Now in my third week as a human rights accompanier, I have begun to reflect back on the path that brought me here to Guatemala, to think about what I've learned in my trainings and in the past few weeks with my fellow accompaniers, and to consider with anticipation what is to come over the next six months.
Getting to Guatemala
I first learned about human rights accompaniment from a former coworker whose sister had worked for years with NISGUA. Having long been interested in conflict resolution, particularly in conflict resolution tools that support people's ability to find their own solutions, I was searching for a way to stand in support of those searching for peace. When my coworker introduced me to the idea of accompaniment in the Guatemalan context, I was blown away.
Impunity is the idea that criminals escape justice, because their crimes are never investigated or subjected to scrutiny through the justice system, robbing victims of the opportunity for redress. Impunity rates in post-conflict Guatemala are truly staggering: the already-high 2012 rate of 70% was a steep drop from 2010's 97% impunity rate (this trend is likely to be reversed, as the prosecutor responsible for the drop has been replaced after challenging impunity amongst high-ranking officials through the country's genocide trials). Much of this impunity stems from the country's lack of post-conflict justice, with those responsible for brutal massacres, rapes, disappearances, torture, and slavery still holding the country's highest offices. 99% of the crimes committed during the internal armed conflict have not yet been brought to justice.
Furthermore, those communities that suffered the most from violence and forced displacement during the war continue to face persecution, as politicians auction off their land to multi-national corporations. These companies displace residents and destroy their houses, land, water sources and sacred sites, with little to no benefit going to those affected. In this context, where the war's most violent aggressors continue to wield power and violence at the expense of those most injured in the war, human rights defenders are at grave risk, given the threat they pose to this order.
NISGUA's strategy of placing accompaniers side-by-side with human rights defenders who have requested their presence, in order to provide a dissuasive presence against violence and call international attention to human rights abuses, seemed like a versatile and important tool. Accompaniment creates space for human rights defenders to demand justice for past wrongdoings and work peacefully against ongoing violence and oppression. The combined focus on peaceful action and solidarity with Guatemalans in their struggle to protect their basic rights truly called to me. Within several months of my first conversation with my coworker, I was headed to Berkeley for a training and buying my ticket for Guatemala.
Lessons from Guatemala
Having been in Guatemala for a few months now, I have had the opportunity to hear many perspectives on the country's history, from friends, coworkers, activists, teachers and more. I have seen how corrupt politics have kept many unjustly mired in poverty without access to basic services like health or education, despite the country's vast natural wealth. These effects are further compounded by the ongoing derision experienced by many Mayan people, who for instance have talked about their avoidance of the hospital, because they have so often been treated poorly in such institutions. Much of this consideration of Mayans as "other" or "less than," to be treated accordingly, seems to have seamlessly continued forward since the time of the war, when the government tried to wipe out indigenous culture with a combination of extreme violence and a dismantling of community bonds, through forced displacement and humanitarian assistance for those willing to participate in the oppression of their communities.
For this reason, the chance to demand an end to impunity through the ongoing genocide trials, the chance to prevent further violent displacement by those responsible for such horrendous crimes, who continue to hold power and benefit economically from their rapacious behavior - these are important steps in the path to ultimate political, social and economic justice. However, such an undertaking threatens longstanding bastions of power, which rest upon the penury and subjugation of many to maintain their strength and wealth. Therefore, the work of Guatemalan human rights defenders entails great personal risk.
The attention of the international community, embodied in the accompanier standing with Guatemalan human rights defenders, has the potential to dissuade violence against these women and men struggling for justice.
What's Next
As many of you know, I will be heading to the Ixil region of Guatemala very soon. This region was particularly hard-hit during the war: the government sought to eradicate indigenous culture in the area, by razing villages, massacring their inhabitants, and forcing those left to move into model villages. Somewhere between 70 and 90 percent of villages in the region were destroyed.
Now, the survivors are engaged in a struggle for justice through genocide trials against the many officials who called for their destruction. In this context, my partner and I will be visiting survivors and accompanying them to trials, meetings and in their daily life, reporting on any threats or abuses they suffer for their work. I'm excited to get started working with them. I hope that my presence will be useful in helping to create the space they need to continue their fight for justice.
