Group items tagged

Many countries-Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, and Cuba-are considering it mandatory to teach sexual education in primary schools. Many believe that the exclusion of sexual education has impacted the number of cases of sexual abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and teenage pregnancies. The goal is to bring awareness to these issues in hopes of decreasing the rates and to teach children how to make choices responsibly.

Almost all of Latin America is required to provide sexual education classes for their students, however, these laws are widely ignored. Many children do not receive the proper knowledge about sex until the age of 12 or 13, even though a study conducted in Cuba shows that this is the age children are becoming sexual active. Without the knowledge of the issues of sex it leads to an increase in sexual abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and many abandoned babies. The article also states that children in Argentina do not receive sexual education at all because of the conservative sectors in the area. Many committees and groups are lobbying to help make sexual education more prevalent in students education.

This article discusses the role of sexual education and how it affects the prevention of STDs, unplanned pregnancies, sexual abuse, and HIV/AIDS. Many countries in Latin America have laws stating that sexual education must be taught at schools, however in many of these countries this is not happening. Studies have shown that because these children are not receiving sexual education there are higher rates of unplanned pregnancy, STDs, sexual assault, and earlier ages of engaging in dangerous sexual activities.

This article discusses about a group of mothers/grandmothers and their attempt to reconstruct their lives during and after living in Argentina's "Dirty War". They protested to be reunited with their children/grandchildren who were kidnapped by the military. We see here a group of women trying to strengthen a post-conflict society. Through passive activism, "Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo" confronted the government and voiced for those who were silenced; restoring what was lost during the war.

This is the website of a human rights group that, while specific to Argentina, reflects the nature of the political turbulence which many Latin American countries have endured, contextualizing the contemporary political situations. Their continued work provides insight into the role that women play in Latin American society and activism.

Recently in Guatemala, many Catholics and Christians were involved in a Peace Walk protesting the excessive amount of violence, murders, abductions, rapes, drug addiction, and violence stemming from drugs. The walk was aimed to represent the extreme necessity of security that needs to be brought into Guatemala. During the protest, people used religion to preach for peace by holding signs that read "through Jesus and Mary we can have peace." Gangs such as maras are causing an overall insecurity throughout Guatemala (a recent study stated that 78 percent of Guatemalans are afraid to go out in the street and 90 percent are afraid of kidnapping). Everyday the people of Guatemala are threatened not knowing if either themselves or a loved one will be harmed in some way. Until changes are made and there is more security, the people of Guatemala call upon God and protest.

over 10,000 Catholic and Christian Guatemalans protested their frustration over violence and drug abuse. Crime has increased drastically over the past year in Guatemala, with 6292 murders. Cardinal Quezada Toruno spoke to the protesters in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Guatemala and turned to god and social activism to help decrease violence and crime in Guatemala.

In many countries throughout Latin America, bullfighting is one of the most historical, most attractive activities. However, its cruel abuse to the bulls is a very controversial topic. According to this article, "approximately 250,000 bulls die each year" in Latin America and Europe combined. Some people argue that bullfighting should be abolished and tagged as illegal because of its cruelty to the animals. But others believe that it is unfair to deprive one of his own culture. This article provides a brief look into the complicated debate.

In this article from The New York Times in January 1993, the rise of AIDS in women in Latin America is discussed. Similarly to in Gutmann's findings, the fidelity of husbands is questioned as the reason for the rise in women's infections. With men having sexual affairs, they are contributing to the rise of AIDS in females.

Though it is not focused on Latin America, this source examines how involvement in religion inhibits criminal activity.

Many people in Latin America are living with HIV and although this region is often overlooked, it has a very high number of people living with the disease. Most levels of the infection in Latin America are found in men who have sex with men or MSM. This information, though, is often hidden due to the 'machismo' culture of men in Latin America.

this article talks about the prevelance of HIV/AIDS in latin america. It says that HIV is found mostley in "men who have sex with other men" and how not many people know this because of the machismo mentality in latin america.

More than half of Latin Americans living with HIV live in the regions four largest countries. The highest levels of HIV are found within men who have sex with men. Latin American countries make little effort to provide AID services that address the needs of men who are sexually active with other men. Drug use is also a major factor in the spread of HIV.

This web source aims to educate the public about the ongoing gay and lesbian themes found in Latin American writing. Through writing, Latin Americans have been able to express the political corruption and oppression gay communities face. Also, there are many sources on this website that lead to further evaluation!

