Robbed of Humanity: Lives of Guatemalan Street Children

by Nancy Leigh Tierney

An essential work for Latin Americanists, urban sociologists, human rights/children's rights advocates, and testimonial literature enthusiasts. An in-depth look at Guatemala's homeless children, ROBBED OF HUMANITY provides an analysis of the social conditions that send children--unprotected--to the streets and what they encounter. ROBBED OF HUMANITY provides an in-depth look at the reality that children confront each day on Guatemala's streets. Beyond reporting the abuses that momentarily capture international headlines, this work analyzes the conditions that compel children to leave their homes, relationships they form on the streets, survival strategies they employ, and the near constant harassment and brutality they suffer from police and private citizens. Using more than 100 documented cases of abuse, ROBBED OF HUMANITY explores the motives behind this systematic mistreatment of street youth and examines the limited response of Guatemalans to these atrocities. This is considered within the context of their country's culture of terror and pervasive elite ideals and religious norms that discount the reality of destitute children. ROBBED OF HUMANITY contributes to an understanding of street children's lives through the riveting testimonies of the children themselves. According to the UN, there are 150 million street children in the world, 40 percent in Latin America. This book helps the reader understand why these young people are on the streets. It gives an inside look into their desolate lives and the astonishing spirit that sustains them.

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1997