Jandro was raped while his family was forced to watch as the gang – Mara Salvatrucha – that had invaded his village, attacked families at random who lived in the hills of Guatemala. The nearest city to where Jandro lived, El Estor, is fifty miles away. Entire communities in the lush green hills have simply disappeared as one after the other attempts to flee the violence of the gangs.

This is called war.

A war that is increasingly being waged on children.

Many of those children and their families are from indigenous tribes whose roots go all the way back to the Mayan Indians.

Most of the indigenous peoples around El Estor have an ethnic identification: ethnoexodus. Quite variable, situational, and articulated, not to a processing of group identity, but of escaping from discriminatory processes of sociocultural marginalization. The indigenous populations of Guatemala have not been treated well ever since Cortez stepped off the boat.

Mara Salvatrucha will extort money from anyone it can. You are lucky to get out alive.

Raping children in front of that child’s family sends a clear message. Anyone could be next. Rape in war has a long history. Ironically, since this is not a declared state-sponsored war, it is not considered as organized violence which is exactly what it is.

I run some risks just writing about it. Mara Salvatrucha has long tentacles. If it became known that they are raping boys, the entire masquerade of machismo begins to fray. Nevertheless, they are raping boys.

A female who has been raped carries a lot of stigma in the culture. A boy who has been raped will be cast out and shunned forever.

There is no respite in America. Land of milk and honey.

Jandro was separated from his parents at the border. The rest of it remains a waiting game.

The rape of boys goes on in any armed conflict on the planet. But in Guatemala, it never happens – or is recognized for what it is – a war crime.

We send children back to war crimes. Again and again.

We stand indicted.