Orphanage Fire in Guatemala Reflects Dire Situation in Central America

Two weeks ago, at least 40 girls died in a fire at an orphanage in San Jose Pinula, Guatemala.

The facility was fitted to host 500 children, though there were an estimated 700 girls staying there at the time of the blaze. The fire is confirmed to have been started when several girls set fire to a mattress with a match in protest of the conditions at the facility.

The previous day, accusations of mistreatment and sexual abuse of the minors at the facility culminated in a riot. During that riot, 60 or so girls escaped from the facility, but were brought back by riot police and were locked in their classroom for hours.

This tragedy comes after allegations of widespread abuse at the orphanage. There are reports that girls had been beaten, raped, and subjected to other atrocities. Three teachers had even been convicted of rape.

This situation was not unknown, as the Guatemalan government has criticized the operations at the orphanage for the past three years. But the abuse continued up until the fire, and the Guatemalan government did not address the matter sufficiently.

A significant factor that has led to thousands of children being abandoned and neglected is violence from the gang war. Drug trafficking and violent criminal gangs run rampant in these countries, wreaking havoc on society.

Transnational criminal organizations make billions in profits from the trafficking of illicit goods, weapons, and people in and around the region. Their activities have contributed to the Northern Triangle countries of Central America having some of the highest murder rates in the world.

These gangs also wreak havoc in the United States, as shown in a recent case in which two Houston-based MS-13 gang members killed a girl in a satanic ritual.

Another factor enabling this deterioration of conditions is the weak governance in the region. In 2015, Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina, alongside his vice president, were ousted after they were accused and later imprisoned for their role in a massive fraud racket.

While initially popular, the current president, Jimmy Morales, has fallen out of favor. Many are calling for his resignation, due to his brother and son being charged with corruption.

With this political instability, it is no surprise that the Guatemalan government has a hard time clamping down on criminal activity and securing its people. Instead, corruption remains high, murder is rampant, and gang wars are creating more orphans.

In order to resolve these problems in the long term, there will need to be a concerted effort in not only fighting these transnational organized crime gangs, but ensuring that the conditions that allow them to thrive are also dealt with.

It is in the United States’ strategic interests to help solve these problems. With an alleviation of the regional security crisis caused by drug crime, the problems of illegal immigration and gang violence facing the United States will likely subside.