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| A mural depicts army massacres of Mayan communities during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war. Photo: Trocaire | FlickrCC. |
Guatemala is looking at an
opportunity to drastically change the quality of the judicial system in that
country as two
former soldiers face trial for the disappearance of 15 indigenous men and
the enslaving of 11 of their wives for rape during their civil war.
The civil war in Guatemala
lasted for 36 years. Over 200,000 deaths and 45,000 disappearances of primarily
of indigenous people are tied to it. The military has faced little in the way
of justice for these crimes.
The two ex-officers in question
were arrested in June 2014 after some of the women came forth with the
accusations that they were held at Sepur Zarco military base. They were forced
to endure 10 months of sexual slavery between 1982-1983. Some were not released
for a further six years, until the base was closed down.
This is the first time that a
national court in Guatemala has prosecuted a case of sex slavery during armed
conflict, a crime that happens more frequently than people think.
That such actions took place in
the country and were not prosecuted has no doubt contributed to Guatemala’s
terrible record of sexual violence. It currently has the third highest rate of
femicide in the world, and the stigma around sexual violence is such that few
cases come to light.
This is a very high profile
case. It could establish important precedents in Guatemala and around the
world. By successfully prosecuting the soldiers accused of rape, the justice
system would effectively be saying that crimes of this nature shouldn’t be
tolerated and should be punished. It would establish that the military and the
crimes of its members are no longer off limits.
And of course, on the global
stage, sex slavery occurs in a number of other countries, especially as a
tactic during armed conflict. Establishing a precedent for national courts to
address such an issue could embolden prosecutors in other countries as well.
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