The Home for Girls and Adolescent Victims of Sexual Violence in Quezaltenango provides sanctuary and basic care for girls and young women rescued from sexual exploitation and trafficking. A large percentage of the teens at the home are either pregnant or are caring for their infants. While the average stay at the home is three to six months, some residents remain because there is no safe place to return.
In Guatemala, is it estimated that 8 out of 10 girls and women face some type of physical abuse in their lives. Sexual abuse and exploitation is prevalent, and most predators are either relatives or close friends of the family. While the government is making strides to inform its residents of the impact of that abuse and is working to strengthen laws, the number of young women (and men) currently victimized is significant. The Home for Girls and Adolescent Victims of Sexual Violence is the only government-funded facility in the country.
Orphan Outreach has provided ministry support to the Home for Girls and Adolescent Victims of Sexual Violence since 2016 as it works with both the director and the Guatemalan government to create more holistic therapeutic care for for girls and women who have been sexually abused or exploited. At the home, Orphan Outreach offers humanitarian aid, and mission teams provide tutoring, mentoring, life skills, and job skills training.