Fire in Guatemala exposes abuse of children in shelter

2017-03-09 15:42:53

The number of young people who died in a fire in a shelter for small children in Guatemala increased to 29 this Thursday, after the death in the morning of seven of them who were admitted to hospitals, health sources reported.

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According to the press office of the hospital San Juan de Dios y Roosevelt, The seven children died as a result of the fire they made after the incident.

This shelter is to support minor victims of abuse, divorce, the disabled, addicts and sexual abuse in Guatemala.

Secretary General of the Public Ministry (MP), Mayra Véliz, said Of the 19 deaths, 17 were due to burns and the causes of the other two are under investigation.

According to the authorities, the fire, which also injured many people, started in the morning with the burning of mattresses by prisoners, in an announcement in the public rehabilitation center Hogar Seguro Virgen de la Asunción, in San José Pinula, about 25 kilometers southeast of Guatemala City. The center is based on the Ministry of Social Affairs and serves young people up to 18 years of age.

According to emergency services, 40 injured people were taken to two state hospitals, some with serious burns.

“It is a painful scenario for anyone. All the others who died were girls“, Nery Ramos, director of the police, told reporters outside the facility, which is heavily guarded by agents who prevent access to family members and journalists.

According to the local press, more than 500 children live in the shelter, although the place has capacity for only 400.

Regarding the cause of the fire, the authorities reported that, apparently, a group of young people, not satisfied because they had been isolated by the central supervisors, had burned the mats.

The Human Rights Lawyer for Children, Hilda Morales, announced to the press that they will request the closure of that shelter because of the inability of the Social Security Secretary of the President to lead it.

“We will demand that the company be closed immediately and administrative responsibilities and criminal actions against those responsible for the site, because they have failed to comply with their mandate.”“, he said.

Morales recalled that since last year, precautionary measures were requested from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in favor of many young people who reported assault and sexual abuse in the shelter.

“When you talk about a child protection system, the last goal must be institutional; It must be ensured that the children are in their own family, in the extended or substitute family for adequate human development and better protection,” he pointed out.

For its part, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Guatemala condemned the incident in a message published on its Twitter account. Unicef ​​wrote the disaster at the Virgen de la Asunción House. These girls, boys and young people must be protected,” he said.

And there are many scandals in the field due to complaints of abuse against prisoners and many escapes. On Tuesday, About 60 minors fled because of “bad and unfair conditions” after the internal rebellion, which left damage and a small number with injuries.

“I want justice because they forced my son (…) and it’s for drug addiction, because he attacked me and because he has autism,” cried Alicia López, a 50-year-old domestic worker 50 with a 12-year-old son admitted to the Virgin of the Assumption Insurance.

AFP, EFE and REUTERS