COMMITTEE EXAMINES REPORTS OF GUATEMALA ON OPTIONAL PROTOCOLS TO CONVENTION ON RIGHTS OF CHILD
The Committee on the Rights of the Child today reviewed the initial reports of Guatemala on how that country is implementing the provisions of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
Introducing the reports of Guatemala, Carlos Ramiro Martínez, Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the United Nations Office at Geneva, outlined policies and mechanisms that had been developed following Guatemala's adoption of the Optional Protocols, including a National Plan to Combat the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and the Plan of Action for its implementation; the elaboration and implementation of a protocol for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation; the adoption of the Hague Convention on International Adoption, in May 2007; and the setting up of a multi-sectoral body, including representatives from various Ministries, the National Police, and the Public Prosecutor's Office, to develop joint programmes to combat trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation and forced labour of children and adolescents and to prosecute those responsible. Also important had been the adoption of specific laws, such as the law on adoption, and the definition of the crime of trafficking in the penal code.
Turning to the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, Mr. Ramiro Martínez observed that, since the end of the internal armed conflict some 10 years ago, there were no Guatemalan children participating in armed conflict or carrying out any military functions. It was important to note that the new Law on Military Service, and the ratification of the Optional Protocol itself, had been fundamental to the adoption of administrative and other measures, in particular with regard to the prevention and strengthening of guarantees that the use of children in conflicts would never recur.
In preliminary concluding observations, Committee Expert Rosa María Ortiz, who served as Rapporteur for the reports of Guatemala on the two Optional Protocols to the Convention, welcomed the seminars and workshops that had been carried out by the Guatemalan Government to raise awareness of the Protocols, and congratulated the delegation on the re-ratification of the Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoption. Also worthy of note was the comprehensive law on protection of children and adolescents and the civil register. However, she was concerned that those laws needed the necessary budget allocations to put them into effect. Among her concerns, was the lack of data on implementation. Furthermore, work remained to be done in categorizing certain offences as crimes. The two Protocols were only able to be relatively applied as long as the statutory crimes of forced prostitution and forced labour, for example, were not on the books.
Committee Expert Kamel Filali, serving as co-Rapporteur for the report on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, in additional preliminary observations, congratulated Guatemala on the many initiatives undertaken to implement the Optional Protocol, in particular with regard to the reform of the Criminal Code, and the plans to include the offences contained in the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
Committee Expert Jean Zermatten, serving as co-Rapporteur for the report on the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, in further observations, appreciated efforts made so far by Guatemala with a view to adoption of the Rome Statute. It was to be hoped that the recruitment of children would be enshrined in the Criminal Code with a separate sanction. Guatemala owed it to the memory of children that had disappeared in its past internal conflict to shed light on what had happened, as well as to those who had survived the conflict to be reinserted, rehabilitated and compensated for their suffering. While welcoming the initiative on armed gangs, in future it was to be hoped that a transnational agreement with Guatemala's neighbours could be reached to eradicate that scourge.
The Committee will release its formal, written concluding observations and recommendations on the initial reports of Guatemala on the Optional Protocols towards the end of its three-week session, which will conclude on 8 June.
Also representing the delegation of Guatemala was Francisco Rolando Morales, Deputy and President of the Commission for Minors and the Family of the Congress of Guatemala, as well as representatives from the Supreme Court of Justice of Guatemala, the Presidential Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of the Interior, the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Office of Social Welfare, and the Office of Social Work of the First Lady, as well as representatives from the Permanent Mission of Guatemala in Geneva.
