“We are building democracy”: The long journey to peace in Guatemala

Peace and democracy building continues long after conflicts end. 

For women in Ixcán, Guatemala, a remote, predominantly Mayan municipality, building a peacetime democracy that serves everyone is entwined with advocating for their rights.

While the 1996 peace agreement ended Guatemala’s 36-year civil war, it did not yield peace for everyone, and many barriers continue to limit peace and inclusive democracy. A debt is still owed to the women of Ixcán, many of whom were at the centre of the peacebuilding process. Democratic institutions have all but abandoned rural communities like theirs, and the lack of services hits women especially hard, making them vulnerable to inequality and violence. 

Carmen Jimenez Ortiz is pushing back. She is a member of Inter Pares counterpart Asociación Red de Organizaciones del Ixcán (ROMI), a network of more than 200 grassroots women’s organizations in Ixcán. ROMI supports women through cases of sexual and gender-based violence. The organization also supports increased women’s participation in decision-making and the defense of their territory. 

“This is how we are building democracy,” says Carmen.

Carmen—like many of ROMI’s members—was forced to flee her land in Ixcán during the civil war, when the military occupied it and began kidnapping, torturing and killing campesinos (Indigenous or peasant farmers) involved in the struggle for equitable land redistribution.

Determined to resist, entire communities, Carmen included, fled to the region’s jungle where they became thorns in the side of the military. Carmen remained there for seven years with her husband and children. It was only when Carmen fell ill that she sought refuge in Mexico. 

Carmen came home to Ixcán in 1993, as part of a collective return coordinated by the refugees themselves. Women’s groups that would later go on to form ROMI helped make this happen.

She may be living in a post-conflict country with "democratic” institutions, but Carmen still feels that her participation as a woman is not welcome. She cannot enjoy the peace that she risked her life to help build. After surviving battles, bombs, massacres and a harrowing homecoming, women in Ixcán continue to be subjected to violence. 

But thanks to Inter Pares donors, we’re able to support the work of dedicated women like Carmen who are demanding that Guatemala’s democracy work for everyone.

“We carry on because we cannot give up on our rights,” says Carmen.