No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCentral AmericaGuatemalaThe life the migrants leave behind: The children of Guatemala

The life the migrants leave behind: The children of Guatemala

ANTIGUA, Guatemala – Walk the streets of Guatemala and children are everywhere. They’re hoisted on their parents’ shoulders, blasting trumpets or banging drums in school parades, or playing pickup games of soccer. The luckier ones attend private schools and wear crisp uniforms. The most impoverished might walk barefoot, or chase after tourists in hopes of selling a trinket. Others offer a shoeshine for less than a dollar.

Almost half of Guatemalans are younger than 19, making their country the youngest in Latin America. That means nearly 7 million citizens were not alive in 1996 when government and guerrilla leaders signed a peace accord ending a bloody 36-year civil war.

But negotiated peace has done little to improve conditions in Guatemala. According to statistics tracked by several international organizations, the country lags behind most of its neighbors on measures of health care, education, literacy, malnutrition and public safety.

Migrant Children of Guatemala
Washington Post photo by Michael S. Williamson

That’s a major reason why so many families, mostly from the impoverished rural western region of Guatemala, have decided in recent years to send young children north to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. An influx of unaccompanied children from Mexico and Central America this summer strained federal agencies and sparked a new flash point in the years-long debate over immigration policy.

As each child’s case is reviewed by U.S. officials, some will be reunited with family members in the United States, and others will be sent back.

Once they return to Guatemala, “We have to put forth the effort and have the capacity to receive them, and take them to their place of origin, and once they’re home, provide them with education and with the social programs to help their families,” Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina said in a recent interview with The Washington Post.

But Molina couldn’t detail how that process will unfold. It could take several months, maybe even years, to fully implement.

By then, the young faces will be older. Will they grow into adulthood and stay in Guatemala? Or will they, like so many other countrymen, try going north?

Migrant Children of Guatemala
Washington Post photo by Michael S. Williamson

© 2014, The Washington Post

Trending Now

El Salvador Sees Big Gains from Bitcoin Price Surge

El Salvador has gained $443 million from the rise in Bitcoin's value, a cryptocurrency the country began acquiring nearly four years ago under the...

Meet the Bats of Costa Rica from Tent Makers to Fish Hunters

Costa Rica is home to around 220 species of non-marine mammals. Roughly half of those species, 117 is the current number, are the type...

El Salvador NGO Flees to Guatemala as Bukele Intensifies Crackdown on Critics

The prestigious NGO Cristosal, which investigates corruption cases and denounces human rights violations in El Salvador, announced Thursday that it has been forced into...

Starbucks Expands in Guanacaste with New Store Opening in Tamarindo

Starbucks continues to strengthen its presence in Costa Rica with the opening of its second store in the province of Guanacaste, specifically in Tamarindo....

Costa Rican Economists Raise Alarm Over U.S. Cash Transfer Tax

In 2026, the U.S. government will impose a 1% tax on cash remittances sent from the United States to Latin America. Electronic transfers will...

Panama Removed from EU High-Risk List, but Tax Haven Status Remains

The film The Laundromat, starring Meryl Streep, damaged Panama's reputation by drawing inspiration from a real-life story: the global scandal that erupted a decade...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica