Maria's story
As a child, Doña Maria was neglected and put to work by her parents. She married very young, hoping for a new life. Her husband soon became abusive, especially when drunk, but, seeing no clear alternative, she stayed with him. It was not until she was expecting her fifth child that she finally fled with her children to Quetzaltenango. After her baby was born, she managed to find work that she could carry out with this new baby strapped to her back. Guatemala has no social security benefits or support structures so this work is essential in order for her to provide for her family, but it means that she is out of the house for long hours every day, leaving her 10 year old daughter, Julia, to keep an eye on her 8 year old brother and to care for her 5 year old sister and 2 year old brother. Sometimes, to allow Julia to go to school, her 8 year old brother, Pablo, stays home to care for the younger ones.
Outline of Problems
Maria's
story is not an unusual one. Although the signing of the peace accords
in December 1996 brought an official end to over 36 years of vicious
civil war,
Guatemala continues to struggle with significant social and economic
difficulties. Over half of the population live in poverty, with one
fifth living in extreme
poverty. There are particularly high levels of domestic violence. There
are also a considerable number of single mothers, many of them very
young. Because
mothers have to do whatever work they can to support their children,
young children are often left in the care of slightly older children.
8 year olds,
like Pablo, may have to skip school to care for a 5 year old and a
2 year old. Over half of children under 5 years old suffer chronic
malnutrition, and of
these one fifth are severely malnourished . Many children
suffer neglect, physically, mentally and emotionally.