Reporting

Recalling the Guatemala Orphanage Fire

| Lianne Milton | US News

GUATEMALA CITY - FEB. 08, 2018 Activists and family members perform a Mayan ceremony for the 41 girls that were killed in a fire at a state-run youth shelter last year, March 8, at the Plaza de la Constitución in Guatemala City. 56 girls had been locked inside a room as punishment for organising a protest the day before against cramped conditions and abuse by staff. When the staff wouldn't allow them to use the bathroom after six hours, three girls lit a mattress on fire, which quickly spread into an inferno.15 survived.

Feb. 8, 2018 | Guatemala City | Activists and family members of victims perform a Mayan ceremony at the Plaza de la Constitución for the estimated 41 girls that were killed in a fire at a state-run youth shelter last year.

The tragedy occurred on March 8, 2017, when, according to a report in the Washington Post, boys and girls were locked inside separate rooms at the “Virgen de la Asunción,” or Virgin of the Assumption, orphanage near Guatemala’s capital city as punishment for organizing a protest and trying to escape cramped conditions and abuse by staff. A mattress in the room where girls were locked was somehow set on fire. Survivors say they pleaded to be released from the burning room, but were ignored. (LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)

GUATEMALA CITY - FEB. 08, 2018 A couple walks passed a poster of Indira Jarisa Pelico, who was killed in the youth shelter fire on March 8, 2017, in Guatemala City. According to UNICEF, violence against children is a human rights violation and global public health problem. Guatemala has the fifth highest homicide rate in the world, a reflection of the country’s general tolerance of violence as well as its lack of prevention programs, educational and vocational training opportunities and meaningful employment options for adolescents. Murders orphan approximately 40 children per day.

Feb. 8, 2018 | Guatemala City | A couple walks past a poster of Indira Jarisa Pelico, who was killed in the March 8, 2017, youth shelter fire. Guatemala has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. According to UNICEF, the country’s homicide rate is a reflection of its lack of prevention programs and meaningful employment options for adolescents. (LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)

GUATEMALA CITY - FEB. 10, 2018 "It's difficult to know what had happened," said cemetery worker Romero Sanun who buried six girls in this block of General Cemetery, in Guatemala City. "In my work it is normal to see so many dead people in one day," said Sunan, who has worked at the cemetery for 19 years. "I'm accustomed to it." Before arriving at the cemetery, the city morgue began receiving the carbonized bodies from the hospitals over the following days, according to Dr. Carlos Rodas of the National Institute of Forensic Science.Forences, who had his team of 20 examiners ready. They were able to identify the bodies through fingerprints, dental, and interviews with family members about personal details, such as tattoos, moles, and medical history. "The problem was that the state mixed youth who are violent with youth who are victims," said Dr. Rodas. "The most challenging part of that time was the response, everyone wants to know if it is their daughter. We had to work hard, quick and accurately because we couldn't afford to make a mistake."

Feb. 10, 2018 | Guatemala City | “It’s difficult to know what happened,” says cemetery worker Romero Sanun, who buried six girls in this block of General Cemetery. “In my work it is normal to see so many dead people in one day,” says Sanun, who has worked at the cemetery for 19 years. “I’m accustomed to it.”(LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)

GUATEMALA CITY - FEB. 10, 2018 The Virgen de la Asuncion youth shelter where a fire broke out on 8 March 2017, in San José Pinula, Guatemala, that killed 41 girls, aged between 14 and 17 years old. 15 survived. Intended to house a maximum of 350 youths, around 700 girls and boys of different ages were living in the overcrowded shelter. The children end up there through a state institution responsible for investigating cases of missing children or child neglect, and also legally represents at-risk youth in family courts, as wards of the state.

Feb. 10, 2018 | San José Pinula, Guatemala | The Virgen de la Asuncion orphanage closed soon after the 2017 fire, sending hundreds of youth to other state run facilities. Though numbers vary, the overcrowded shelter housed about 700 boys and girls, despite the fact that it was built to lodge around 350 youths.(LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)

GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA - FEB. 15, 2018 Angely Hernandez, 14, lost her sister Madelyn, 15, in a fire that killed 41 girls at Virgen de la Asuncion shelter in 2017, in San José Pinula, Guatemala. She now works with her grandmother at a market in the capital - where her sister used to work. Angely also lived at the shelter at the time of the fire, but was in a different room for younger girls. A staff member informed Angley, and two other girls, that they've lost their siblings in the fire. Angel said they had a lot of free time at the shelter. There was no school. They would spend their days watching TV. Unable to care for the girls, likely due to poverty conditions, their family sent them to the youth shelter.