In December of 2005, a bus driving in Honduras was stopped by gunmen in the notorious street gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and had chosen their victims at random. The attack was meant as a protest generated towards the government's crackdown on gang activities. As the United States shifts its focus to the Middle East, it is ignoring a dangerous problem close to home, and the gangs have grown in power and numbers.

Gangs that started in the slums of the United States slowly shifted back to the homelands of these Central American members without warning local governments. An explosive growth in youth populations with social problems like that of poverty and unemployment are resulting in the the rapid spread of gangs north into Mexico and even back to the United States. Gangs are bringing in rampant crime, partaking in drug trade, and committing murders on innocent civilians. These gangs are threatening the strength of their weak government, who no longer know what to do to solve this ongoing issue that only seems to be getting worse.

Venezuela, under the rule of Hugo Chavez, expelled the U.S. Evangelical group "New Tribes Mission" in 2005. The group was active in indigenous communities in Latin America for over fifty years. The Venezuelan government believed that they were westernizing indigenous people by force, and blaming them of things, but disguising it as preaching the gospel.

In 2005, President Hugo Chavez accused New Tribes Mission, an Evangelical group from the US, of being "agents of imperialist penetration" and expelled them from Venezuela. The group had lived and worked in indigenous communities in Venezuela for many years, translating the Bible into indigenous languages to convert people. Their expulsion came soon after American televangelist Pat Robertson declared that the US government should have President Chavez assassinated.

The article entitled "Guatemala's 'Femicide' Crisis" seeks to explain the implications of the unnecessary and brutal mass killings occurring amongst women in Guatemala mostly by male gangs. Because the killings have exceeded such an unusual extent, it has been deemed a "Femicide", otherwise known as a "Gendercide" or a genocide directed mainly against females. The ages of girls or women discussed in this article being raped, beaten, and murdered range from three year old toddlers to middle aged women. Not only do gangs of men perform these acts for no reason other to establish masculinity within their affinity groups. Moreover, the law enforcement agencies are so corrupt that it was said, "justice imposed by the state is non-existent" and "only two per cent of crimes against women are solved." This article seeks to establish the problem that is still going on even after the forty-year civil war while other chosen articles are determined to look for solutions.

Indigenous groups of Guatemala are making efforts to pass a bill which will create a wave band or community radio stations. For indigenous cultures, which makes up 80% of the Guatemala population, the radio is the only form of expression through their own language. Community radio stations are vital for indigenous groups because many indigenous women are illiterate and the prominent forms of media are only carried out in Spanish. A lack of communication between indigenous cultures could result in death. If this bill is passed, it will give indigenous groups the opportunity to contribute to Guatemalan society and will help them gain free speech.

Lorenzo Rosebaugh, a catholic priest, was killed in Guatemala in May of last year. Although the crime rate in Guatemala is very high, this killing brought new attention to crime and violence in Guatemala. Religion is very important to Latin American cultures, which makes this death stand out to society.The Guatemalan government needs to take steps to increase security and improve their leadership to help alleviate crime in their country. If the Government does not intervene and help the lives of their citizens, Guatemala could face a deleterious outcome.

In the article printed in the Guatemala Times published on May 21, 2009, the Human Rights Office of the Archbishop of Guatemala calls for the investigation into the murder of Lorenzo Rosebaugh, a catholic priest that was killed in Ixcan on the May 18th. The article continues to discuss the big issue of violence and the lack of leadership that exists in Guatemala today. They call for the government to make a strategic plan in order to protect their citizens against this violence, especially those that are involved in many of the illegal activities that are occurring.

This is a link to former Guatemalan president, Efrain Rios Montt Christian faith organization. He is an official minister of this California based Evangelical church. Montt is former dictator of Guatemala and regarded as one of the country's most brutal leaders, ever. Perhaps his faith shows his humane side or maybe the man is just ashamed of his past and covers it up by being active in the church he found.

This site offers a number of links pertaining to post-war society in Guatemala. Interesting here is the comparison and grouping of post-war Guatemala and post-war Camboia together, two countries with a recent civil war.

The "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation," formally known as "the School of the Americas" is a United States Department of Defense facility in Fort Benning, Georgia. The school is responsible for training a multitude of Latin American soldiers and policeman, many of whom have been responsible for a number of human rights violations. Graduates from the school include Guatemala's Efraín Ríos Montt, one of the most notorious generals of the Guatemalan army and president during part of the civil war. The SOA Watch is an advocacy organization formed in protest of the training methods utilized by the WHISC, including classes on torture and interrogation, jungle warfare, and how to preform a military Coup d'états.