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Effects of militarism

Militarization came to Guatemala and other native communities in the early 1980s. In Guatemala, as well as in other parts of Latin America, there is an intense "war on drugs", that is a conflict between state forces and drug cartels, which has taken a violent turn. Jody Williams, a Nobel Peace recipient, said, “The war on drugs and increased militarization in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala is becoming a war on women.” As a result of the war on drugs, there is a widespread presence of the military throughout the country. Soldiers now are assigned public safety duties that would normally be reserved for police forces. From 2006 to 2011 the budget the military was allotted went from sixty three million United States dollars to one hundred and seventy five million dollars.Otto Perez became the first military official to be elected as president.Shortly after being elected President in 2012, Otto Perez, increased the role of the military in fighting crime. Another way that the military presence in Guatemala has increased is by instituting three military bases in known drug trafficking areas. As of 2013 there were twenty one thousand troops deployed to assist in public safety duties. According to Karen Musalo, author of the article "Crimes Without Punishment," the increased militarization of Guatemala has resulted in abuse and mistreatment of the people of Guatemala. Militarism spreads a perception of brutality and makes it easier to access weapons, which makes the rates of domestic violence against women go up. Guatemala’s military has a hefty history of human rights violations. Due to the Militarization murders, torture, and missing people became a daily reality for people in Guatemala. Most findings show that in communities where there is an army present tend to have more violence against women. The Guatemalan military is also correlated with corruption. Recent records state that the government and military are often associated with criminal activity.

Problems within the Justice System

After years of violence, dictatorship and conflict, Guatemala's public institutions are unsteady. The justice system of Guatemala is weak and quite ineffective. Often proper investigations by authorities are not conducted. Only a minority of the reported crimes against women is bought to trial, and even fewer result in a conviction. According to Nobel Women’s Initiative, in the 1980’s, 200,000 people were murdered and thousands of women were raped. Many cases similar to these have not gone to trial. Of the complaints about violence against women that were registered in 2010 by the Judicial Department, only one percent of them resulted in sentencing. Law enforcements often fail to investigate in a timely manner and blame the victims of the case. Many women lead to abandoning their cases because the stress and hardship put onto them. Without proper trials, investigations, and sentencing the violence towards women will progressively increase. Discrimination in the justice system is one of the many problems women face in Guatemala. According the Nobel Women’s Initiative, women are often seen as criminals for trying to report a crime that was done by their loved ones. The justice system discriminates against others race, class, sex, and ethnicity. Discrimination is immense for women who are poor, migrant, young, lesbian, and those that demand justice. According to Borgen Magazine, there is a lack of female representation in the political system. “There are only 12 women in the 158 member of Congress, representing the women who make up almost half of the total population. ”The justice system is also limited to people who do not speak Spanish. This means that the women must be educated in order to protect their rights. Discrimination exists in the justice system, but there are laws that support the abuse of women. The 2008 law against Femicide and other forms of violence against women has enforced people to treat women equally. The 2008 law also addressed the private and public crimes in Guatemala. Borgen Magazine explained that women in Guatemala must be more informed on their rights and have the courage to report the crimes committed against them.

references

1. http://nobelwomensinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Report_AmericasDelgation-2012.pd
2. http://www.friendshipamericas.org/nobel-peace-laureates-call-concerted-action-protect-frontlines-human-rights-defenders
3. http://www.du.edu/korbel/hrhw/researchdigest/latinamerica/guatemala.pdf
4. http://www.insightcrime.org/news-briefs/un-chastises-guatemala-on-militarization-of-security
5. http://upsidedownworld.org/main/guatemala-archives-33/4392-militarization-of-law-enforcement-in-guatemala
6. http://www.cipamericas.org/archives/11315
7. http://www.borgenmagazine.com/violence-women-guatemala/
8. http://cgrs.uchastings.edu/sites/default/files/Musalo_Bookey_CrimesWithoutPunishment_2013.pdf