Feb. 15, 2018 | Guatemala City, Guatemala | Angely Hernandez, 14, lost her sister Madelyn who was a year older than her at the time of the youth shelter fire. She now helps her grandmother at the market where her sister used to work. Angely also lived at the shelter at the time of the fire but was in a different room for younger girls. (LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)

GUATEMALA CITY - FEB. 10, 2018 One of several pathways surrounding the compound that were created by a nearby communities and which escaped youth could have used to hide from authorities. Allegations ignored by officials that the staff beat and sexually assaulted girls, and boys, have risen out of the aftermath of the fire. It also highlights widespread issues of overcrowding and lack of care at facilities that house at-risk youth. They also contribute to why so many children try to escape.

Feb. 10, 2018 | San José Pinula, Guatemala | Several pathways surrounding the Virgen de la Asunción orphanage served as hiding spots for youth that escaped the shelter. The Guatemalan government had received reports of ill treatment, including sexual abuse, alongside recommendations to close the shelter, yet it remained open. Widespread issues of overcrowding and lack of care at the facility that housed at-risk youth contributed to why many children tried to escape. (LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)

GUATEMALA CITY - FEB. 10, 2018 One of several patched up hole along the compound that was created by youth at the shelter to escape from. Allegations ignored by officials that the staff beat and sexually assaulted girls, and boys, have risen out of the aftermath of the fire. It also highlights widespread issues of overcrowding and lack of care at facilities that house at-risk youth. They also contribute to why so many children try to escape.

Feb. 10, 2018 | San José Pinula, Guatemala | A patched up hole at the Virgen de la Asunción orphanage serves as a tragic reminder of the ways youth tried to escape the compound. Since the fire, three people, including Guatemala’s former social welfare minister and the former director of the shelter, have been charged with negligent homicide, according to the Guardian. (LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)

GUATEMALA CITY - FEB. 10, 2018 The road that leads to the state-run youth facility, which is surrounded by forest, where escaped youth often hide, near a small town an hour outside of Guatemala City. On March 8, 2017, police locked the 56 girls inside a 500-square-foot classroom as punishment for organizing a protest the day before against cramped conditions and abuse by staff. According to local news reports, the night before the girls snuck out of a cramped orphanage facility for 14-18 year olds - one of seven overcrowded state-run facilities housing Guatemala's most vulnerable, at-risk youth - in an attempt to runaway but were caught by police. Guards locked the girls overnight with no bathroom access for over six hours. To get the attention of the guards three girls then set a mattress on fire which quickly took over the room. The police watched in horror as the girls pleaded them to open the door. A total of 41 girls died.

Feb. 10, 2018 | San José Pinula, Guatemala | On the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital, the road that leads to the state-run youth facility is surrounded by forests. Local residents recall the foliage serving as hiding spots for youth that escaped from the shelter. (LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)February 15, 2018 |

GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA - FEB. 15, 2018 Estelita Urias, 33, with her children in her one-room apartment. Ms. Urias said she was very close to her younger sister, Mayra Urias, 16, who was killed in the 2017 orphanage fire, despite their mother's fabricated story demanding compensation from the government and payment for telling her story to the media.

Guatemala City, Guatemala | Estelita Urias, 33, is pictured with her children in her one-room apartment. Urias says she was very close to her younger sister Mayra, who was 16 when she was killed in the fire. (LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)

GUATEMALA CITY - FEB. 10, 2018 Grassy area near the state-run youth facility where many children hid after trying to escape cramped conditions and abuse by staff, around 10pm on March 7. According to local news reports, the police rounded up the youth and brought them back to the orphanage up the road, eventually locking the girls in one room and the boys in the gym as punishment. Guards locked the girls overnight with no bathroom access for over six hours. To get the attention of the guards three girls then set a mattress on fire which quickly took over the room. The police watched in horror as the girls pleaded them to open the door. A total of 41 girls died.

Feb. 10, 2018 | San José Pinula, Guatemala | A grassy knoll sits near the state-run youth facility where many children hid after trying to escape cramped conditions and alleged abuse by staff. According to local news reports, police rounded up youth at 10 p.m. on March 7, 2017, and brought them back to the shelter, eventually locking the girls in one room and the boys in the gym as punishment. (LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)

GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA - FEB. 15, 2018 Rodolfo Tello, a human rights laywer for Fundacion Sobreviventes, in charge of the cases for 27 girls who died in the 2017 orphanage fire. "We want justice for negligence because the authorities don't have the capacity to take care of the kids," said Mr. Tello. "We want to transform the system of welfare for kids because the current system failed." The profile of kids range in the shelter have been sexual abused, fled influence of gangs, some were considered to be "rebel" kids, or they were runaways.

