Guatemala’s Ley de Proteccion Integral de la Niñez y Adolescencia: One Year On

Guatemala’s Ley de Proteccion Integral de la Niñez y Adolescencia: One Year On

A Report Prepared by Brendan Kolbay in Collaboration with Associacion Nuestros Derechos Guatemala City, Guatemala January, 2005

Table of Contents 1.

Introduction………………………………………………………………..p. 3

2.

Scope of the Report………………………………………………………..p. 3

3.

Methodology……………………………………………………………….p. 3

4.

Purpose……………………………………………………………………..p. 3

5.

Background………………………………………………………………...p. 4

6.

Changes Brought About by the New Code……………………………….p. 5

7.

National Commission on Children and Adolescents…………………….p. 6

8.

Children Who Have Been Physically or Sexually Abused………………p. 6

9.

Homes of Protection………………………………………………………..p. 7

10.

The Situation of Children Living on the Streets…………………………p. 8

11.

The National Civilian Police (PNC).………………………………………p. 8

12.

Individual Rehabilitation Plans…………………………………………..p. 10

13.

Collaboration with NGO’s…………………………………………….......p. 10

14.

Funding for Programs……………………………………………………..p. 11

15.

National Civilian Police – Minor’s Section………………………………p. 12

16.

Recommendations………………………………………………………....p. 12

17.

Appendix…………………………………………………………………...p. 14

18.

Notes………………………………………………………………………..p. 15

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1. Introduction The Republic of Guatemala was among of the first signatories to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990. Nevertheless, many aspects of Guatemalan law and institutions continued to be in conflict with certain provisions of the Convention several years after its ratification. This was noted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in its concluding remarks to Guatemala’s initial report to that Committee in 1995. One of those aspects was the criminal justice system for minors. In order to bring itself into compliance with the principles of the Convention, therefore, Guatemala promulgated the Law of Integral Protection of Children and Adolescents, which went into effect in July of 2003. 2. Scope of This Report The following report is a basic assessment of the implementation of the Law of Integral Protection of Children and Adolescents in Guatemala one year since its promulgation. It is not meant to be a comprehensive report on the situation of children in Guatemala, nor will it be a comprehensive analysis of all the changes that have been brought about by the new code. It will, rather, look at some aspects of how the new code is being implemented and will point out some of the gaps that still exist between what the code calls for and what is actually being implemented that this author observed during a six week process of investigation. 3. Methodology This report is based primarily on interviews with key actors in the Juvenile Justice System including Judges, Prosecutors, Public Defense Attorneys, Social Workers, Psychologists, Human Rights Activists and members of Non-Governmental organizations who work to protect children=s rights, as well as children and youth who have had some experience of the criminal justice system. It is also based on first-hand observations of the author of this report who spent the months of July and August of 2004 in Guatemala working with the cooperation and coordination of Associacion Nuestros Derechos, a local non-governmental organization dedicated to the education and rehabilitation of Youth and Street Children in Guatemala City and Antigua. 4. Purpose The primary purpose of the report, as stated above, is to present a partial assessment of how, one year into its promulgation, the new code of law for minors is actually being implemented. Much progress has been made with regard to the protection of children’s rights in the very fact that the Republic of Guatemala has passed the new Code after several years of delay. The task of transforming institutions and processes, let alone attitudes and cultural practices is tremendous, 3

