From 2015 to date, 1,210 teachers from public and private educational establishments have been reported for sexual abuse or assault, mainly in five departments, due to deep-rooted customs that prevent reporting, according to the Sexual and Reproductive Health Observatory (Osar).
Of the number of cases that have been registered in eight years, the majority are concentrated in Guatemala City, Alta Verapaz, Huehuetenango, Quetzaltenango and San Marcos, according to the observatory.
These cases generally involve a process that culminates in a sentence, although it is unknown how many have been convicted or acquitted.
Fear
Some of the factors why complaints are concentrated in these regions is the lack of a reporting culture or deep-rooted customs that force women to remain silent, says Mirna Montenegro, director of Osar.
As of January 2018, the Public Ministry (MP) began the process of the National Registry of Sexual Offenders (Renas) and in this way complies with the Decree Number 22-2017 that gives life to the Genetic Data Bank Law for Forensic Use.
The Renas is a database that the MP has at the national level, where all those people who have been convicted of a sexual crime will appear.
Montenegro reiterates that one of the barriers that still exists with this requirement is that it is extended when the accused has been defeated in court and obtains a sentence.
“As long as that does not happen, the teacher continues working and represents a risk to minors,” he stressed.
Constant problem
The problem with teachers accused of sexual assault or abuse has transcended since previous governments. In July 2018, during a summons to Congress, authorities from the Ministry of Education (Mineduc) announced that 31 teachers did not have their Renas certificate.
Fourteen of them were facing an investigation process and were off work, while for 17 there were no clear indications that they had committed any crime, so they taught classes normally.
The parliamentarians described it as worrying that these people continued teaching classes because “the children were exposed to having a direct relationship with a possible sexual offender.”
This year, 23 teachers who have accusations of sexual assault work in different public educational establishments in Alta Verapaz, so the Ministry of Education reviews each case. since they cannot be fired until there is a ruling in the process they face.
The technical deputy minister of Education, Francisco Cabrera, says that the files are reviewed to determine the case of each of the teachers and thus make decisions, although they agree that they can only place them in administrative positions but not fire them.
To prevent abuse by teachers towards students, in 2022, the Ministry of Education put into operation the Protocol for Identification, Attention and Reference of Cases of Violence within the National Educational System.
According to the manual, there are indicators that denote that a child has been sexually assaulted or abused.
Indicators in boys, girls, adolescents and young people
- Sadness, withdrawal and isolation.
- Excessive shyness.
- He seems suspicious and avoids making eye contact.
- Lowers his head when spoken to.
- He doesn’t want to attend classes.
- Does not actively participate in school activities.
- He resists contact with his peers.
- Manifests defensive attitudes.
- He doesn’t want to speak in his native language.
- Stop wearing your traditional clothing or clothing.
- You may express that you are ashamed of your family and your ethnic identity.
- Does not participate in activities because they do not suit their educational needs
specials. - They tend to be easily victims due to their difficulties in defending themselves.
- Rejection by the teacher or students due to their disability.
- Little tolerance for your particular way of responding.
- They are not allowed to express their opinion due to communication difficulties that may arise.
exist or because they believe them incapable of doing so. - Sometimes they may act violently toward their peers.
- They may show disinterest in classes and seek to be absent.
Indicators in aggressors
- They make fun of people’s physical or intellectual differences.
- They physically attack.
- They look down on people who are from a culture, ethnic identity, or people different from their own.
- They deny or limit the participation of some people in activities.
- They have unequal and degrading treatment towards others.
- It does not recognize the achievements or strengths of everyone equally, but on the contrary, it emphasizes the weaknesses.
- Creates and spreads stereotypes and prejudices regarding certain people or groups, in order to ridicule or belittle them.
- Denies opportunities for participation or expression.
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