Guatemala made official today the reforms to the Law of the Penitentiary Regime, approved by Congress a couple of weeks ago in order to protect the rights and integrity of children and teenagers.
Through a publication in the CentralAmerica Newspaper, a Government news website, the change to article 21 referred to the entrance to prisons, in order to prevent minors from being victims of sexual exploitation, was published.
It detailed that the prison authorities will verify that the spouse, cohabitant or partner for an intimate visit is of legal age, for which they will create and implement a Unique Registration and Control System.
This -according to the regulation- will take effect within a maximum term of 18 months as from the entry into force of the present Law, the responsibility of which falls on the General Directorate of the Penitentiary System.
The Vice President of the country, Karin Herrera, explained here that a little more than 10 months ago the search for a Law focused on this issue began, when the Executive went to the Legislative to address the situation and put forward the proposal.
The authority pointed out that Decree 3-2025 focused on the prevention and punishment of trafficking with a forceful measure, marking another step forward in the protection of minors.
In 2023 and 2024 alone, more than 15 people were prosecuted for crimes related to sexual violence against children and teenagers in the penitentiary system, Herrera, a biochemist by profession, recalled.
This happened, she criticized, due to the lack of essential controls to prevent children and adolescents from becoming victims of human trafficking. (https://www.plenglish.com/news/2025/03/03/guatemala-makes-official-reforms-to-the-penitentiary-regime-law/)