and much has been achieved. The enactment of the new code is a great step forward in protecting the rights of children and in recognizing their special and unique needs. Nevertheless, much remains to be accomplished in order to ensure the protection of children’s rights and due process for those who transgress the criminal code. It is my hope that this report will contribute to a greater awareness among international monitoring organizations and national institutions of justice of some areas where implementation of the code is lacking, especially in areas that do not require significant resources. I also hope that shedding light on the gaps in implementation will help to assert pressure on the government of Guatemala to allocate sufficient resources, as the law requires, to implement all the provisions of the new code and to create and support the institutional infrastructure needed to fully protect the rights of Children and Young People in Guatemala. 5. Background The Republic of Guatemala was the sixth country in the world to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child in May, 1990. Five years lateri , in compliance with Article 44 of the Convention, Guatemala submitted its initial Report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. In its Concluding Observations on the Report, the Committee expressed the following concerns: Para. 12: “The committee is...concerned about the lack of measures to harmonize national legislation with the principles and provisions of the Convention. It is especially concerned that the Minors Code currently in force in Guatemala contains provisions which are incompatible with the Convention and does not address all the rights recognized by the Convention. Para. 18: “Particular concern is expressed at the inadequate measures taken to ensure the effective implementation of the general principles of the Convention on the Rights of the child both in legislation and in practice. Para. 20: “The Committee is deeply alarmed at the persistence of violence against children…The high number of child victims of violence raises serious concern, particularly in view of the ineffectiveness of investigations into crimes committed against children which paves the way for widespread impunity.” Para. 24:. “The juvenile justice system in the State party raises serious concern in the Committee, in particular the system of irregular behavior (conducta irregular).ii To address these concerns and correct deficiencies in the penal code, in 1996 Guatemalan legislators drafted the ALey de Proteccion Integral de la Ninez y Adolescencia@ (Law of Integral Protection of Children and Adolescents), which was signed into force by then President Alvaro Arzu. The law, however, was immediately suspended for one year by legislators who argued that time was needed to implement the necessary changes in the juvenile system. 4

One year later, as the law was about to come into force, it was again suspended upon request from the then President of the Guatemalan Supreme Court, Judge Ricardo Umana. Again in 1999, the Code was suspended this time, indefinitely. In 2002, however, the Guatemalan Supreme Court ruled that failure to enact the new code was unconstitutional and the law was put into effect in July of 2003. 6. Changes brought about by the New Law One of the most significant changes of the new law was that it did away with ‘status’ crimes and the concept of ‘conducta irregular’ (irregular conduct), which, as applied to minors, tended to criminalize poverty and homelessness and viewed minors in such circumstances as ‘delinquents’ needing institutionalization.iii The other more significant change of the new Code is that it views children and youth as subjects of special Rights and protections. Under the new code, the following Rights pertaining to children have been affirmed: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The Right to Life (Chapter I, Section I) The Right to Equality (Chapter I, Section II) The Right to Integrity of Person (Chapter, I Section III) The Right to Freedom, Identity, Respect, Dignity and Petition (Chapter I, Section IV) The Right to a Family (Chapter I, Section V) The Right to a Decent Standard of Living and Health (Chapter II, Section I) The Right to Education, Culture, Sport and Recreation (Chapter II, Section II) The Right of Protection for Children with Disabilities (Chapter II, Section III) The Right of Protection from Trafficking, Kidnapping and Abduction (Chapter II, Section IV) The Right of Protection from Economic Exploitation (Chapter II, Section V) The Right of Protection from Illicit Substances that Cause Addiction (Chapter II, Section VI) The Right of Protection from Abuse (Chapter II, Section VII) The Right of Protection From Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (Chapter II, Section VIII) The Right of Protection from Armed Conflict (Chapter II, Section IX) The Right of Protection of Children and Youth who are Refugees (Chapter II, Section X) The Right of Protection from All Forms of Information and Material Which Prejudices their Wellbeing (Chapter II, Section XI)

The law also enacted significant changes to the Institutions and the procedures of the criminal justice system for minors. 5

Institutional changes made as a result of the law include: • • • • •

The creation of special Juvenile Courts in the cities of Chimaltenango, Quetzaltenango, Jutiapa, Zacapa, Escuintla, Peten, Guatemala City and Mixco. The hiring of a youth defense attorney for each of the courts in Jutiapa, Zacapa and Escuintla and four attorneys for Guatemala City and Mixco The creation of a Investigative Unit at the National Civil Police in Guatemala City to investigate violations or threats to the Rights of Children. The placement of one Social Worker and one Psychologist in each of the juvenile courts The requirement that these institutions be staffed by personnel specially trained in Human Rights and in the Social Sciences and with experience working with young people such that they have a special sensitivity to the needs and Rights of children and youth

7. National Commission of Childhood and Adolescents Article 85 of the Law calls for the establishment of a Commission for Children and Youth “to form policies of integral protection of children and youth.” This Commission is envisioned by the law to be the primary organ of protection of youth and children’s rights in Guatemala. Its specific role and responsibilities include, according to Article 88: -

