A Guatemalan judge recently issued convictions against six former officials. They were convicted for their actions during the devastating fire that killed 41 girls at the Virgen de la Asuncion Safe Home in 2017. The ruling was issued by Chief Judge Ingrid Cifuentes. The sentences varied from six years to 25 years for different offenses, such as manslaughter or abuse of authority.
The fire broke out on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2017, at the state-run institution about 14 miles east of Guatemala City. A girl living in the house started a foam mattress on fire while they were confined in a bedroom full of other girls. On each instance documented in these reports, they remained locked in the room for hours, with no access to a bathroom. This dire state of affairs contributed to the rapid intensification of this crisis.
Licking flames fanned by 50mph winds engulfed homes, making a scene of surreal destruction. Lucinda Marroquín, the former police officer who supervised the girls, held the key to the locked room close. Eyewitness accounts show that Marroquín did not open the door even though at that moment a massacre was happening right outside. She was on the phone at that moment. She was unaware that the girls needed to stage an immediate getaway.
The tragic blaze resulted in the deaths of 41 young girls and injuries to 15 others. When this tragedy occurred, the Virgen de la Asuncion Safe Home was at capacity. At one point, it held almost 700 children, well over double its stated limit of 500. Many of these children were not offenders but rather victims of circumstances, highlighting systemic issues within the country’s child welfare practices.
Prosecutors here did an outstanding job. To influence convictions and sentences they advocated for draconian, extended jail time, asking as much as 131 years for some convicted defendants. The sentences judges Cifuentes eventually issued differed widely. In 2019, Marroquín was sentenced to 13 years in prison for her gross negligence. Other leaders were similarly held accountable for not protecting the disadvantaged children under their responsibility.
The case has drawn a firestorm of public attention and outcry. It paints a picture of the urgent need for accountability in the institutions designed to protect our children. Guatemala continues to struggle from the scars left by its dark past with regard to child protection. While this ruling is a welcome call for reforms, Federal oversight will be necessary to ensure similar tragedies don’t happen again in the future.
