Dr. Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey:

Steps have been taken to address the situation. A few years ago, violence against women was not a crime in Guatemala. It was sanctioned in 2008. We did not have the specialisation to address the issue. The steps are now in place and are working in certain areas but not throughout the country. They need to be applied throughout the country. Deputy Mitchell asked if it was a matter of political will. I think the political will is there to address these issues, not just gender based violence, but to strengthen the judicial system and to give access to justice to all the population.

What should be observed is whether there is enough respect for the independence of all of the powers in the republic and enough support for judges, prosecutors and human rights defenders to do their job. The European Union has a role to play, as does Ireland, in supporting the job done by human rights defenders and the International Commission against Impunity, and in asking our government whether it is doing enough to address gender violence.