mission.
This March 8 is a date never to be forgotten; it is the day to look the strength of women as well as the many injustices against them including the 56 Guatemalan girls who are victims of a fractured state, co-opted by mafias and are in imminent danger of becoming a living example of a failed country.
A critical review of history is the best way to learn and become aware.
www.carolinavasquezaraya.com, translation Resumen Latinoamericano -English