Disconnect seen in working age, jailing age

When is it OK for children to work? To go to jail?

I began to chew on these questions after spending an enjoyable morning Saturday with my new friends, Chris and Margaret Olson, of The Seed Company.

The day started out innocently enough. We boated across beautiful Lake Aititlán to Santiago Atitlán, where the local Mayan language is Tzutujil and locals revere a Mayan deity, Maximon. We meandered lazily up a gradual hill lined with shops selling the locals’ hand-made indigenous textiles, wooden masks, carvings, jewelry and the like.

A boy soon approached us, asking if we needed a “guide.” I didn’t think so, but Chris is a more generous soul and he was happy to help out the boy, “Gaspar,” who I would estimate is about 10. When we got thirsty, Gaspar expertly guided us to a restaurant about 40 feet up the street. Chris was very generous with Gaspar and with me, taking care of our expenses for the day.

Children often ply tourists with their wares here. Sometimes they work as families, sisters and brothers and mother or father selling various handmade goods.

After making some modest purchases and enjoying our lunch, we parted ways with Gaspar and headed back to the lake for a boat back to Panajachel, from which we had embarked in the morning. It took nearly an hour for the boat to fill with passengers, and while we waited two enterprising young girls — probably about 6 and 10 years old — eagerly presented souvenirs for sale — bright little handmade keychain trinkets. Each one was made of small shiny beads into a butterfly, a quetzal bird, an elephant, a shrimp or some other animal.

Behind me, I heard a young woman with a Castellano Spanish accent (she said she was from Madrid) turn the girls away, saying, “I don’t buy from children.” Later, as Margaret continued to negotiate with the girls (paying them quite well, I believe), the woman offered commentary,

“People should be responsible. They shouldn’t buy from children. These girls should be in school.”

I turned to her and said, “At least they’re learning to work. Besides, it’s the weekend. Today is Saturday.” The woman didn’t answer. A few minutes later, a man seated across from me (who happened to be from Barcelona, Spain) asked the girls, “Do you go to school?” “Yes,” the older one answered, giving him the name of the school.

Two weeks ago, while I was en route by bus to Guatemala City, a disturbing article appeared in Nuestro Diario, a daily paper here. “Menores como sicarios: Pandilleros los manejan,” the headline read: “Minors as hired assassins: Gang bosses control them.”

The story highlighted a problem created by a law on Guatemala’s books which states that a juvenile cannot be arrested or incarcerated. Gang leaders have seized upon this legal loophole, exploiting it to their advantage. They send out the youngsters under 18 years old to do their dirty work, killing with impunity. The article gave examples of cold-blooded killings with witnesses in broad daylight. If the killer happened to be of age, he was arrested; if he was under age, the police — following this law — just let him go. Out of 41 bus drivers killed this year for not paying extortion money, 16 were killed by minors.

I asked some friends who have lived here many years about this law. They blamed the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, which has pushed such laws, purportedly to protect the accused from wrongful prosecution. So who ends up with “rights” with the existing system? Unfortunately, not the average citizen or the crime victim but the underage killers and those who control them.

Next time some kids come by trying to sell me something, I think I’ll go out of my way to buy from them.

*****

Please pray for Guatemala’s authorities to recognize evil where it exists and to have the courage to make changes necessary to bring justice.

Isaiah had something to say about this a while back in the first chapter of his biblical tome:

"See how the faithful city
has become a harlot!
She once was full of justice;
righteousness used to dwell in her—
but now murderers!

"Your silver has become dross,
your choice wine is diluted with water.

"Your rulers are rebels,
companions of thieves;
they all love bribes
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow's case does not come before them.

"Therefore the Lord, the LORD Almighty,
the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
'Ah, I will get relief from my foes
and avenge myself on my enemies.

"I will turn my hand against you;
I will thoroughly purge away your dross
and remove all your impurities.

"I will restore your judges as in days of old,
your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called
the City of Righteousness,
the Faithful City.' "

*****

For more photos from our trip, see my photo page.