This year, Guatemala is facing an extreme food shortage. 25 children have already died from starvation, and millions of communities are at risk for malnutrition. The UN Food Program has distributed nutritional biscuits to the most affected areas. The food shortage was brought on my drought which led crops to failure. This adds to the extreme figures of malnutrition, which almost half of Guatemala's children suffer from.

This article describes the distinct differences between the main square of Guatemala City of 1986 and 2006. In 1986 Guatemala was "just emerging from a ghastly civil war which claimed as many as 200,000 victims, the vast majority of them killed or forcibly abducted by the state security forces". In 2006, when the reporter traveled to Guatemala, he discovered a much more peaceful environment. As Guatemalans comes to terms with the violence that it has endured for the past three generations, they do not forget about their suffering. In the main square are 12 pillars that are engraved with the names of all those known to have died during the years civil conflict.

In 2005, 665 women were killed in Guatemala. The crimes are rarely investigated and not one has been solved. This article is gives first-hand accounts of the atrocious crimes committed. Because of the lack of investigation and corrupt police force, nothing is ever done to bring justice to the women and their families. Including the murders during 36 years of civil war, there have been three generations of killers who have murdered without punishment. The president of Guatemala, Oscar Berger, insists that he is optimistic of change in the form of better police forces. In truth, "the killings will not sop unless the justice system works".

This is an article from the NY Times that discusses the controversy surrounding the Supreme Court of Argentina's decision to decriminalize the private consumption of illicit drugs.

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Sao Paulo for a five-day visit to the world's most populous Roman Catholic nation. This article discusses what the Pope considers to be the main threat for the Roman Catholic church in the area: evangelical churches.

This article is a broad overview of Venezuela. It includes key facts about the media and government leaders.

Despite Being Largely Illegal, Abortion in Mexico is Far More Prevalent Than in the United States

While machismo is a concept that dictates many aspects of Latin American male behavior, it has particular relevance to male sexual culture. In terms of machismo, males have an "expansive and almost uncontrollable" sexual appetite, and it is their right to satisfy that desire in the ways they choose (1). In contrast, female sexuality is seen as an object over which the male has control.

To date, nearly 30 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region have enacted laws against domestic violence or have characterized the violence as a crime. Despite these laws, many women in Latin America and the Caribbean continue to be failed by the legal system. (October 2001)