HOGAR SEGURO, GUATEMALA
Case Study
In 2017, 41 girls died in a fire in a state-run orphanage (Hogar Seguro) in Guatemala. More than 100 children had attempted to flee the facility after experiencing various forms of exploitation but were brought back by law enforcement personnel and placed in confinement. Fifty-six girls were placed in one cramped room to await instructions from the local magistrate. In desperation, the girls started a fire to gain the attention of the officers outside. Instead, the officers did not respond to the situation, resulting in a tragic loss of life. Several of the children had been sent to the institution as a protection measure, including girls who were rescued from criminal gangs that are alleged to have sexually exploited them.
From 2012 to 2015, six children had reportedly died in the same facility, which had a concerning history involving the sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, abuse and neglect of many children who had stayed there.200 In some cases, girls were trafficked out of institutions and prostituted by the orphanage staff to others. In some cases, orphanage staff themselves sexually abused the girls.
In the aftermath of the fire, the surviving children were placed in other institutions with similar histories. Some children told child protection practitioners that the orphanage staff often beat them.
As a result, the cycle has repeated as there have been increased cases of children attempting to escape from these institutions and becoming vulnerable to other forms of trafficking.
In some of the institutions where survivors were placed, orphanage volunteering is common and encouraged.
At Hope of Life, an orphanage where 40 survivors of the Hogar Seguro tragedy reside, volunteers can buy packages to stay at the orphanage: US$750 for “The Significance Package”, US$850 “The Transformation Package”, and US$1000 for “The Dream Makers Package”. In some seasons, the orphanage receives 400 volunteers a week.
At other orphanages, such as Dorie’s Promise, volunteers are not required to have any form of qualification or experience; the only requirement is that they pay the standard fee of US$1100. Reports highlight an intersection between voluntourism and child sex tourism in Guatemala, as volunteers have unfettered access to children and criminal background checks are only occasionally done. In one study, out of 20 companies arranging voluntourism trips to Guatemala orphanages, only three conducted background checks. Some orphanages even allow volunteers to sleep in the same room as the children.