In an extensive report, Human Rights Watch highlights the worrying situation for girls facing sexual violence in Guatemala. Domestic law indicates that any sexual activity with a child younger than 14 is sexual violence, yet between 2018 and 2024 there were 14,696 cases of girls younger than 14 giving birth. In most of these cases, the perpretrator is not prosecuted, and girls are often forced to give birth in unsafe circumstances. The report not only highlights failures in the judiciary in prosecuting these cases, but also illustrates major limitations in the education and the healthcare systems. With input from various civil society groups, the report calls for Guatemala to take assertive steps to implement meaningful reforms to protect girls.
Compiled from: "Guatemala: Failed Response to Sexual Violence Against Girls," & "Forced to Give Up on Their Dreams: Sexual Violence Against Girls in Guatemala," Human Rights Watch, Feb. 18, 2025.