To formulate and approve policies of integral protection of children and adolescents and to ensure that the General Budget of the State includes the necessary appropriations to fund them To transfer policies of protection to the National Council of Urban and Rural Development and to the ministries and bodies of the state for their incorporation into their development policies To promote, coordinate and monitor the execution of the policies of integral protection of children and adolescents To obtain resources (funding) for its functioning To disseminate knowledge of the rights of children and youth and their actual situation, as well as the policies that the Commission formulates

In spite of Article 11 (under Section IV of the Code) calling for the Commission’s establishment within six months of the implementation of the code, at the time of the writing of this report, such a commission had still not been formed. 8. The Situation of Children Who are Sexually or Physically Abused at Home Physical and sexual abuse of children, often by parents and relatives, is a serious problem in Guatemala. A 2004 report published by the Procurator of Human Rights of Guatemala, notes that some 70 percent of children and youth are victims of some form of maltreatment or abuse. Of all abuse cases, 43 percent are cases of physical mistreatment and 10 percent are cases of sexual 6

abuse.iv Because of deficiencies in the criminal justice system of investigation of crimes, however, once abuse of a minor has been reported, the victim is immediately removed from the home, rather than the abuser. This results in a form of double-victimization of the child. Children are usually placed in ‘homes of protection’ and removed from family, friends and their familiar surroundings. There are two reasons for this: Social workers I spoke with blamed the system of criminal investigations (Ministerio Publico) for incompetence and being slow to investigate and prosecute charges of physical or sexual abuse: “because, unfortunately, the Public Ministry, which is responsible for prosecuting crimes, does not act with sufficient timeliness. That’s why if the father is the abuser, we have to remove the child in order to ensure her protection.”v This opinion was echoed by the head of the Judicial organization charged with capacity-building of the Juvenile Justice System: “The Public Ministry is terribly deficient. They do not conduct good investigations, so there is no evidence. The big problem now with the Public Ministry is that they do not have a sufficient number of prosecutors (fiscales). There are very few prosecutors. There are more prosecutors in El Salvador than in Guatemala and the population in El Salvador is smaller than [that of Guatemala].vi A second reason is that since the abuser is often the breadwinner of the family, and because of an absence of social welfare programs, authorities are hesitant to prosecute abusers for fear of making an entire family destitute. 9. Homes of Protection Articles 114 and 115 of the Code allow for the removal of the child from his or her home temporarily and in exceptional cases where leaving the child would expose her to continued abuse. Article 114 states that such placement must be “provisional”, “exceptional”, and transitional. I visited one such residence, The Home for Girls “Mi Hogar” in Antigua Guatemala, where I had an opportunity to speak with the girls as a group and then to some, individually. There were 52 girls living there, between the ages of 13 and 17. A majority of the girls were there because they had been abused either physically or sexually by persons in their immediate surroundings (in their home or neighborhood) and were brought there for their protection. The atmosphere in the center, however, is more like a prison than a home. The property is surrounded by a high wall with barbed wire to prevent escapes. Many girls are kept there against their will. Few are ever allowed to leave the home. There are no regular outings for recreation, cultural enrichment or educative purposes. Girls are made to wear prison-like uniforms. They sleep under lock and key in a large dormitory. Escapes (‘fugas’) are a regular occurrence. 7

Education programs at the residence are not adequate. At the time of my visit, classes given in the center were only in dancing and art. Classes in reading, math and science were not offered. Many of the girls cannot read or write. Out of the total population, only a few were allowed to leave to attend classes at a local school. Many of the girls’ families cannot visit them because of long distances and the expense of travel. Some girls I spoke with told me they had not seen nor spoken to their parents in months or years. After meeting with the girls as a group, I offered to call the parents of any of the girls and give a message to them on their behalf. After taking messages from three girls, one of the officials of the residence ushered the rest away from me, saying such a practice was “against the rules”. Many girls are not aware of the status of their cases (in contravention of Article 116.d of the Code). Most girls I spoke with did not have any idea how long they would be at the home. Some remain for years, some until they reach adulthood, though they receive no real preparation for independent life outside. 10. The Situation of Street children Estimated numbers of children living on the streets in Guatemala range from 1,500 to 3,000. The state, however, has no outreach programs to offer shelter, nourishment or healthcare to these children. Many suffer physical violence as a consequence of life on the streets. Street children in need of emergency treatment are often denied medical care at hospitals because of cultural prejudices against them. The care of these children is generally left to the work of nongovernmental organizations such as Medicos sin Fronteras. Many children living on the streets suffer from malnutrition and drug-addiction - usually in the form if inhalants such as glue. There exist no governmental outreach programs to help these children, nor are there any state-sponsored drug rehabilitation programs.vii In spite of the new Code’s prohibition of prosecution of crimes of vagrancy (so-called ‘status crimes’), many homeless children are regularly harassed and abused by the national police. On one visit to children living on the streets, we were approached by a police officer, wanting to know what we were doing. Upon recognizing one of the children to whom we were offering food (a boy of about 10 years old), the officer, after aggressively removing the wool cap of the child, said to us: “I made this kid cry hard like a baby the other day.” A human rights worker I was with at the time from a local NGO working with street children commented that such acts of intimidation and harassment of children were a regular occurrence. 11. Policia Nacional Civil (National Civilian Police) Many of those interviewed for this report named the National Civilian Police (PNC) as representing one of gravest threats to and violators of the rights of children in Guatemala. 8

