Statement of Guatemala

Guatemala is striving to combat impunity and to bring the perpetrators of sexual abuse to justice. In that regard, early this year we brought to justice two soldiers who were responsible for the sexual enslavement of 15 Quechi women in the military base of Sepur Zarco. Although it took 32 years to bring this case to trial, we believe that it is worth mentioning because access to justice should be guaranteed for all Guatemalans. However, we must improve access to justice and strengthen the participation of women in the process of drafting national legislation.

The Rome Statute, which is the international legal framework on gender-based crimes, is the most progressive to date. It is important to incorporate it into national legislation so that States have a comprehensive framework for investigations into international crimes of sexual and gender-based violence, targeted proccedings to support victims and witnesses, programmes to inform women of the laws that concern them, resources to monitor the implementation of laws that take the gender perspective into account, and provisions for the compensation of victims. All of those components are essential to ensuring that women have access to justice.