WRITTEN QUESTION E-2983/97 by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Council (30 September 1997)

Subject: Treatment of street children by Guatemalan police

Human Rights Watch has recently published a report entitled 'Guatemala's forgotten children: Police violence and abuses in detention'.

The report urges the EU and Member States which grant aid to Guatemala to demand improvements in the way police treat street children. In particular, it urges that the Spanish Civil Guard, which runs training programmes for police in Guatemala, should attempt to educate the police there about respecting the human rights of these children and that the programmes should be cancelled if no marked improvements are achieved.

It also urges the EU to lay down criteria ensuring that no financial assistance is given to a juvenile justice system which violates children's rights and to protest against the use of solitary confinement and torture in children's detention centres.

What representations has the Council made to the Guatemalan authorities about the treatment of street children? Can the Council give details of the steps it is taking to link aid to Guatemala to respect for human rights? What action will the Council take in response to this report? Will the EU draw up a code of conduct for Member States granting aid to Guatemala to ensure that programmes such as those run by the Spanish Civil Guard bring tangible improvements to that country's human rights record?

Answer (16 February 1998)

The European Union attaches great importance to respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. In the framework of the dialogue and cooperation between the EU and the countries of Central America the promotion of human rights, including the issue of street children, is considered a fundamental objective.

The Council is not aware of any demarches by Member States to the Guatemalan authorities on the specific question of street children. One of the main objectives of EU aid to Guatemala, is, however, to improve the services and the work of the Guatemalan judiciary and police. Similarly, EU aid aims to strengthen Guatemalan human rights institutions such as the 'Procuraduria de los Derechos Humanos' (human rights watchdog body)

As regards the training programmes organized by the Spanish Civil Guard and by the International Technical Cooperation Department of the French police, it should be stressed that the Guatemalan police are made aware of the need to respect human rights, including children's rights, as part of their general training.

In a joint EC-Guatemala declaration of 6 June 1997 on the implementation of the European Community's contribution to the peace process in Guatemala, the parties agreed that cooperation over the period 1997-2000 would take place in the context of the Guatemalan Peace Agreement of December 1996. That agreement ended more than thirty years of armed conflict in Guatemala and paved the way for dialogue and understanding within Guatemalan society. In particular, the parties stressed their common attachment to, inter alia, full compliance with universal human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The Council will remain attentive to the particular problem of abuse of the street children in Guatemala, not only by members of the security forces, but also by semi-official and private groups, as well as by individuals linked to government agencies but operating without government consent.