VZCZCXYZ0006
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHGT #1208 1701837
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191837Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3039
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 4348

UNCLAS GUATEMALA 001208 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KJUS EAID KDEM KCRM PGOV GT
SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION ASSISTS IN 
PROSECUTION OF GUATEMALAN CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE CASES 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  International Justice Mission 
representatives discussed with us the organization's 
successes in assisting the Guatemalan Attorney General's 
Office in prosecuting child sexual abuse cases.  They 
estimated a 90 percent conviction rate in Guatemala for the 
select group of cases it accepts each year and stressed that 
IJM's mission is structural change to ensure the rights of 
the child.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Poloff met with Elizabeth Vitell, International 
Justice Mission (IJM) Regional Director for Latin America, 
and Pablo Villeda, Guatemala Office Director, on June 11. 
Vitell described IJM as a faith-based, case-oriented 
organization established in 1997 that takes on individual 
cases of oppression and injustice in 14 countries worldwide, 
including bonded labor and human trafficking in India, 
illicit land expropriation in Africa, and unprosecuted rape 
cases in Guatemala. 
 
¶3. (U) Vitell emphasized that IJM only works in countries 
that prohibit the targeted conduct and that its staff, which 
includes lawyers, social workers, trained investigators, and 
psychologists, engage in a range of activities, from 
conducting investigations and collecting evidence to 
presenting testimony, transporting witnesses to hearings, and 
reintegrating rescued victims.  In Latin America, IJM's 
newest region, IJM has a presence in Guatemala, Bolivia, 
Honduras, and Peru.  Guatemalan cases are referred to them by 
local NGOs, the municipality, and the Attorney General's 
Office. 
 
¶4. (SBU) According to Guatemala Office Director Villeda, IJM 
has had a presence in Guatemala since 2005 and is currently 
staffed by a team of eight employees and two volunteers.  The 
Guatemala Office has focused solely on cases in Guatemala 
City and has appeared as a third party in legal actions under 
provisions of the ILO convention on the rights of the child. 
When asked whether it has been targeted by threats or other 
acts of intimidation in Guatemala, Villeda responded that 
there have been no threats against the organization, in part 
because it keeps a very low profile.  Regional Director 
Vitell explained that IJM does not publicize its work, 
evangelize its clients, or interfere with the local justice 
system. 
 
¶5. (U) Vitell estimated IJM's conviction rate in Guatemala is 
90 percent, with an average of 22 cases per year.  She 
acknowledged, however, that IJM does not accept every case 
referred to them, but rather focuses on child sexual abuse 
cases and uses a 10-step casework methodology to determine 
which cases to accept.  The methodology assesses sufficiency 
of evidence, culpability, and other relevant factors.  IJM 
works in partnership with the University of Rafael Landivar 
Legal Clinic and is part of a local victims assistance 
network. 
 
¶6. (U) Vitell noted that the organization has good relations 
with local attorneys, and that it assists the Attorney 
General's Office in preparing evidence and preparing 
witnesses, while giving the Office full credit.  She stressed 
that the goal is structural change to effectively prevent and 
prosecute cases of child sexual abuse, most of whom have been 
abused by family members.  She noted that the municipality 
has a shelter for high-risk children, and that Fundacion de 
Castillo has good shelters where children can stay for six 
months, or longer if granted an extension by a judge. 
 
¶7. (U) Comment:  IJM's successes in assisting prosecutors 
achieve convictions in rape and sexual abuse cases are an 
example of how outside experts, like the UN-proposed 
International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala 
(CICIG), can greatly improve prosecution rates in Guatemala. 
Derham