"Tragically the problem is political. Few of those responsible for abuses during Guatemala’s civil conflict have been brought to justice."

Holly Bruford left London to live and work in Guatemala. Here is her first email from Central America.

It is dangerously easy to fall so willingly into the pocket of Guatemala, compelled by the astonishing diversity of her cultural and physical beauty, that the recent reality of a cold and bloody conflict and the frighteningly bitter ensuing years, can be missed in the blink of an eye.

My initial six weeks in this unique microcosm of Latin America have been witness to the more romantic side. Living with a local family in the provincial highland town of Quetzeltenango, I am immersed in everyday life. A routine of cold, sunny starts; a morning of Spanish school; a lunch of beans and tortillas; and afternoons exploring the bustle of Mayan markets and the calm, dignified air of the town centre. Weekends take me further afield to volcanoes, lakes, jungle and more.

But history here is recent and real: 36 years of severe political repression and bloodshed. The signing of the Peace Accords in 1996 marked an end to the internal armed conflict but the political unrest has been replaced by random acts of criminal aggression, with the unreformed justice system offering little security.

It is hard not to read about the increase in violence before entering Guatemala. To be aware of it once here is another matter. You know it is out there, but in the preoccupation of everyday life you hear nothing and see nothing. Only by delving into the national newspapers does the darker side show its face. Lost in the pages, after headlines of sport and weather, are short, shocking accounts of unrelenting violence.

The reports are brutally stark: "Two Women Victims of Violence: The decaying body of a 24-year-old female is found with blows to the head.... an adolescent female, approximately 16 years old, is discovered with bullet holes in the skull..."

Two weeks after I read that 408 women were killed in typically gruesome circumstances this year alone, the figure has climbed to 448.

Reports announce location, age, and state of body. Not once am I informed of culprits or a motive. Occasionally an explicit photo will accompany the article. Once the event is reported it appears the case is closed.

Tragically the problem is political. Few of those responsible for abuses during Guatemala’s civil conflict have been brought to justice. Their continued impunity has encouraged the increase in violent crime in this generation of bitter aggression, liberated by an under-funded and under-subscribed national civil police (PNC) force.

National Human Rights Institutions responding to direct incidents of public grievances are clamouring for dramatic improvements in the ineffectual PNC. But it seems the administration of President Berger’s government lacks the political will to address the issue because an acknowledgement of the now daily abuses is acceptance that there are serious problems weakening the country.

The repression of these abuses, masked by the glowing facade of a democratic government and an alluring landscape of serene beauty, means the aggressive corruption is frighteningly far from being cured.

For my local family, friends, and neighbours to be seemingly unaware of the escalating violence – or perhaps sadly preferring to turn a blind eye – proves the reality of this dangerous dismissal.

These are personal comments and not necessarily the position of Christian Aid or its partners.

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