Trafficking in children in Guatemala
Louis Michel, Member of the Commission. (FR) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Commission is very aware of the situation in Guatemala, as reported on by a variety of United Nations special envoys, as well as by the European Parliament delegation despatched to Guatemala in April. Within the framework of implementing the 1996 peace agreements, defending human rights is a key priority in our relations with Guatemala.
Regarding the adoption of children, the Commission has, since 2004, supported the actions regularly taken by the European Union in respect of the Guatemalan authorities. These actions enable us to express our concern about the failure properly to implement The Hague Convention. The contacts between the European Union and UNICEF have also been satisfactory in this regard, particularly on the occasion of the recent visit to Guatemala by the Secretary General of the Hague Conference, Mr van Loon. This visit enabled a climate more favourable to the necessary implementation of the aforesaid convention to be created. At the same time, the Commission supports a series of cooperation projects concerning the problems surrounding the trafficking in children in Guatemala and the fight against child pornography, and it does this within the framework of the ‘country’ strategy for the period 2007 – 2013, which is in the process of being defined. We intend to supplement and increase these efforts by means of a cooperation policy entirely focused on the protection and overall affirmation of children and young people, particularly young people and families at risk.
The Commission has also associated itself with a variety of actions by the European Union in support of, in particular, the Interior Minister and the Public Prosecutor. These have enabled us to express our concern about the human rights situation, including the growing violence against women and the attacks on those organisations set up to protect human rights. In terms of cooperation, the overall indicative budget of the European Union allocated to Guatemala in the area of human rights and democratisation for the period 2002 – 2006 amounts to EUR 18 million. This aid includes support for the judicial authority and for the office of the human rights public prosecutor in the rural areas. The Commission has also launched a specific ‘gender’ programme, aimed more specifically at indigenous women and equipped with a budget of EUR 6 million.
Finally, the Commission has approved a budget of EUR 1.2 million in support of establishing the office – due to be ready by July 2005 – of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Guatemala.
Where our future cooperation is concerned, the absolute priorities in our relations with Guatemala are still social cohesion, rural and local development, including the definition of a comprehensive food aid strategy, and, finally, the advancement of the indigenous peoples.
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