In Historic Trial, Mayan Women Accuse Ex-Military Officers Of Sex Slavery

Source: National Public Radio

In Historic Trial, Mayan Women Accuse Ex-Military Officers Of Sex Slavery

February 13, 2016·4:29 PM ET



Last week, a historic trial began in Guatemala. It's believed to be the first time any national court has held a trial to prosecute sex slavery during an armed conflict. Two former military officers stand accused of murder, kidnapping and keeping nearly a dozen indigenous women as domestic laborers and sex slaves during the country's 36-year civil war.

The war resulted in 200,000 deaths and 45,000 disappearances. Most of the genocide and other crimes targeted Mayans.

Michel Martin spoke with Kelsey Alford-Jones about the details of the trial — and as you can imagine, they are disturbing. Alford-Jones is director of the Guatemalan Human Rights Commission, which has a representative at the trial.

"When you look at the victims of the violence in Guatemala, the vast majority [was] indigenous Mayans — about 83 percent according to the U.N. Truth Commission ... and about 93 percent of the human rights violations were carried out by the military," Alford-Jones says. "So there was definitely an ethnic component."

Read more: http://www.npr.org/2016/02/13/466630760/in-historic-trial-mayan-women-accuse-ex-military-officers-of-sex-slavery