HomeNewsBriefGuatemalan Officials, Lawyers Accused Of Using Child Prostitutes
BRIEF

Guatemalan Officials, Lawyers Accused Of Using Child Prostitutes

GUATEMALA / 18 JUL 2013 BY MIRIAM WELLS EN

In a scandal that highlights official tolerance of illegal sex, authorities in Guatemala have dismantled a child prostitution ring allegedly involving high-ranking officials. 

Five people accused of selling children for sex and six suspected clients have been captured, including the son of a Supreme Court magistrate, lawyer Cesar Barrientos Aguirre, reported Prensa Libre.

The arrests follow the rescue of various victims in the southwestern department of Suchitepequez last December, alongside three suspected human traffickers. Barrientos was defending two of those three suspects during a court hearing in January when he was apparently recognized by one of the child victims.

It is alleged that "exclusive" clients -- including doctors, senators, and other government officials -- paid between $75 and $255 for sex with girls aged between 13 and 17, reported Prensa Libre. The children received $12 to $24 for each "activity," said prosecutors.

Two Suchitepequez mayors were also among the clients, according to Leonal Dubon, the director of a children's refuge who was named one of the US Department of State's Trafficking In Persons 'Heroes' in its 2011 report.

Prosecutors requested that the case involving the three suspected human traffickers arrested in December be moved to a court in Guatemala City; however, their petition was denied, with critics claiming it was because of Barrientos' relation to the Supreme Court magistrate. 

InSight Crime Analysis

Prostitution is legal in Guatemala, but all forms of trafficking are prohibited. All prostitution involving minors is also illegal. However the United Nations Special Rapporteur on child trafficking Najay Maalla M’jid warned last year that child prositution was still a significant problem in the country, exacerbated by an inefficient judical system and high levels of impunity.

SEE MORE: Of Slaves and Serfs: Guatemala's 'Occupied' Bodies

Guatemala has made some moves towards tackling the issue of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Last year the government announced it would set up a special unit to deal specifically with human trafficking cases. 

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

ARGENTINA / 15 SEP 2022

Human traffickers in Argentina are using legitimate business to continue their illicit activities and elude authorities.

ELITES AND CRIME / 25 JAN 2022

A fugitive former minister linked to a multi-million dollar cash seizure has turned himself over to Guatemalan authorities at an…

EL SALVADOR / 3 OCT 2022

Extortion in the Northern Triangle is predominantly done from prisons, yet prison populations have been on the rise.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…