Guatemala is home to over 17 million people with a vibrant mix of Spanish and Mayan cultures, boasting a beautiful and unique ecosystem. But many people here experience high levels of poverty, violence and instability.
For many cultural, historical and social reasons, sexual violence is prevalent, especially child sexual abuse and domestic violence. Few perpetrators are brought to justice, with slow and cumbersome judicial processes that are hard to navigate and are far from child-friendly. Cultural attitudes towards children and women leads to silencing of victims, shame and impunity - a result being violence becoming the everyday norm.
Kids Alive has been working in Guatemala for about 20 years, providing a wide range of loving Christian interventions for victims – including the pursuit of justice – while advocating for reform and cultural change. Our work breaks down into three key projects.