Guatemala's forgotten children

Thousands of children living in Guatemala's streets face routine beatings, thefts, and sexual assaults at the hands of the National Police and private security guards (who are under the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry). More serious crimes against street children, including assassination and torture, have lessened since the early 1990s, but still occur. More than ten other street children were murdered in 1996 under suspicious circumstances. Hundreds of other cases involving crimes against street children, however, remain stalled; most are never even investigated. Crimes against street children are a low priority for police investigators, particularly when a fellow officer is implicated. In contrast to the impunity enjoyed by police offenders, juvenile offenders, and even non-offenders, are dealt with harshly.