A Juvenile Court Social Worker I spoke with had this to say about the PNC: “The PNC are very incompetent. They are delinquents. We don’t trust the police because they do more harm than good.”viii The United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA) affirmed as much when, in its report to the General Assembly in November 2003, it stated: “A consistent pattern of neglect since 1998 has transformed the institution responsible for guaranteeing public security into the principal source of human rights violations in the country today.”ix A serious problem experienced by young people and which I witnessed during my stay is the arbitrary arrest and detention of minors by the PNC. This problem was recognized and condemned by the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States in its report on Guatemala in 2003: “According to the Political Constitution of Guatemala, the arrest of someone suspected of having committed a crime should be carried out in compliance with internal and international law; nevertheless, in practice, these requirements are not met and in many cases, including cases that involve minors, those responsible for the majority of arbitrary and/or illegal arrests are members of the National Civil Police.”x Article 145 of the Code states that “No adolescent may be submitted to the legal process for acts that do not violate the penal code.” Increasingly, however, police detain youths for having tattoos under suspicion that they are members of gangs, even though this does not constitute a crime. A social worker from Esquintla commented to me in an interview about the police: “whomever they see with a tattoo, they consider a delinquent and a criminal.”xi During the six-week period during which I conducted this study, working with Associacion Nuestros Derechos, an NGO dedicated to working with homeless children, 19 youths participating in the program were arrested and detained by the police without having committed any crime. They experienced verbal and psychological abuse as well as threats of violence by the police. The wares which they sell on the streets as a means of income, as well as cash they had in their possession were confiscated by the police at the time of their detention and were not returned upon their release. In one case, a small group of young people (3 girls and 4 boys) was sitting just 2 blocks from the center of the Asociacion Nuestros Derechos in front of a Pollo Campero restaurant at about 3pm. A PNC patrol car approached and ordered the youths to stand up. The police questioned and searched the youths who had been selling candies to make money, which is legal in Guatemala. Not finding anything illegal (presumably, they searched for drugs or illegal weapons), the police nevertheless put the youth in the patrol car and brought them to a police station. The youth repeatedly asked why they were being detained and brought to the police station but the police did not respond. When the youth insisted the police tell them the reason they were being detained, one of the policemen responded: “Look, it would be very easy for me to plant an ‘escuadra’ (an improvised knife often used by youth gangs) on you and throw you in jail.” They were brought to 9

