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« Back to Guatemala Country Overview

Systematic Discrimination

Although the conflict has officially ended, Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala face ongoing human rights violations. Racism, lagging land reform, neo-liberal policies that prioritize corporate interests, and a persistent culture of impunity that favors former military officials and the landholding elite continue to generate high levels of poverty, malnutrition, and unemployment in Indigenous communities. Poverty is significantly higher in Indigenous communities than in non-Indigenous communities; Indigenous Peoples comprise 58 percent of the poor and 72 percent of the extreme poor. The average wage gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous workers is approximately 50 percent in all industries. Sixty-seven percent of Indigenous children suffer from chronic malnutrition.