Document #1003660
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
For reports on forced recruitment in
Guatemala, please find attached a copy of two documents which
describe the practice:
-Guatemala: Eternal Spring - Eternal Tyranny, (New
York/London: W. W. Norton & Co., 1987), pp. 45-46;
-Closing the Space: Human Rights in Guatemala May 1987 - October
1988, (Washington, D.C./ New York: Americas Watch, November
1988), p. 16.
Although Eternal Spring reports 1984
and 1986 cases of rounding-up of young men for recruitment under
different circumstances such as at soccer games or on their way to
a local dance, references to under-age men being picked up from
high schools or publicity of an upcoming recruitment raid could not
be found among the sources currently available to the IRBDC.
In the attached Americas Watch report (late
1988), conscription is reported as being "carried out in most areas
among the lower classes".
Americas Watch researchers, as communicated
by telephone to the IRBDC on 20 June 1990, stated that Americas
Watch has received recent reports of a "wave" of recruitment for
the Guatemalan army having taken place a few months ago. Some cases
of forced recruitment of minors have also been reported, although
the forced recruitment of minors is reportedly not legal. The
source added that forced recruitment is practised in the cities,
big and small, as well as rural areas, although recruitment in
rural areas is sometimes for the civil patrols and not for the
regular army. Finally, the source commented that no reports of
publicity of upcoming recruitment raids have been received or heard
of, adding that the element of surprise is essential to the
practice of forced recruitment, since the usual response of the
population fit for recruitment is to flee as soon as a recruitment
raid is known to be taking place.
22 June 1990
Guatemala: Follow-up to information request
on how widespread is forced recruitment of under-age men into the
Guatemalan army, are recruitment raids publicized in local
communities prior to the arrival of the army and are young men
picked up from high schools? Does this happen only in rural or less
populated areas? 1985-1990
From:
Immigration and Refugee Board Documentation
Centre, Ottawa
Keywords:
Guatemala / military service / forced
conscription / education / higher education
In addition to the information sent two
days ago, please find attached a copy of an article found in the
recently arrived issue of Central America Report (Guatemala:
Infopress Centroamericana) of 11 May 1990: "Army's forced
recruitment criticized".