In a Guatemala marked by deep-rooted conservatism and setbacks in sexual and reproductive rights, the organisation INCIDE JOVEN is waging an inspiring feminist struggle.
We spoke to the women at the heart of the organisation: Rebeca, Ximena, Jenni and Laura – a team that is banking on young people to change attitudes and legislation, with pride, passion and conviction.
AN ORGANISATION BORN OUT OF A LEGISLATIVE VACUUM AND A SOCIAL EMERGENCY
In Guatemala, sexual and reproductive rights are not a government priority: abortion is criminalised, except in extreme cases where the woman’s life is at risk, and information on sexual health is sorely lacking. It was against this backdrop, with its deep-rooted patriarchal and colonial origins, that INCIDE JOVEN was founded in 2006 as an informal collective, later gaining legal status in 2009.
The organisation works with young people and through young people, for their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and for women’s autonomy. Thanks to the support of Feminists in Action, it is currently implementing the project: “Prevent, know and decide: let’s demand Comprehensive Sex Education”, in response to the deadlock surrounding the law on comprehensive sex education (EIS), which has been stalled since 2022.
There is indeed a law on family planning in Guatemala, but it was enacted over twenty years ago and is not consistently enforced. For Ximena, the advocacy coordinator, a new legislative initiative is essential – one free from religious influence, incorporating a cultural and ethnic perspective, as well as a differentiated approach based on gender and disability. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education is dragging its feet on implementing the existing law, which should nevertheless be in force across the entire education system.
« The initiative we are proposing aims to enshrine two key principles in law: firstly, sex education based on secular, scientific and human rights principles, without ambiguity; and secondly, the institutionalisation of an approach that promotes respect for rights. »
– Ximena, Advocacy Coordinator
LANGUAGE, SPACES AND ENGAGEMENT: SPREADING THE WORD, WIDENING THE IMPACT
Undeterred by political and religious resistance, INCIDE JOVEN continues to carry out awareness-raising activities targeting young people and the general public, combining a presence on social media with in-person events. Their flagship tool is the Educational Museum of Sexuality, accessible online.
« For us, language is essential and we try not to change the names of things, because that is precisely where we start to face setbacks. »
Rebeca, Director
Jenni, the communications coordinator, acknowledges that social media often reaches an audience that is already convinced. That is why INCIDE JOVEN goes further by organising large-scale events, featuring speakers from other Central American countries and in collaboration with other feminist organisations. This is what they call using “different languages”—never “watered down”—and different spaces to reach different audiences.
THE NATIONAL CONGRESS ON COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION: A UNIQUE FORUM FOR DEBATE
Since 2023, with the support of Feminists in Action, INCIDE JOVEN has been organising the Congreso Nacional de Educación Integral en Sexualidad (National Congress on Comprehensive Sexuality Education), the first forum in Guatemala where civil society can openly debate sexual and reproductive rights. The third edition is scheduled for September 2026 in Guatemala City.
The format evolves from year to year – in public spaces or in meeting rooms – but the objective remains the same: to invite the public to engage with the information creatively, through collage and pottery workshops
BODILY AUTONOMY: INCIDE JOVEN CHAMPIONS IT LOUD AND CLEAR
INCIDE JOVEN does not limit itself to sex education: the organisation also tackles head-on the issues of abortion and bodily autonomy, particularly around 8 March and 28 September, the International Safe Abortion Day.
Every 28 September, the organisation organises «Las del Pañuelo Verde» (Green Handkerchief movement); a space for discussion, training and performances to combat misinformation about abortion. Laura, the political articulation, highlights how these gatherings foster transnational feminist solidarity, particularly when they have hosted Salvadoran comrades to discuss the cases of Manuela and Beatriz*.
BUILDING CHANGE, EVEN WHEN THE LAW LAGS BEHIND
The legislative deadlock in Guatemala leaves little hope for progress in the short term. It is precisely for this reason that the work on information, awareness-raising and engagement carried out by INCIDE JOVEN, particularly among the younger generations, is so essential to bringing about long-term change, both in attitudes and in legislation.
The passion of Rebeca, Ximena, Laura and Jenni shines through in their words and initiatives. INCIDE JOVEN is a united, consistent, feminist organisation – but also one that is deeply necessary and powerful.
To stay informed about INCIDE JOVEN’s events and updates:
- Link to the website
- Link to the Online Educational Museum of Sexuality
- Link to the Instagram profile
* Manuela’s case concerns a Salvadoran woman sentenced to 30 years in prison following an obstetric emergency that led to a miscarriage in 2008; the authorities presumed it was an abortion and charged her.
In 2021, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled against the Salvadoran state, thereby setting a regional precedent to better protect women seeking reproductive healthcare, including in cases of obstetric emergencies.
Beatriz’s case concerns a Salvadoran woman whose pregnancy posed a serious threat to her health, and even her life, and whose foetus had fatal malformations. The Inter-American Court ruled against El Salvador in 2024 for refusing to grant Beatriz an abortion in 2013, thereby violating her human rights.
| About INCIDE JOVEN : The Asociación Red de Jóvenes para la Incidencia Política (INCIDE JOVEN) is a Guatemalan feminist network dedicated to defending sexual and reproductive rights. Through political advocacy – particularly in support of Law 6157 – the organization aims to empower young people and women. By combating misinformation through research, it promotes secular and science-based sex education to ensure that young people can freely and with dignity exercise their human rights. |