When the Committee reconvenes on Monday, 4 June, at 10 a.m., it will consider the initial report of Ukraine (CRC/C/OPSC/UKR/1) on how that country is implementing its obligations under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
Reports of Guatemala
For 36 years, Guatemala was the scene of an internal armed conflict that ended with the signing of a peace agreement between the Government and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca in 1996. The initial report of Guatemala on the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (CRC/C/OPAC/GTM/1) acknowledges that during the war, forcible military recruitment was common practice both for the national army and the guerrilla groups that made up the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca. According to both the official report of the Commission for Historical Clarification, and the reports of non-governmental organizations and indigenous movements, during the internal armed conflict some 45 per cent of the male population was recruited at some time by one or other of the parties to the conflict, 20 per cent of them minors. More than 3,000 guerrillas participated in reintegration programmes when the internal armed conflict ended, including an estimated 214 minors. There are no official records of the exact percentage of minors who participated in the war. Nevertheless, since it is the responsibility of the State to ensure that this practice is not allowed for any reason, one of the important measures which took immediate effect following the signing of the peace agreement was the Presidential Order not to allow anyone at all under the age of 18 to enlist, even if they volunteered. The provision has remained in force since then. In addition, Guatemala has passed the Act on the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Young Persons in 2003, which provides, among other things, that "The State shall take all possible measures to ensure that persons who have not yet attained the age of 18 years do not take a direct part in hostilities and are not recruited for military service at any time."
The initial report of Guatemala on the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (CRC/C/OPAC/GTM/1) notes that, notwithstanding progress made in guaranteeing the human rights of children and adolescents, the country is aware that illegal practices, such as trafficking in persons for purposes of sexual exploitation, unlawful trafficking and other despicable acts, committed principally against children and adolescents, still exist. Guatemala is making significant efforts to combat these scourges. Since 2001, implementation has been proceeding of the National Plan to Combat the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, through the accompaniment of a Directing Group formed on the subject with the participation of governmental and non-governmental organizations. The system of justice for children and juveniles has been restructured, including the reshaping of the Office of the Prosecutor for Juveniles; the strengthening of the public criminal defence system for adolescents and the creation of socio-educational measures as an alternative to custodial measures. In accordance with the public policy of comprehensive protection of children and adolescents, which was approved in 2004, and its accompanying Plan of Action, special protection policies serve to foster the implementation of measures for prevention, special protection and support for families in order to provide care for children and adolescents whose rights have been threatened or violated or who are in situations of vulnerability. These measures apply to children and adolescents who are victims of the practices covered by this Optional Protocol. Thus the policy defines strategic measures to promote the restitution of their rights, their rehabilitation and their reintegration into society as well as the criminal prosecution, as appropriate, of those responsible for the violation of their human rights.
Presentation of Reports
CARLOS RAMIRO MARTÍNEZ, Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the United Nations Office at Geneva, introducing the reports of Guatemala, said that Guatemala was carrying out continuous efforts to consolidate democracy, the rule of law, and the respect and promotion of human rights, in fulfilment of its international obligations. Guatemala, like many other countries, was faced, in connection with the fight against poverty, with the linked problems of international organized crime, drugs trafficking, trafficking in persons, and migration. Despite those challenges, Guatemala was taking various measures to ensure a better life for all, in the areas of international and national law, and in administrative, substantive and operative areas. One example of those efforts was the adoption, in 2003, of the Act concerning the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents, which had profoundly changed the focus of legislation on children and adolescents in Guatemala by establishing as its fundamental basis the policy of the best interests of the child.
With the ratification of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, important policies and mechanisms had been developed, Mr. Ramiro Martínez added. Those included a National Plan to Combat the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and the Plan of Action for its implementation, in coordination with inter-institutional and civil society organizations; the elaboration and implementation of a protocol for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation; contribution to the development of a regional instrument for the repatriation of child victims of trafficking; the adoption of the Hague Convention on International Adoption, in May 2007, and the subsequent elaboration of a manual of best practices with regard to national and international adoption; and the setting up of a multi-sectoral body, including representatives from various Ministries, the National Police, and the Public Prosecutor's Office, to develop joint programmes to combat trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation and forced labour of children and adolescents and to prosecute those responsible. Also important had been the adoption of specific laws, such as the law on adoption, and the definition of the crime of trafficking in the penal code.
