Dear Friend of DRI,
I hope this note finds you well. Your support of our work has never been more needed or more appreciated.
I’d like to share with you the story of the government run Hogar Seguro (Safe Home) orphanage in Guatemala and one of the most gut-wrenching and difficult investigations DRI has ever done.
Washington, DC - September 8, 2017 - After years of monitoring conditions, advocacy, and negotiations, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has called on the government of Guatemala to take major steps toward the closure of its psychiatric hospital Federico Mora, called one of the most dangerous in the world by the BBC. During a series of meetings with Disability Rights International (DRI) and the Guatemalan government, held this week in Mexico City, the IACHR has called on Guatemala to:
After the orphanage fire that killed 41 girls in March 2017, the government of Guatemala must locate and identify the survivors and provide the support necessary for all survivors to live with their families or in the community, says the Inter-American Commision on Human Rights this week during a meeting with Disability Rights International.Guatemala City - August 9, 2017 - After years of abuse, violence, and exploitation in orphanages and psychiatric institutions, Guatemala must take urgent action to return children to their families and psychiatric detainees to the community, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights stated in a press statement released this weekend during a visit in Guatemala.
Washington, DC - March 22, 2017 - DRI Executive Director Eric Rosenthal has published an op-ed on the deadly orphanage fire in Guatemala in the Washington Post. Since the tragic fire that left 40 girls dead on March 8, DRI has been working to protect the survivors - many children who survived the fire have been dumped into other institutions around the country. Rosenthal calls on Guatemala to take this opportunity to redirect funding for orphanages to support families instead and finale close orphanages for good.
Washington, DC - March 15, 2017 - Today, DRI released a new report After the Fire: Survivors of Hogar Seguro Virgen de la Asunción at risk. The report details what happened to the survivors of the fire at the institution and the grave danger that they are still in as they are moved to other institutions in Guatemala.
Washington, DC, Guatemala City - March 9, 2017 - 31 teenage girls have perished in a so-called "safe house" outside Guatemala City, Guatemala, because they were locked in their room during a fire. The girls were protesting the sexual abuse and trafficking they were subjected to in the institution - leading to being locked in the room as punishment.