IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1081 
Expressing the sympathy of House of Representatives to the families of 
women and girls murdered in Guatemala and encouraging the Govern-
ment of Guatemala to bring an end to these crimes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 14, 2006 
Mr. BURTON of Indiana (for himself, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. SOLIS, 
and Ms. LEE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on International Relations 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sympathy of House of Representatives to 
the families of women and girls murdered in Guatemala 
and encouraging the Government of Guatemala to bring 
an end to these crimes. 
Whereas Guatemalan women were among the victims during 
the 36-year Guatemalan internal armed conflict which 
ended with the signing of the 1996 Peace Accords and 
ushered in the process of reconciliation; 
Whereas since 2001, more than 2,000 women and girls have 
been murdered in Guatemala often proceeded by abduc-
tion, sexual assault, or brutal mutilation; 
Whereas from 2001 to 2006, the rate at which women have 
been murdered in Guatemala has increased sharply, at a 
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•HRES 1081 IH 
higher rate than the murder rate of men in Guatemala 
during the same period; 
Whereas the specific crime of femicide (the act of killing a 
woman where gender is a significant motivation in the 
killing) increased from 303 in 2001 to 395 in the first 
eight months of 2006, and based on well-established pat-
terns, it appears that this number could surpass 600 by 
the end of 2006; 
Whereas, according to reports from Guatemalan officials, 
most of the victims are women ranging in age from 18 
to 30 and many were abducted in broad daylight in well- 
populated areas; 
Whereas those murders have brought pain to the families and 
friends of the victims as they struggle to cope with the 
loss of their loved ones and the fact that the perpetrators 
of these heinous acts remain unknown to the proper au-
thorities; 
Whereas according to data from Guatemala’s Public Prosecu-
tors Office, few arrests and fewer convictions have taken 
place, leading to accusations that police, prosecutors, 
forensics experts, and other state justice officials have 
not brought the perpetrators to justice; 
Whereas inadequate financial, human, and technical re-
sources, as well as a lack of forensic and technical exper-
tise, has complicated the arrest and prosecution of sus-
pects; 
Whereas the Guatemalan Human Rights Ombudsman reports 
that on ten separate occasions police officers have been 
implicated in the murder of Guatemalan women and rec-
ommends that such officers and other officials be held ac-
countable for their acts; 
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•HRES 1081 IH 
Whereas the Guatemalan Special Prosecutor for Crimes 
Against Women, in her statements regarding the Guate-
malan murder cases, reported that her office has re-
viewed approximately 800 reports of domestic violence 
per month, with some of those cases ending in murder; 
Whereas the Government of Guatemala has undertaken ef-
forts to prevent violence against women, as evidenced by 
its ratification of the United Nations Convention Against 
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treat-
ment or Punishment, the United Nations Convention on 
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against 
Women, the Convention of Belem do Para, and other 
international human rights treaties, and the enactment of 
laws and the creation of state institutions to promote and 
protect the rights of women; 
Whereas in June 2006 the Government of Guatemala suc-
cessfully abolished the ‘‘Rape Law’’ which had absolved 
perpetrators of criminal responsibility for rape and cer-
tain other crimes of violence upon the perpetrator’s mar-
riage with the victim; 
Whereas the Government of Guatemala has created special 
police and prosecutorial units to address the brutal mur-
ders of Guatemalan women; 
Whereas Guatemalan legislators from various parties have 
joined lawmakers from Mexico and Spain to form the 
Interparliamentary Network against ‘‘Femicide’’; 
Whereas the Government of Guatemala has taken steps to re-
negotiate an agreement with the United Nations for the 
establishment of a Commission for Investigation of Illegal 
Bodies and Clandestine Security Organizations in Guate-
mala (CICIACS); and 
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•HRES 1081 IH 
Whereas continuing impunity for the crime of murder is a 
threat to the rule of law, democracy, and stability in 
Guatemala: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) expresses its sincerest condolences and 
deepest sympathy to the families of women and girls 
murdered in Guatemala; 
(2) expresses the solidarity of the people of the 
United States with the people of Guatemala in the 
face of these tragic and senseless acts; 
(3) condemns the ongoing abductions and mur-
ders of women and girls in Guatemala which have 
been occurring with increasing brutality and fre-
quency; 
(4) recognizes the courageous struggle of the 
victims’ families in seeking justice for the victims; 
(5) urges the Government of Guatemala to rec-
ognize domestic violence and sexual harassment as 
criminal acts; 
(6) encourages the Government of Guatemala 
to act with due diligence in order to investigate 
promptly the killings of women, prosecute those re-
sponsible, and eliminate the tolerance of violence 
against women; 
(7) supports efforts to identify perpetrators and 
unknown victims through forensic analysis, including 
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•HRES 1081 IH 
DNA testing, such as the National Institute for Fo-
rensic Science in Guatemala (INACIF) and encour-
ages such efforts to be conducted by independent, 
impartial experts; 
(8) urges the President and Secretary of State 
to continue to express support for the efforts of the 
victims’ families and loved ones to seek justice for 
the victims, to express concern relating to the con-
tinued harassment of these families and the human 
rights defenders with whom they work, and to ex-
press concern with respect to impediments in the 
ability of the families to receive prompt and accurate 
information in their cases; 
(9) encourages the Secretary of State to urge 
the Government of Guatemala to honor and dignify 
the victims of the brutal murders and to continue to 
include in the Department of State’s annual Country 
Reports on Human Rights Practices all instances of 
improper investigatory methods, threats against 
human rights activists, and the use of torture with 
respect to cases involving the murder and abduction 
of women and girls in Guatemala; 
(10) encourages the Secretary of State to urge 
the Government of Guatemala to hold accountable 
those law enforcement and judicial officials whose 
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•HRES 1081 IH 
failure to investigate and prosecute the murders ade-
quately, whether through negligence, omission, or 
abuse, has led to impunity for these crimes; 
(11) encourages the Secretary of State to sup-
port and urge the Government of Guatemala to take 
measures to ensure that the special Guatemalan po-
lice and prosecutorial units have an adequate num-
ber of appropriately trained personnel with sufficient 
resources to conduct thorough and proper investiga-
tions and prosecutions that reflect the gravity and 
magnitude of this national security crisis; 
(12) recommends that the United States Am-
bassador to Guatemala meet with the families of the 
victims, women’s rights organizations, and Guate-
malan officials responsible for investigating these 
crimes and preventing such future crimes; and 
(13) recommends that the Secretary of State 
develop a comprehensive plan to address and combat 
the growing problem of violence against women in 
Latin America. 
Æ 
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