Guatemala City, by Brenda Larios -AGN- Vice President Karin Herrera led the first interinstitutional meeting to strengthen the comprehensive approach to sexual violence, exploitation, and human trafficking in the country.
In her speech, the vice president said, “This meeting takes place within the framework of the issues addressed by the Secretariat against Sexual Violence, Exploitation, and Human Trafficking -SVET-. This is a complex and painful problem, so we must address it immediately to respond to the people.”
She emphasized that the goal is to join efforts, work as a team, and progress on this issue, especially in preventing and assisting the people suffering the most.
The event took place at the Palacio Nacional de la Cultura and was attended by representatives of civil organizations and international cooperation agencies.
SVET’s plan
SVET’s Executive Secretary, Danissa Ramirez, presented the Government Plan 2024-2028. She pointed out:
This initiative aims to coordinate and implement comprehensive actions to contribute to the prevention of sexual violence, exploitation, and human trafficking in municipalities with high rates of violence.
The plan seeks to prioritize 69 municipalities in the country that register women and girls at risk of the crimes listed.
It includes five initial achievements, such as assisting victims in specialized clinics of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance and implementing an anonymous hotline for threat, restriction, violation, and risk situations.
In addition, the authorities will create a catalog of measures of dignified reparation aimed at judges of the Judiciary who serve victims of these crimes and develop a coordinated agenda with municipal authorities to prevent these actions, among others.
Achievements and goals
During the meeting, the institution’s achievements and goals were presented to establish strategies to systematically reduce the incidence and prevalence of the crimes included in the plan.
According to Vice President Herrera, “This approach is aligned with the Government Plan and the General Government Policy 2024-2028, focusing on the protection of women and working closely with municipalities impacted by high rates of violence.”
She stressed the importance of implementing strategies based on evidence to strengthen institutional capacities and promote the fight against crimes of sexual violence, exploitation, and human trafficking.
Finally, Vice President Herrera underscored the need to develop concrete actions to improve police responses and the justice system and address the causes of these crimes.