Feb. 15, 2018 | Guatemala City, Guatemala | Rodolfo Tello, a human rights lawyer for Fundacion Sobreviventes, is in charge of the cases for 27 of the more than 40 girls who died in the 2017 fire. “We want justice for negligence because the authorities don’t have the capacity to take care of the kids,” Tello says. “We want to transform the system of welfare for kids because the current system failed.” (LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)

GUATEMALA CITY - FEB. 10, 2018 The surrounding neighborhood near Virgen de la Asunción Safe Home in San José Pinula, Guatemala. On 8 March 2017, a fire broke out in the girls room that killed 41 girls, aged between 14 and 17 years old. According to UNICEF, Guatemala has the fifth highest homicide rate in the world, a reflection of the country’s general tolerance of violence as well as its lack of prevention programmes, educational and vocational training opportunities and meaningful employment options for adolescents.

Feb. 10, 2018 | San José Pinula, Guatemala | A view of the surrounding neighborhood near the Virgen de la Asunción orphanage. (LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)

GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA - FEB. 15, 2018 Dominga Castro, 36, lost her daughter Estefany, 15, in a fire that killed 41 girls at Virgen de la Asuncion shelter in 2017, in San José Pinula, Guatemala. She holds her son of two months, at Fundacion Sobreviventes who is representing her case. Dominga suffers from depression since the fire. "I don't have the energy to do things," she said. "I am not the same person and I feel very lonely at home." She received some psychological help in the first three months of the incident, but "now, nobody asks how I feel." When sharing the story of Estefany, she was often confused and the events were out of order. Dominga lives in a very poor neighborhood run by gangs in the capital. They live in a one-room brick and corrugated metal home along a road where cars don't pass. Estefany was only in the shelter for15 days but participated in the protest and escaped. When Estefany was 10-years-old, her mother sent her out to buy tortillas. She was kidnapped and raped by a man in the neighborhood, but that Estefany did not tell her family. Some time later, the school called Dominga for a meeting with Procurator General's Office, the state institution responsible for investigating cases of missing children or child neglect. They told Dominga that Estefany said her father raped her. They then had her sign a document which Dominga didn't know what it was because she was too nervous. Estefany bounced between the homes of family members until the state eventually sent her to the youth shelter. Currently Dominga's husband is on trial for rape of their daughter. "I think that Estefany is a rebel girl because my husband always took care of her at home when I worked," said Dominga. "I don't believe that my husband raped her." Two days before going to the shelter, Estefany confided that her father didn't raped her. She was 15 years old when she died in the fire.

Feb. 15, 2018 | Guatemala City, Guatemala | Dominga Castro lost her daughter Estefany, who was 15 at the time of the fire. Since the fire, Dominga has suffered from depression. “I don’t have the energy to do things,” she says. “I am not the same person and I feel very lonely at home.” Castro says she received some psychological counseling in the first three months following the fire, but “Now, nobody asks how I feel.” Estefany was only in the shelter for 15 days but participated in the protest. (LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)

GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA - FEB. 15, 2018 A photo copy of Mayra Urias, 16, who was killed in the 2017 orphanage fire. The mother, Carmen Urias Ruiz, has sought money for media exposure to tell her story while demanding compensation from the government. The backstory of Mayra is unknown because the mother's story about her daughter changed several times during an interview with the photographer.

Feb. 15, 2018 | Guatemala City, Guatemala | An image of Mayra Urias, who was 16 when she died in the fire. The shelter housed a wide range of youth, from victims of sexual abuse to those who were fleeing the influence of gangs. Some youth were considered rebellious or runaways. Many came from poor families that could not afford sufficient housing. (LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)

GUATEMALA CITY - FEB. 10, 2018 The surrounding neighborhood near the Virgen de la Asunción Safe Home in San José Pinula, Guatemala. On 8 March 2017, a fire broke out in the girls room that killed 41 girls, aged between 14 and 17 years old. According to human rights lawyer Rodolfo Tello, youth shelters are suppose to be a home that has education, health care, food but this didn't happen there. "There is no education system so the kids had a lot of free time," he said. "Everybody expected this was going to happen. It wasn't the first time kids died in a shelter."

Feb. 10, 2018 | San José Pinula, Guatemala | Views of the neighborhood surrounding the Virgen de la Asunción orphanage. Following the fire, protests, and campaigns sprouted throughout Guatemala to end violence against women and girls. The country has one of the world’s highest rates of femicide, according to one advocacy group. Meanwhile, inadequate financial support for Guatemalan families with disabled children helps contribute to the institutionalization of boys and girls in the country, according to another group.
Reporting for this story was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation as part of its Adelante Latin America Reporting Initiative.
(LIANNE MILTON/PANOS PICTURES/INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION)