Santos Marlene Flores was brutally murdered by a policeman neighbour who lived only a few doors away. Above: Her father, Alberto Antonio, and her six-year-old son, Walter Alberto Osorio Flores, visit her grave and leave her favourite sunflowers.
Vice: Nearly 4,000 women have been killed in a decade. Can you explain the situation in Guatemala as far as the femicides go? It sounds horrific.
Hilda Morales Trujillo:
Are there any discernable patterns with the killings? Are they associated with women of certain backgrounds?
What are the usual distinguishing features of these femicides?
Are the majority of the killings thought to be sexual in motive?
Sergio Roberto Ortega, 46, tends the grave of his daughter, Velvet Madeline Noemi Ortega Castillo, who was 25 when she was raped and beaten to death for not paying protection money to the local gang. Her grave is in the cemetery of Las Flores. In what way is the problem of femicide in Guatemala similar to the murders of women in Mexico? Do you see the two trends being part of a wider pattern?
What are the key factors that you think are resulting in so many killings of women?
OK. I guess that ties in with the fact that a very small number of these crimes lead to prosecutions or jail sentences. Why is it that so few of these cases result in criminal charges?
Maria Elva Palma, right, grieves for her daughter, Santos Marlene Flores, who was brutally murdered by a policeman. The victim’s father, Alberto Antonio, left, holds a photograph of his daughter. In the centre sits Santos’ sister, Areely Gomez de Hernandez, 40, who witnessed the killing. The family are still living in the house where she was slain. So, essentially, as well as the atmosphere of impunity, it is the general gender inequalities that you think contribute to these deaths?
How are these problems being addressed by the government?
Hilda Morales Trujillo:
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What are the usual distinguishing features of these femicides?
Are the majority of the killings thought to be sexual in motive?
Sergio Roberto Ortega, 46, tends the grave of his daughter, Velvet Madeline Noemi Ortega Castillo, who was 25 when she was raped and beaten to death for not paying protection money to the local gang. Her grave is in the cemetery of Las Flores. In what way is the problem of femicide in Guatemala similar to the murders of women in Mexico? Do you see the two trends being part of a wider pattern?
What are the key factors that you think are resulting in so many killings of women?
OK. I guess that ties in with the fact that a very small number of these crimes lead to prosecutions or jail sentences. Why is it that so few of these cases result in criminal charges?
Maria Elva Palma, right, grieves for her daughter, Santos Marlene Flores, who was brutally murdered by a policeman. The victim’s father, Alberto Antonio, left, holds a photograph of his daughter. In the centre sits Santos’ sister, Areely Gomez de Hernandez, 40, who witnessed the killing. The family are still living in the house where she was slain. So, essentially, as well as the atmosphere of impunity, it is the general gender inequalities that you think contribute to these deaths?
How are these problems being addressed by the government?