a local police station and detained for six hours until a worker for Associacion Nuestros Derechos intervened on their behalf. No reason was given for their detention and the youths were released without any charges being brought against them. In the other cases as well, the PNC released children after representatives of the organization intervened on the young people’s behalf. In some cases, the police demanded money in exchange for the young peoples’ release and in one case, computer equipment was requested as a “donation” in exchange for the release of four youths. Statistics confirm that many young people are detained by the police arbitrarily. For the year 2003-2004, statistics given to me from the Adolescents Unit of the Office of Public Defenders show that of a total of 1,220 cases of minors arriving before a juvenile judge throughout the country, 208 cases (17%) were dismissed for lack of merit.xii I visited the office responsible for investigating police abuses and crimes and was told that there were currently no police under investigation for any abuses against minors. 12. Individual Plans Article 256 of the Code calls for the development of ‘Individual Plans’ for those youths convicted of a crime with the purpose of laying out an “educative project” of rehabilitating the young person. The law requires that the plan be formalized within 15 days of sentencing, and the monitoring of the completion of the plan is the responsibility of the sentencing Judge. In many cases, however, Individual Plans are not being utilized. Between July 2003 and July 2004, there were 54 cases where Individual Plans should have been drawn up for young people convicted in each of the Juvenile Courts throughout the country. Only 21 plans, however, were drawn up and implemented.xiii 13. Lack of Collaboration between the Criminal Justice System and NGO’s working with Youth Article 92 of the Code calls for collaboration between government and civil society in offering services that protect and promote the rights of children. While there exist numerous organizations working with children and youth in Guatemala, no formal system of collaboration exists. One problem is that there lacks a formal system of oversight of NGO’s working with youth and children.xiv Commenting on the lack of collaboration between the Justice System and NGO’s, the Director of the Project for Criminal Justice for Youth and Child Victims, Justo Solorzano noted: “The problem is that there exists no register [of NGO’s working with youth]. The Office of Social Services (Bienestar Social) has to initiate an inventory of all the NGO’s in the country dedicated to youth, then register them and then supervise them and afterwards see in what way they can collaborate 10

with the system. Now Social Services must look for financing to create such a register because they don’t have the funds to do it.”xv 14. Lack of Funding for Programs and Institutions needed for the Protection of Children’s Rights and the Rehabilitation of Youth in conflict with the Penal Code. In its comments on the initial report to the CRC, the Committee commented: “It is the Committee’s opinion that sufficient budgetary provision must be made to respond to national and local priorities for the protection and promotion of children’s rights.” (para. 31) Article 85 of the Code states that the organization charged with creating policies and institutions to protect and promote the rights of children and youth should be funded adequately through: -

resources coming from the Office of the Secretary of Social Services contributions or ordinary or extraordinary subsidies from the State and other national and international organizations donations from private individuals or legal organizations

Most of the people I interviewed for this report, however, complained of lack of funding for programs and institutions needed to protect the rights of children and promote the rehabilitation of youth who come into conflict with the criminal code. While it did not speak directly about children’s rights, this concern was echoed by MINUGUA’s (the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala) report to the General Assembly in 2003 in discussing the human rights situation in general: “The human rights problems that continue to beset Guatemala seven years after the end of the conflict are rooted in the failure of the State to progress further on important institutional reforms. While most of the legal framework for police and judicial sector reform is in place and modernization programmes have been under way for several years, the failure to adequately finance and implement key changes has hampered progress.”xvi Justo Solorzano, Director of the Project for Criminal Justice for Youth and Child Victims called the new Code a “law without resources”.xvii Because of a lack of funding, for example, programs of rehabilitation of youth who have committed crimes are nonexistent. As a result, there tends to be a high rate of repeat offenders. Licenciado Solorzano commented regarding rehabilitation and prevention programs for youth: “The system does not have the capacity to offer a response through [rehabilitation] programs which frustrates the judges, frustrates the attorneys, frustrates the defenders because there is a high rate of repeat offenders, which is not to say that the adolescents are bad, but the issue is that 11

the programs do not exist.” xviii 15. PNC – Seccion de Menores (Department of Minors) The police unit charged with investigating violation of children’s rights is woefully understaffed and under funded. The director complained to me of having to borrow paper from other offices within the National Police office. Ability to investigate crimes was seriously hampered by lack of resources for transportation and communication. Members of the unit often use their own mobile phones for work. The unit has access to only 2 cars and is responsible for covering the entire country. When I visited, the staff had been reduced from 8 to 4 people.xix 16. Recommendations •

The government of Guatemala should demonstrate its commitment to protecting the rights of children and young people by fully funding all programs and institutions created by the new Code.

•

The National Commission on Children and Adolescents should immediately be formed and begin functioning.

•

Article 7 of the Ley de Proteccion calls for the criminalization of false charges against minors that result in the violation of their rights. Cases of children brought before judges for alleged crimes but dismissed for lack of merit should immediately be investigated; those police officers who detained and/or arrested the youth should be disciplined or prosecuted as the law allows.

•

The Secretariat of Social Welfare should begin working with reputable local nongovernmental organizations (of which there are many) to coordinate outreach to children living on the streets, programs of rehabilitation for young people addicted to drugs and programs of capacity building and job training for youth and adolescents.