Turning to the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, Mr. Ramiro Martínez observed that, since the end of the internal armed conflict some 10 years ago, the peace agreements had served as a basis for many of the necessary changes to rebuild and reshape Guatemalan society to prevent such a threat, and the harm it had posed to men, women and children, from recurring. Today, there were no Guatemalan children participating in armed conflict or carrying out any military functions. As stated in the report, while the Commission for Historical Clarification had noted that both sides to the conflict had used children during the war, that was a practice of the past and one that no longer existed today. In that context, it was important to note that the new Law on Military Service, and the ratification of the Optional Protocol itself, had been fundamental to the adoption of administrative and other measures, in particular with regard to the prevention and strengthening of guarantees that the use of children in conflicts would never recur.
Discussion on the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography
ROSA MARÍA ORTIZ, the Committee Expert serving as Rapporteur for the report of Guatemala on the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, provided a brief overview of the situation of children in Guatemala. Only 40 per cent of children finished primary school, with non-indigenous children typically completing four years of school, and indigenous children just 1.3 years. Poverty was endemic. Some 10,000 children belonged to gangs, which formed a sort of refugee and "protection" for them. Guatemala was a transit country, as well as a country of origin and destination, for children sold for forced labour and sexual exploitation. As to adoption, there were anomalous acts here: paid pregnancies; the falsification or substitution of documents; and illegal centres for newborns where babies were put up for sale; all of which occurred at times with support of government officials.
Despite those facts, Ms. Ortiz noted the measures being taken by the Government to address the situation, in particular, the 2003 law concerning the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents, the programme on sexual exploitation and its action plan, the bilateral agreements with Mexico and El Salvador concerning trafficking, and the ratification of both the Hague Convention on International Adoption and the ILO Convention on the Prohibition of the Worst Forms of Child Labour.
Ms. Ortiz expressed her dissatisfaction that the report did not comply with the Committee's guidelines, and did not contain sufficient information to judge the situation on the ground with respect to Guatemala's compliance with the Optional Protocol. From reports, it would seem that Guatemala was not in compliance.
Although the report had flagged as a sign of success the law on the protection of children and adolescents, and the subsequent establishment of a Commission on the Protection of Children made up of government and civil society organizations, Ms. Ortiz had some concerns as to whether that body still existed, and what actions, if any, it had carried out.
It was true that the national plan for the prevention of sexual exploitation of children had a coordinating body. However, Ms. Ortiz pointed out that there were other coordination bodies, such as the multi-sectoral body mentioned in the delegation's presentation. It was therefore unclear how all those mechanisms worked together.
KAMEL FILALI, the Committee Expert serving as co-Rapporteur for the report of Guatemala on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography, also raised the issue of the coherence of Guatemala's report, as well as a number of discrepancies in the report that caused confusion.
Mr. Filali welcomed the mechanisms established to combat the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, including the law on child protection and the reforms to the penal code. There did appear to be a willingness to work on this issue and to implement the Optional Protocol.
Mr. Filali noted, however, that there were still major problems regarding trafficking of children, organized crime, the involvement of officials, and a lack of judicial investigations or investigations that did not lead to prosecutions in Guatemala. It was also clear that children were still transiting through the country.
With regard to the new law on children which ensured that the best interests of the child were the priority in cases involving them, Mr. Filali asked for specific cases, as well as examples of measures and mechanisms that carried out that policy.
Mr. Filali also wished to know whether the provisions of the Optional Protocol could be directly invoked in the courts, and whether it had precedence over domestic legislation in Guatemala.
With regard to the planned overhaul of Guatemala's penal code with respect to children, Mr. Filali asked for a timeframe for its completion. Also with regard to legislation, while Guatemala now had a law against trafficking, in practice, such crimes were usually prosecuted under lesser crimes, the penalty for which was often just a fine.
