Earlier this month, 40 teenage girls died in a fire set ablaze at Guatemalan shelter, Hogar Seguro Virgen de la Asución, following a riot in response to the institute’s ongoing abuse allegations and poor living conditions. Located on the outskirts of Guatemala City, the uprisings began on the evening of March 7 and after girls began to flee the center, 52 were rounded up by police and locked into a small room as punishment. When one of the captive youth continued to protest and set a mattress on fire in the early hours of March 8, the room was quickly engulfed in flames. The Guatemalan government is leading an investigation on the devastating incident as it remains unclear why the girls weren’t let out of the room immediately or who possessed the key.
Despite having been created with the intention of serving as a sanctuary for children who were orphaned or given up by parents without the financial means to support them, the institute has continually been the subject of abuse allegations with two of the shelter’s teachers pleading guilty to raping girls in 2013 and 2014. The structure where the girls were house is said to safely accommodate 500 residents yet 750 youth were crammed into the space. Nationwide protests and outrage broke out following the tragedy and on Sunday, March 26, the Portland Brown Berets will lead a peaceful vigil in remembrance of the victims starting at 6 pm at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Members of The All African People’s Revolutionary Party and the All African Women’s Revolutionary Union are confirmed to speak.
On the event page, the group writes “Join us for prayer and a candlelight vigil so that we can have their voices be heard, even in death. We cannot stand for such injustices […] An attack on women anywhere is an attack on women everywhere.” Bring flowers and candles to share.
Sunday, March 26, Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th, 6–8 pm, free
For more activism events, see the Mercury's RESISTANCE & SOLIDARITY calendar.