Firearms in Guatemala and Domestic Violence
BY EMMA GÓMEZ / TRANSLATED BY MAYA GREENBERG
A recent report from the International Centre for Human Rights Research (CIIDH) concluded that it is necessary to delve further into the causes of women´s deaths by firearms to determine whether these deaths should be categorized as the result of domestic violence, organized crime- and gang-based violence, or other phenomena. The annual average of female deaths by firearm was at 590. In simple terms, and to correctly measure this phenomenon, this is equal to an average of 6 deaths per day.
In recent years, Guatemala has been categorized as one of the most violent countries on a global level, due to the number of homicides, corruption, and drug trafficking in the Northern Triangle of Central America, which also includes El Salvador and Honduras, according to the United Nations (UN).
Armed violence is a complex, multidimensional, and systemic phenomenon that correlates with weak governments, limitations on security and justice organizations, and the absence of a strong rule of law. In this sense, this brief analysis addresses in particular the characterization of women´s deaths from armed violence, according to autopsies carried out by law on the part of the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) during the 2017-2023 period.
International Context
The Global Study on Homicide from the UN in 2023 affirms that the majority of countries with the highest global homicide rates are located in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Guatemala, in particular, has captured attention with the evolution of its homicide numbers between 2017 and 2020, which had fallen by about 35%, though they would ultimately rise by 7% in 2021.
The number of men involved in homicidal violence in Latin America and the Caribbean are predominantly youths. This is to be expected, as the region has a fairly young and relatively large population, although the proportion of youths has been shrinking over time. Guatemala is situated among the group of countries that register their largest proportion of homicide victim within the age ranges of 15 to 29 years, with 48% in 2021.
At a regional level, in 2021, it was estimated that at least 4,473 women were victims of femicide and feminicide in 29 countries and territories of the region, according to official data informed by the countries of the Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean (OIG) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Carribean (CEPAL). This indicates that 12 violent deaths of women take place every day in the region as a result of gendered violence.
Domestic Violence in Guatemala
The numbers of female deaths due to firearms in Guatemala for the 2017-2023 period have reached a total of 2,358 women.
The analysis by age group demonstrates that the gross total, or the group primarily affected by this phenomenon, includes 12.7% of adults (consisting of ages 27 to 59), 6% of youths (14-26), 2.9% of teenagers, and less than 1 % of seniors (60 years or more).
The rates of female autopsies at a state level for firearm deaths reveal that the Department of Guatemala, or Guatemala State, carries out around 48% of total autopsies on a national level.
Another aspect that has come greatly to our attention is the fact that, of the first ten states of Guatemala, at least eight, according to their geographical location, belong to the country´s Eastern region, a place historically characterized by its use of weapons and weapon-carrying by some of the population.
In contrast, we can observe that four states contain less than 1% of autopsy numbers on a national level, these states being Solalá, Baja Verapez, Quiché, and Totonicapán.
Among our conclusions, it is necessary to delve into the causes of female deaths by firearms, in order to determine whether these qualify as domestic violence, organized crime and gang-based violence, or other phenomena, as the numbers we are seeing continue to prove alarming.