Getting to Guatemala
I first learned about human rights accompaniment from a former coworker whose sister had worked for years with NISGUA. Having long been interested in conflict resolution, particularly in conflict resolution tools that support people's ability to find their own solutions, I was searching for a way to stand in support of those searching for peace. When my coworker introduced me to the idea of accompaniment in the Guatemalan context, I was blown away.
Impunity is the idea that criminals escape justice, because their crimes are never investigated or subjected to scrutiny through the justice system, robbing victims of the opportunity for redress. Impunity rates in post-conflict Guatemala are truly staggering: the already-high 2012 rate of 70% was a steep drop from 2010's 97% impunity rate (this trend is likely to be reversed, as the prosecutor responsible for the drop has been replaced after challenging impunity amongst high-ranking officials through the country's genocide trials). Much of this impunity stems from the country's lack of post-conflict justice, with those responsible for brutal massacres, rapes, disappearances, torture, and slavery still holding the country's highest offices. 99% of the crimes committed during the internal armed conflict have not yet been brought to justice.
Furthermore, those communities that suffered the most from violence and forced displacement during the war continue to face persecution, as politicians auction off their land to multi-national corporations. These companies displace residents and destroy their houses, land, water sources and sacred sites, with little to no benefit going to those affected. In this context, where the war's most violent aggressors continue to wield power and violence at the expense of those most injured in the war, human rights defenders are at grave risk, given the threat they pose to this order.
NISGUA's strategy of placing accompaniers side-by-side with human rights defenders who have requested their presence, in order to provide a dissuasive presence against violence and call international attention to human rights abuses, seemed like a versatile and important tool. Accompaniment creates space for human rights defenders to demand justice for past wrongdoings and work peacefully against ongoing violence and oppression. The combined focus on peaceful action and solidarity with Guatemalans in their struggle to protect their basic rights truly called to me. Within several months of my first conversation with my coworker, I was headed to Berkeley for a training and buying my ticket for Guatemala.
Lessons from Guatemala
Having been in Guatemala for a few months now, I have had the opportunity to hear many perspectives on the country's history, from friends, coworkers, activists, teachers and more. I have seen how corrupt politics have kept many unjustly mired in poverty without access to basic services like health or education, despite the country's vast natural wealth. These effects are further compounded by the ongoing derision experienced by many Mayan people, who for instance have talked about their avoidance of the hospital, because they have so often been treated poorly in such institutions. Much of this consideration of Mayans as "other" or "less than," to be treated accordingly, seems to have seamlessly continued forward since the time of the war, when the government tried to wipe out indigenous culture with a combination of extreme violence and a dismantling of community bonds, through forced displacement and humanitarian assistance for those willing to participate in the oppression of their communities.
For this reason, the chance to demand an end to impunity through the ongoing genocide trials, the chance to prevent further violent displacement by those responsible for such horrendous crimes, who continue to hold power and benefit economically from their rapacious behavior - these are important steps in the path to ultimate political, social and economic justice. However, such an undertaking threatens longstanding bastions of power, which rest upon the penury and subjugation of many to maintain their strength and wealth. Therefore, the work of Guatemalan human rights defenders entails great personal risk.
The attention of the international community, embodied in the accompanier standing with Guatemalan human rights defenders, has the potential to dissuade violence against these women and men struggling for justice.
What's Next
As many of you know, I will be heading to the Ixil region of Guatemala very soon. This region was particularly hard-hit during the war: the government sought to eradicate indigenous culture in the area, by razing villages, massacring their inhabitants, and forcing those left to move into model villages. Somewhere between 70 and 90 percent of villages in the region were destroyed.
Now, the survivors are engaged in a struggle for justice through genocide trials against the many officials who called for their destruction. In this context, my partner and I will be visiting survivors and accompanying them to trials, meetings and in their daily life, reporting on any threats or abuses they suffer for their work. I'm excited to get started working with them. I hope that my presence will be useful in helping to create the space they need to continue their fight for justice.