Save the Children is aware of the activity at five of our field offices in Guatemala on 7 October, which follows similar action against our main office in the country April this year. As in the case of the raid that occurred in April, no specific concerns or allegations have been shared with Save the Children, and we strongly deny the baseless accusations reported in local media that we are involved in smuggling children out of Guatemala or in any kind of abuse to children.

Since the beginning of this process, we have offered our full cooperation to the Public Prosecutor's Office in its investigation. Save the Children made a formal request to a judge to assist in this case. This request, however, was denied as the Public Prosecutor's Office indicated that there was no direct accusation against our organization.

We are deeply committed to transparency and accountability. We are collaborating with the authorities and looking after our staff.

Save the Children, a UK-based organization, has operated in Guatemala since 1976, providing education, health and nutrition, protection, and humanitarian support to Guatemalan children and families. We will continue working to uphold children’s rights, as we have always done, maintaining the highest standards of child protection and safeguarding in all our programs.