Other Experts raised questions and asked for further information on a number of topics, including coordination of bodies on children's rights, and which body was coordinating the implementation of the obligations of Guatemala under the Optional Protocol; the current practice with regard to juvenile justice, for example, in the case of children arrested in police raids on brothels; reports that children in difficult circumstances were held in detention together with children in conflict with the law; what was being done to address the situation of street children, almost all of whom had been victims of sexual abuse and exploitation, usually by their relatives; deportation of children without proper investigation into their situation; a lack of information on child pornography; details of rehabilitation and assistance programmes for child victims; what was being done to ensure that all births were registered, given reports that, especially in remote areas, children often did not have birth certificates; and, given the strong allegations that children were being sold for adoption abroad, more information concerning inter-country adoptions. Among other things, an Expert was concerned about whether the draft law on adoption before Congress made a provision for an adopted child's "right to know" who their birth parents were.
Response by Delegation
Responding to Experts' questions, the delegation said the Office for Social Welfare was responsible for coordinating and implementing public policy on children within the Guatemalan Government.
In terms of children victims of crimes, the Office for Social Welfare had a home for such children staffed with teachers, psychologists and social workers. A number of programmes had been put in place to train girls so that they would be able to fulfil their roles in the family and society at large.
A multi-sectoral body had just been developed to coordinate a number of activities to be able to reintegrate child victims of sexual exploitation, including a national meeting on children to be held next month, the delegation explained. Among activities undertaken had been a three-month seminar to train the staff of the various ministries so that they could set up programmes for child victims. Also, recently, a protocol had been drafted on child victims of commercial sexual exploitation, which would soon be adopted by the Government.
There had been no evaluation of the effectiveness of the plan of action to combat commercial sexual exploitation, the delegation said. Today, that plan did not have a budget.
Regarding juvenile justice measures, the Public Prosecutor's Office was responsible for ensuring that children who were victims of sexual exploitation were not treated as criminals, but as victims. The Office was also responsible for ensuring that investigations were carried out, and that children's ages were established. Child victims were immediately transferred to a shelter and put under the guardianship of a juvenile judge. If foreign children or minors were involved, Guatemala had a protocol for the repatriation of child victims, overseen by the Public Prosecutor's Office. In the case of criminal affairs, certain compensation had to be ensured for actions taken against the minors. The delegation noted that all of these activities were carried out in cooperation with international assistance from organizations such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Responding to a question on protection for child witnesses, the delegation said that when children gave testimony in the courts, they were kept behind a protective screen until they had to speak. Following their testimony, they were removed from the courtroom. A child psychologist accompanied them during this process at all times.
Also on developments in juvenile justice, last year about 23 different seminars had been held at the national level with judges and auxiliary personnel, the delegation said. The Government was also working to ensure that interpreters and bilingual judges were available for indigenous children in various regions of the country. Since last year, a new measure had been instituted whereby there were judges present round the clock at the lower and higher level courts, as minors had to appear immediately before a judge upon being taken into custody.
On the status of the Protocol in domestic law, the delegation noted that, unless there was a specific law set out in Guatemalan legislation, a person could not be prosecuted for an offence. The Protocol's provisions, or those of the Convention, served more as conceptual guidelines. The Supreme Court had, in certain cases, held that international treaties held an equivalent place in the legal hierarchy to the Constitution; however, it had also been said in other instances that the Constitution prevailed over international treaties. It was a matter that was still being discussed in Guatemala and which remained to be clarified.
Regarding pending legislative reforms, the delegation said that there were three important bills affecting children currently under consideration by the Congress: reform of the criminal code, the adoption law, and the law on children's shelters and homes. The Congress was in recess till 30 June. Thereafter they would be able to take action on the reforms before them.
On the adoption bill, the delegation said it was contemplated that there would be a central authority, in keeping with the Hague Convention, to oversee adoptions. There were three options currently under consideration: a national adoption commission, with representation from various bodies of the State and civil society, and an independent budget (such an option would require a two-thirds vote by the Congress, however, which was difficult to get); a national council for adoption, which would also be represented by all the institutions involved, but with a budget coming under the Public Prosecutor's Office; or, a third possibility would be having the Office of Social Welfare taking over the function of overseeing adoptions.
In terms of the elaboration of a scientifically verifiable national identity document, containing not just a photo, but a fingerprint and other modern security measures making it electronically verifiable, it was hoped that that would be ready six months from now, the delegation said. That would have a particular impact on being able to ascertain the status of minors, in particular in cases of adoption and trafficking.
