Human Security
We support communities in the struggles of and attainment of their basic rights for human security including the right to health, the right to education, the right to work, the right to livelihood, and the right to freedom. Our efforts focus on supporting our partners in their struggle of basic human rights. We see community leadership and empowerment as fundamental drivers for upholding human rights by holding governments and institutions accountable to the people.
Some subthemes in this area include basic human rights such as the right to health, right to work, right to livelihood; the Guatemalan government’s response to COVID-19 and hurricane affected communities; ongoing militarization of the country; feminicide; as well as threats, intimidation and violence against human rights defenders.
Related posts about security
Events for International Development Week 2021
Thanks to the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation for hosting IDW 2021! You are invited to our International Development Week event! Join BTS Cooperants Laura and Indigo for an interactive Lunch & Learn about coffee, justice movements in Guatemala, and the ways that they’re connected. We’ll dive into the history [...]
EMERGENCY SOLIDARITY FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN FOR BTS PARTNERS
Dear BTS Friends, Right now, your commitment to justice, hope, and solidarity on a local and global scale is more important than ever. The Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network has supported the efforts of Guatemalans struggling for political, social and economic justice since 1988. We are bound by a long-term [...]
APG Letter to Minister Garneau: Concern Regarding Undermining of Human Rights Ombudsman in Guatemala
February 17, 2021 The Honourable Marc Garneau, P.C., M.P. Minister of Foreign Affairs House of Commons Ottawa, On K1A 0A2 Dear Minister Garneau: We write you on behalf of the Americas Policy Group (APG) to express our concern regarding efforts of the government of Guatemala to undermine the [...]
BTS Website Launch & Social
Join us for the launch of our new website and connect with members of the network. The evening will feature a performance from musician Erick Carillo and insights from Festivales Solidarios!Festivales Solidarios is a group of Indigenous and Meztizo youth in Guatemala who use art and social media in resistance [...]
Updates from BTS Partners
Highlands Committee of Small Farmers (CCDA) Our friends at the CCDA continue their incredible work of community organizing in response to the many challenges faced. The end of 2020 brought on many difficulties with regards to the continuous violence and criminalization against land defenders. The CCDA continues to provide support [...]
Conviction of Hudbay’s ex-security chief in Guatemala
Photo: Angelica Choc and German Chub On January 6, 2020 a judge in Puerto Barrios, in Eastern Guatemala accepted the guilty plea of Mynor Padilla for the murder of community leader Adolfo Ich Chaman and injury to German Chub Caal, Haroldo Cucul and Alejandro Acte. Padilla was the head of [...]
Attack against Julio Gonzalez of the Escobal Mine Resistance
On the morning of Saturday, January 16, Julio Gonzalez was shot by unknown assailants in his home in an assasination attempt. Julio is an extraordinary young man. He was one of the first people who spoke out against the Escobal mine in Mataquescuintla, now owned by Canadian company Pan American [...]
Guatemala Update ~ January 2021
Heading into 2021 Guatemala was recuperating from a series of environmental and political storms. The end of the hurricane season wrapped up after a higher than usual amount of rain which saturated the soils across the country and exacerbated the devastation brought on by the tailends of hurricanes Eta and [...]