In the Department of San Marcos, it is estimated that 268,495 women have suffered gender violence. This means that 49% of women suffer domestic violence in their homes, which is a staggering figure, considering that for reasons of fear, shame or intimacy, an important percentage of women have avoided answering this question.

 

However, of the 1,800 complaints filed in 2015, only 253 reached pending status in the Court of Departmental Femicide.

72% of women (especially in rural areas) must ask permission from their husbands to leave home, and 30% of women claim to have suffered some form of discrimination in the justice system for being a woman.

Strengthen the Thread strives to change this situation so ingrained in our society. We desire to continue accompanying cases of violence to the justice system, and to break the cycle of violence through political empowerment and the vindication of our rights, as well as through economic empowerment.

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Therefore, the production of handicrafts is a vital tool for us to achieve our goal: to become independent!

For more information on gender violence in Guatemala, see the following links:

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Violence against Indigenous women in Guatemala

Gender violence reaches epidemic levels in Guatemala

Cases of gender violence in Guatemala go unreported for fear of reprisals