In post-war Guatemala, global, regional, and local processes make disadvantaged people vulnerable to exploitation. After the end of a civil war that lasted from 1960 to 1996, high levels of direct and structural violence persist, particularly as gang violence.
Understanding the dynamics shaping peacebuilding in post-conflict societies is fundamental to achieving informed policies. My research proposes to consider the structures and relationships in which violence, and specifically human trafficking, is embedded within post-conflict societies like Guatemala, in order to build long-lasting peace and eradicate all forms of violence.
Guatemala’s persisting violence had important implications for people’s socio-economic and physical mobility:
First, post-war liberalization and privatization processes reduced social services provided by the state, fuelling economic inequalities persisting to this day. Formal employment opportunities decreased and criminal networks expanded, especially impacting young people. At the same time, U.S. repatriation policies resulted in the importation of gang structures from Southern California (Cruz et al., 2020). These processes institutionalized the structures that facilitate trafficking and exploitation.
Secondly, post-war political discourses supported continued authoritarian governance. Criminalizing narratives against youth gangs and discourses on the ‘war on terror’ resulted in young people being marginalized. This fostered a culture of militarism and insecurity that favored corrupt political power. The structural conditions behind crime levels, however, persisted in post-war society, leaving marginalized groups vulnerable to exploitation, displacement, and trafficking, which represent ongoing challenges (Boerman and Golob, 2020).
Thirdly, identity construction and socialization were highly impacted by war-time violence and by post-war narratives. The continued climate of insecurity fostered violent masculinities, and militarism institutionalized everyday violence (Korac, 2006). Consequently, people in post-war Guatemala experienced human trafficking differently according to their identity. Intersecting inequalities based on gender, ethnicity, and class continue to produce systemic patterns of victimization today (Cockburn, 2013).
These processes significantly shaped mobilities and human trafficking in Guatemala. Structures were created in which exploitation can still be practiced, and even become the norm.
The Challenges to Long-Term ‘Positive’ Peace
The study looks into global, regional and local conditions under which wartime violence continues into the post-war era, in the form of structural violence. In particular, it investigates the role of war economies in producing vulnerability to post-war human trafficking, highlighting imbalanced economic, political, and cultural relations that limit equal opportunities worldwide.
Three mechanisms linking the political economy of wars to the emergence of human trafficking during transition are identified:
- The persistence of economic structures leading to an uneven distribution of resources. This mechanism refers to the enduring legacies of a criminalized economy emerged during war due to disrupted economic production and the ‘self-financing’ needs of warring parties (Nitzschke and Studdard, 2005). During transition, certain policies can lead to the consolidation of these criminal networks, leaving specific subjects more vulnerable to exploitation.
- The configuration of state-society relations during and after the war. This is related to the role of state institutions in perpetrating violence, and the degree of trust and legitimacy these institutions have. Post-war policies can institutionalize corruption and incorporate criminal elements into the state. This can lead to an unequal distribution of vulnerabilities, participation in illicit economies, and to the militarization of whole sections of society.
- The last mechanism relates to the impact of war economies and militarization on identity formation and socialization between groups. These dynamics produce vulnerable subjects against whom the use of violence is normalized, and become the cultural basis of different forms of exploitation during and after the war. Social structures of gender, class, age, race, and ethnicity influence vulnerability.
Inclusive and Sustainable Approaches to Long-Term Peace
These findings highlight the need to overcome fixed categorizations of human trafficking toward a deeper consideration of the global, regional, and local processes of marginalization that make exploitation possible everyday. In turn, a broader conception of trafficking phenomena helps reveal structural conditions that institutionalize violence in local contexts, promoting more comprehensive approaches to peace and development.
Current peacebuilding strategies and approaches to human trafficking have largely focused on individual criminal prosecution, and prioritized short-term stability over the identification of the root causes of the phenomenon (Benson, Fischer and Thomas, 2008, p.39). More recent critical approaches stress the need to consider human trafficking as part of broader societal imbalances and complex economies of violence (Blazek, Esson and Smith, 2019).
Long-lasting peace must come from prioritizing the needs of the people living on the margins of post-war societies. It requires adopting regional approaches to peace, given the pervasiveness of violence, and especially human trafficking, across borders. An analysis of vulnerabilities as embedded in historical, socio-political, and economic settings should guide the creation of informed solutions. This approach will help reframe the concepts of ‘peace’ and ‘transition,’ not just as the absence of armed confrontations, but as deeper, more comprehensive processes reshaping social relationships after crises (Väyrynen, 2019). As Cockburn (2010) suggests, peace cannot happen without more equal economic arrangements, inclusive political systems, and just gender, age, racial, and ethnic relations.
To achieve this transformation, peace processes must be inclusive, considering local-level complexities and how different groups are impacted by transition. In particular, tackling the reproduction of violent structures that enable exploitation is crucial to preventing trafficking patterns. Accordingly, policies addressing human trafficking should shift from hard-hand approaches toward comprehensive actions redressing the structural conditions making it possible (Suchland, 2015).
Keywords: Guatemala, trafficking, human trafficking, peace, violence, gang violence, civil war, conflict, conflict resolution, gangs
Anna Giulla
Anna Giulla is a young professional with a background in policy, advocacy, and international partnerships. Holding a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a master’s degree in Development Studies, she has cultivated a deep understanding of global issues, particularly in the areas of conflict analysis, peace processes, and social inclusion. Anna is passionate about peacebuilding and is dedicated to working toward the reduction of inequalities and the promotion of human rights. Her academic and professional journey has been marked by a focused interest in addressing the root causes of violence and fostering sustainable peace. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with various stakeholders across the development and humanitarian sectors, advocating for inclusive policies that promote social justice and equality.