On the issue of the Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoption, the difficulties posed to its implementation by reservations to the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties had been eliminated by judicial decision in 2006, following which the Vienna Convention reservations had been withdrawn. That Convention had then been re-ratified and the Executive Branch was currently carrying out measures to allow for that Convention's incorporation into law. In terms of implementation, there were many changes that had to be undertaken to bring Guatemalan practice in line with the Hague Convention. The different institutions involved were currently bringing their database in line to allow for the strict monitoring required to give approval for an adoption. The process was ongoing.
The draft bill on adoption not only addressed future cases, but covered what had happened to the 23,000 children given for adoption over the past 10 years, and what would happen to those who were currently in the middle of adoption proceedings, the delegation said. In terms of the right to know who one's birth parents were, that would be possible from the time the new adoption act was enacted, as henceforth there would be strict monitoring systems in place.
In terms of raids on brothels, those had been carried out by multi-sectoral teams as part of the coordinated plan to prevent commercial sexual exploitation. The delegation noted that staff from the Presidential Commission on Human Rights had accompanied the agents making raids, for example, to ensure the fundamental human rights of those in the brothels were protected.
There had been sanctions and convictions of police officers who had committed sexual offences against minors brought about by a joint effort between civil society and the Government, to protect minors raped by the police. A number of officers had also been fired from their jobs for abuse of authority and corruption, the delegation pointed out.
Several times the delegation highlighted the difficulties the authorities faced in implementing the Optional Protocol's provisions, for example, their inability to extradite perpetrators of various crimes of sexual exploitation against children, owing to the current lack of a relevant criminal provision covering those crimes in Guatemala's Criminal Code.
Discussion on the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict
ROSA MARÍA ORTIZ, the Committee Expert serving as Rapporteur for the report of Guatemala on the involvement of children in armed conflict, said that the armed forces of Guatemala, and the administration, were still very much linked up to armed conflict. They had not seen the end to armed conflict: the people were still traumatized. Although there were no children involved in armed conflict today, those who had been in the past still needed to have their problems addressed, especially those who had disappeared.
The law did not allow children under 18 to enlist in the army, and yet, in practice there were children under 18 in the army barracks, Ms. Ortiz said. She would like to know what was being done to address that situation.
JEAN ZERMATTEN, the Committee Expert serving as co-Rapporteur for the report on the involvement of children in armed conflict, said that, in 2002, Guatemala had ratified the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict. At that time, Guatemala had declared that an age limit of 18 for individuals involved in armed conflict would be respected and it had promised to provide information on measures taken to ensure that obligation was observed. It was now five years later, and that had not been done.
Mr. Zermatten was further concerned that neither of the Optional Protocols to the Convention had been incorporated in domestic law, and therefore that their provisions were not able to be directly invoked in the courts. Also, what was happening with regard to the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, under which recruitment of children under 15 or their active use in hostilities was defined as a war crime.
With regard to coordination of implementation efforts with regard to the Protocol, did the Office of Social Welfare, which had ambitions of becoming a ministry, but was not one yet, coordinate action and policy on this Protocol, Mr. Zermatten wondered? Did the National Plan for 2004-2006 contain reference to the Protocol and its provisions? And what sort of budget had been allocated for the Protocol's implementation?
Finally, Mr. Zermatten was concerned that nothing was being done to address the issue of children that had been involved in the prior conflict, in particular those that had disappeared. There was a project before Congress to investigate the cases of those who had disappeared during that conflict, but 10 years was a long time to wait. Moreover, had there been any provision to compensate, rehabilitate and reintegrate the children that had participated in the fighting?
Experts then asked further questions, including on the age limits for entrance into military schools, given conflicting information in the report and the written replies, and whether children who ran away from such schools were treated as deserters.
Response by Delegation
Responding, the delegation said that consideration of a bill on accession to the Treaty of Rome was currently at the stage of its second reading in Congress. Bills had three readings in the plenary of the Congress before adoption.
