Stop Violence Against Women
A project of The Advocates for Human Rights
Domestic Violence
General Information Best Practices Law and Policy Ongoing Developments
Human Trafficking
Human Trafficking Overview Training and Advocacy Ongoing Developments Sex Trafficking and Safe Harbor Resource Pack
Sexual Harassment
General Information Training and Advocacy Law and Policy Ongoing Developments
Sexual Assault
General Information Advocacy and Training Law and Policy Ongoing Developments
Other Forms of Violence Against Women
Crimes Committed in the Name of "Honor" Dowry-Related Violence Female Environmental Refugees Female Genital Mutilation Femicide Forced and Early Marriage Forced/Coerced Sterilization Gender-Based Asylum Harmful Practices Indigenous Women Maltreatment of Widows Son Preference Violence Against LGBT Women Violence Against the Girl Child Violence Against Women and HIV/AIDS Women and Armed Conflict Violence Against Women with Disabilities
Russian Site
  1. Home
  2. What's New

Violent Deaths of Women Rise in Guatemala in 2008

Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report on 28 February 2009 on the human rights situation in Guatemala during the year 2008. The report includes a section on violence against women, which affirms that the number of women who died violently in Guatemala in 2008 was 722, while the number was 590 the previous year. The number of deaths increased, even though the country criminalized gender-based violence in the public and private spheres with the April 2008 “Law against Femicide and Other Forms of Violence against Women” (decree 22-2008).

The law provides for sentences ranging from 25 to 50 years for femicide (Article 6), five to 12 years for physical or sexual violence (Article 7), five to eight years for psychological violence (Article 7), five to eight years for economic violence (Article 8). The law obligates the state to guarantee victims access to information and holistic assistance (Article 13), as well as access to shelters (Article 16), free legal assistance (Article 19). The state also must strengthen the criminal investigation system and create a specialized judicial body to work with this new law.

The UN report recommends that authorities create clear guidelines to make sure the law is implemented. Training is also lacking and is necessary to bring the new law into force.

Compiled from: Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the activities of her office in Guatemala in 2008 (A/HRC/10/31/Add.1), 28 February 2009; Decreto Numero 22-2008, Congreso de la Republica de Guatemala, Diario de Centro America, (7 May 2008).

For More Information

For more information, please see the Femicide section of this website.

lg
md
sm