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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
February 1, 2007
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| January 13, 2007 |
A Decade After War, Guatemala Still Needs Healing – Marlon Cordova |
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| Marlon Cordova, right, helped educate Peace Boat participants about Guatemala |
Eleven years ago, Guatemala's horrific 36-year long war officially ended with the signing of a peace treaty. Violence persists in the country, however, much of it aimed at women and children, according to volunteer and NGO consultant Marlon Cordova of Guatemala. Mr. Cordova works in Villa Nueva, a region that has experienced high rates of gang violence and violence in the home. He joined Peace Boat's 55th voyage to talk to participants about efforts being made to make Villa Nueva a genuinely safe and peaceful place to live. |
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| A Guatemalan boy visits a memorial dedicated to those killed during the war |
According to Mr. Cordova, when he and others concerned about Villa Nueva began looking into who was behind the many robberies and other crimes in the area, they discovered that the many of them were war orphans. The war in Guatemala left 400,000 children without parents, most of them from indigenous Maya tribes. Many of these orphans also lost the opportunity to receive an education. Stranded in society, some turned to gangs to find belonging and protection. To address this problem, organizations such as the Council for the Prevention of Crime and MSD/USAID started to help young people form soccer teams and gave them equipment and uniforms. They also started to help rebuild the community by helping to fix roads, repair homes and schools, and construct police stations. “I was walking through streets controlled by gangs on my way to work. It wasn't safe for me, or for others, and I had to do something,” said Mr. Cordova. Because so many people in Villa Nueva cooperated in these projects to build peace, many of the streets are no longer under gang control, he reported. |
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| In Guatemala, girls are the most vulnerable to abuse inside the home |
In addition to working on public safety issues, Mr. Cordova has been working to ensure that violence does not occur within the home. “There are women and children who suffer physical, mental, and sexual violence in their own homes,” he said. Most of it is sexual violence, and girls are most at risk of abuse by a family member. “None of this should be tolerated. No man has the right to abuse a woman physically, mentally, or sexually,” he declared. To raise awareness about this issue, Mr. Cordova regularly visits schools and other institutions to hand out information and give talks on the subject. He also volunteers time at a police station, helping to advise women who report being abused and directing them to a shelter that can offer them free protection, counseling, and legal aid. Guatemala is not alone in these issues, however, Mr. Cordova stressed. Domestic violence occurs around the world, and all of us need to become more conscious of it. |
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| Peace Boat helped gather dozens of soccer balls to give to children in Villa Nueva |
When Peace Boat called in Guatemala in mid-January, Mr. Cordova led a Study Programme to a school in Villa Nueva and helped Peace Boat participants deliver donated soccer balls to local children. Currently, he is working on a project to build more latrines for the crowded schools in the area. Love and a sense of responsibility for his country, for his family, and for everyone in his community keep him motivated at every step. “I was so impressed by Marlon's deep devotion to his country,” said one participant. “What he is doing is true patriotism.” For more information about Marlon or the organizations he is involved with, e-mail marloncordova10[at]yahoo.com |
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