In terms of the budget, the budgetary level of the Armed Forces had had been set in the peace agreements at 0.6 per cent of gross national product. The delegation confirmed that the budget was very close to that level, but had exceeded it only with regard to necessary funds to provide international cooperation efforts.
Military personnel were provided with training on the Optional Protocol, as were those who opted for civilian service. The delegation noted that military staff participating in international peacekeeping missions were provided with broader training in international humanitarian law, and were trained on a number of international human rights conventions, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The delegation stressed that, as set out in their written replies, the only military school in Guatemala was the Polytechnic School, where all students were over 18 years of age. The basic requirements for admission were the possession of a mid-level degree and the age requirement.
If a person was in a civilian military school, such as the national Adolfo V. Hall School, they were not members of the armed forces or reserve forces and they could not become active members or be enlisted in cases of emergency or armed conflict.
Turning to reparations paid to victims of the past internal conflict, a commission had been set up to implement the findings of the Commission for Historical Clarification, which had been set up under the peace accords. Post-conflict processes were very slow to unfold, but, the delegation insisted, they had made every effort to move forward and to update registries of victims of the internal conflict, and in particular, child victims. In January a technical commission had been set up to move forward and coordinate the actions of the programme to find the victims of the conflict. It had been tasked with drafting a law, which was expected to be delivered in coming months, on reparations for victims. The bill contemplated reparations for a number of past crimes, including forced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, summary executions, forced recruiting of minors, and genocide.
The State had also been working to establish a commission to investigate clandestine organized gangs, the delegation continued, and the initiative was already before the Congress.
Preliminary Concluding Observations
In preliminary concluding observations, Committee Expert Rosa María Ortiz, who served as Rapporteur for both the reports of Guatemala on the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and on the involvement of children in armed conflict said that they had had a fruitful discussion which had enabled the Committee to have a better understanding of the application of the rights of the child in Guatemala with regard to its obligations under the two Optional Protocols. She welcomed the seminars and workshops that had been carried out by the Guatemalan Government to raise awareness of the Protocols, and, among other measures, she congratulated the delegation on the re-ratification of the Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoption.
Also worthy of note was the comprehensive law on protection of children and adolescents and the civil register. However, Ms. Ortiz underscored that such laws required the necessary budget allocations to put them into effect.
Among her concerns was the lack of data on implementation, Ms. Ortiz said. Furthermore, work remained to be done in categorizing certain offences as crimes. The two Protocols were only able to be relatively applied as long as the statutory crimes of forced prostitution and forced labour, for example, were not on the books.
Regarding draft laws, the best interests of the child had to be paramount in the new law on adoption. In terms of the bill on shelters and homes, Ms. Ortiz drew the delegation's attention to a general comment that was being drawn up by the General Assembly on shelters and hostels, which could serve as a model. Also worthy of note were the pending law on the criminalization of recruitment under 18, and on reparations for victims of the past conflict.
Committee Expert Kamel Filali, serving as co-Rapporteur for the report on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography congratulated Guatemala on its re-ratification of the Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoption and on the many initiatives undertaken to implement the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, in particular with regard to the reform of the Criminal Code, and the plans to include the offences contained in the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
Committee Expert Jean Zermatten, serving as co-Rapporteur for the report on the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, appreciated efforts made so far by Guatemala with a view to adoption of the Rome Statute.
Mr. Zermatten said it was to be hoped that the recruitment of children would be enshrined in the Criminal Code, with a separate sanction, which would strengthen the implementation of the Protocol. It was also to be hoped that the Optional Protocol would be disseminated not just to the military, but also among youth.
Mr. Zermatten stressed that Guatemala owed it to the memory of children that had disappeared in its past internal conflict to shed light on what had happened, as well as to those who had survived the conflict to be reinserted, rehabilitated and compensated for their suffering.
Finally, Mr. Zermatten welcomed the initiative on armed gangs. In future it was to be hoped that a transnational agreement with Guatemala's neighbours could be reached to eradicate that scourge.
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