•

Homes of Protection should be reformed so that a minor’s stay is truly temporary and limited to exceptional cases and so that they have regular contact with their families. Courts should make a greater effort to find suitable family members or relatives child victims of abuse can live with to avoid the institutionalization of victims of abuse.

•

Educational programs in the Homes of Protection should include a regular curriculum of Math, Science and Reading as well as other training and capacity building classes

•

Individual Plans should be developed, implemented and monitored for all adolescents for whom they are required. 12

•

National campaigns to educate children on their rights, including the incorporation of human rights education into school curricula should be implemented.

•

A national hotline for reporting violations of children’s rights should be set up.

•

All members of the National Civilian Police should receive training in the Law of Integral Protection of Children and Adolescents; candidates in the Police Academy should receive rigorous training in Human Rights and in the new Children’s code.

APPENDIX Situation of Children in Guatemala – Some basic Factsxx 13

Population of Guatemala: 11.2 million people Population under the age of 18: 6.1 million (55%) Population of minors (under the age of 18) living in poverty: 3.4 million (56%) Number of Documented Child Victims of Death caused by Violence in 2003: 152 Percentage of Minors who do not attend Primary School: 43.7% Percentage of Minors who do not attend High School: 80.9% Infant Mortality Rate: 40.5 per 1,000

NOTES i

States Parties are required by Article 44 to submit an initial report within two years of the entry into force of the Convention for the State Party concerned (which for Guatemala was 2 September 1991). Guatemala=s initial report was submitted on 5 January 1995.

ii

This system of ‘irregular behavior’ is considered a ‘status crime’ – i.e., it is the criminalization of vagrancy, homelessness or unemployment. It contravenes Article 2 of the Convention which prohibits discrimination or

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punishment based on one’s status. From the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Twelfth Session, Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties Under Article 44 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. iii

Licenciado Marvin Rabanales as referenced in “Situacion de la Ninez en Guatemala, Informe 2003”. Office of Human Rights of the Archbishopric of Guatemala. Guatemala City, Guatemala: 2003.

iv

From “Informe: Meurtes Violentes de Ninez, Adolescencia y Juventud.” Procurator of Human Rights, Guatemala. 2004.

v

Interview with Maria Inez de Tercero, Social Worker and Graciela Castro-Corde, Psychologist, Esquintla, July 22, 2004

vi

Interview with Licenciado Justo Solorzano, Director, Project of Criminal Justice for Youth and Child Victims, Office of the Judiciary, July 27, 2004

vii

This information is based on an interview with Pilar Lopez, the head of the Human Rights office of Medicos sin Fronteras in Guatemala City, Guatemala, August, 2004.

viii

ibid.

ix

“The Situation in Central America: Progress in Fashioning a Region of Peace, Freedom, Democracy and Development.” United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala. November, 2003. x

From “Justice and Social Inclusion: Challenges to Democracy in Guatemala.” Organization of American States, Interamerican Commission on Human Rights. December, 2003. xi

ibid.

xii

From a report prepared by the Adolescents Unit of the Organ of Public Criminal Defense

xiii

Data obtained from Adolescent Unit of the Institute of Public Defenders

xiv

Some NGO’s themselves have been accused of abusing the rights of children. The Spanish NGO ‘REMAR’ was for a time in the 1990’s given administrative control of Guatemala’s youth detention centers but was harshly criticized in a Human Rights Watch Report (“Guatemala’s Forgotten Children”, HRW, 1997) for serious human rights abuses against the children and youth in their oversight.

xv

Interview with Justo Solorzano, July 27, 2004. “The Situation in Central America: Progress in Fashioning a Region of Peace, Freedom, Democracy and Development.” United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala. November, 2003. xvi

xvii

Interview with Licenciado Justo Solorzano, Director, Project of Criminal Justice for Youth and Child Victims, Office of the Judiciary, July 27, 2004

xviii

Interview with Licenciado Justo Solorzano, Director, Project of Criminal Justice for Youth and Child Victims, Office of the Judiciary, July 27, 2004

xix xx

From interview with Oficial Dilio Aragueta, Director of Section of Minors, National Civilian Police From “Informe: Muertes Violentas de Ninez, Adolescencia y Juventud.” Procurator of Human Rights. 2004.

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