⚠️ EMERGENCY — CALL NOW IF YOU ARE IN DANGER
Domestic Violence — PNC + MP Guatemala
If you CAN'T speak:
  • Dial 110 and leave the line open — operators detect silent emergencies
  • If you can text, use WhatsApp 110 (PNC line) or MP WhatsApp
  • Say "I need an ambulance" as a coded request — PNC dispatches a unit
  • If children are with you, priority is getting them to a safe place (neighbor, relative)
💰 Cost: Free · ⏱ Time: Immediate · 🆔 Verified: May 2026 · 📜 Legal basis: Decree 97-96

Domestic violence is a public crime under Decree 97-96 (Law to Prevent, Sanction, and Eradicate Domestic Violence) and Decree 22-2008 (Law against Femicide). The PNC has a legal duty to act immediately and apply security measures to protect the victim — it does not need prior authorization from a prosecutor or judge to intervene in an active emergency.

Summary: Free (Q0). Calling 110 is immediate and PNC dispatches a unit. Security measures (restraining order, eviction, provisional support) are ordered by the justice of the peace within 24-48 hours once PNC initiates the process. There are free, confidential shelters (CONACMI, Refugio Vida, Sonia Calderón Center) for victims with children. You are not alone.

Applies to: victims of physical, psychological, sexual, or patrimonial violence within the family group — spouses, partners, children, parents, siblings, elderly.

⚠️ Active emergency — what to do in the next 5 minutes

If you are in danger NOW

  1. Call 110 (PNC) — the unit dispatches in minutes
  2. If you can’t speak, leave the line open and place the phone near where the situation can be heard
  3. If you have an agreed family code (“I need an ambulance”, “the Thursday thing is happening”), use it
  4. Get the children out if any — trusted neighbor, close family, school
  5. If you can physically leave, leave — don’t wait for the abuser to allow it
  6. Don’t go back for material things — life first, things later

If the emergency already passed (last hours or days)

  1. Document immediately: photos of injuries, location, broken objects
  2. Find witnesses: neighbors, family, work colleagues
  3. Preserve digital evidence: messages, audio, screenshots of threats
  4. Get medical exam at Hospital Roosevelt, San Juan de Dios, or Fundabiem (free for violence victims)
  5. File formal complaint at PNC, Digital Station, or MP Womens Prosecutor
  6. Request restraining order from the justice of the peace via PNC

What counts as domestic violence?

Decree 97-96 defines four types. All four are reportable and entitle you to security measures.

1. Physical violence

  • Hitting, pushing, slapping, hair pulling
  • Throwing objects at you
  • Strangulation or attempts
  • Minor or serious injuries
  • Intentional burns
  • Use of weapons or threats with them

2. Psychological violence

  • Constant insults, humiliation, disqualification
  • Threats of death, harm, or taking the children away
  • Coercive control (what you wear, who you talk to, where you go)
  • Social isolation (prevents you from seeing family or friends)
  • Gaslighting (makes you doubt your sanity)
  • Obsessive surveillance (checking phone, GPS, calls)

3. Sexual violence

  • Forced sexual relations within marriage or partnership
  • Non-consensual touching
  • Exhibitionism or demand for sexual acts
  • Humiliating comparisons with other people
  • Denial of protection (contraceptive, condom) under coercion

4. Patrimonial / economic violence

  • Intentional destruction of your belongings (clothes, appliances, vehicle)
  • Withholding your salary or income
  • Absolute control of family money
  • Burning or destroying your personal documents (DPI, passport, diplomas)
  • Denying food or basic needs to you or the children

Requirements to file

  • Valid DPI (victim) — if destroyed, you can still file and request urgent replacement
  • Passport if foreigner
  • Abuser’s data: full name, DPI if known, address where they live
  • Description of the event: what happened, where, when, who witnessed it
  • Available evidence: photos of injuries, threatening messages, audio, video
  • If children are involved: names, ages, birth certificates

Important: you can file WITHOUT having all of the above. PNC CANNOT deny your complaint due to lack of documents. If denied, dial 1531 (Police Anti-Corruption) immediately.

Step-by-step process

1. Initial 110 call or in-person at PNC sub-station

PNC dispatches a unit if active emergency. If you go in person, you are attended immediately — domestic violence has PRIORITY over other complaints.

2. Statement

A PNC officer trained in DV (domestic violence) takes your statement. Ask for a female officer if you feel more comfortable — it is your right. The statement is registered in the CASE system.

3. Forensic medical exam (if there was physical or sexual violence)

PNC transfers you to INACIF (National Forensic Sciences Institute) or public hospital for medical exam. IT IS FREE and CONFIDENTIAL. Documents physical and emotional injuries for legal use.

4. Request for security measures

PNC forwards the case to the justice of the peace of the municipality (24 h). The judge orders:

  • Restraining order — the abuser cannot approach you, your home, your work, the children
  • Eviction of the abuser — must leave the family home even if they own it
  • Provisional support — alimony for you and the children
  • Weapon seizure — PNC removes registered or unregistered weapons from the abuser
  • Provisional custody of children — for you until firm resolution

If you need an immediate safe place:

  • CONACMI (National Coordinator for the Prevention of Child Abuse) — takes in mothers with children
  • Refugio Vida — temporary shelter + psychological support
  • Sonia Calderón Center (PDH) — referral coordination
  • SEPREM (Presidential Secretariat for Women) — safe houses
  • SVET — Secretariat against Sexual Violence, Exploitation, and Trafficking

PNC and MP connect you with the shelter. Bring the essentials: documents (DPI, child birth certificates), medications, basic clothes, phone charger.

6. Public Ministry (MP) attention

PNC forwards the case to MP within 24-48 h. MP assigns a prosecutor based on severity:

  • Womens Prosecutor (violence against women)
  • Children & Adolescents Prosecutor (minor victim)
  • Elderly Persons Prosecutor
  • Sex Crimes Prosecutor (if there was sexual violence)

MP can assign you a free public defender from IDPP (Public Criminal Defense Institute) — FREE and specialized in DV.

7. Judicial process

If MP finds merit, files an indictment with the judge. The process continues EVEN IF you want to withdraw the complaint (public crime under Decree 22-2008). Penalties range from fines to 5-50 years in prison in cases of femicide or aggravated violence.

Cost and timing

ItemDetail
Total costFree (Q0)
110 callImmediate
INACIF forensic examSame day
Security measures24-48 h
Shelter assignmentSame day if urgent
MP case opening24-48 h
Final resolution6 months - 3 years (depends on complexity)

Common mistakes

  • Not documenting immediately — injuries fade; take photos NOW with your phone and back them up to the cloud
  • Deleting threatening messages “to forget” — they are key evidence; capture and save them
  • Accepting “reconciliation” without judicial measures — without a restraining order, the abuser returns and violence escalates
  • Waiting until it’s serious — psychological and patrimonial violence count equally; you don’t need physical blows to file

Diaspora — reporting DV from the USA for a family member in Guatemala

If you live in the USA and your mother, sister, daughter, or partner in Guatemala is being a victim:

  • Dial +502-110 from your US cell phone — PNC dispatches a unit. Your call as a relative counts as initial complaint under Decree 97-96.
  • Dial +502-1572 (MP Anti-Violence Hotline) — operators trained in crisis. They speak Spanish.
  • Digital Station (pnc.gob.gt/comisaria-digital/) — works from the USA; you can file on behalf of the family member if you have their DPI
  • Guatemalan consulate (see list) — consulates have a consular protection officer who coordinates with MP Guatemala
  • US Embassy in Guatemala — if the victim is a US citizen or resident, consular services can coordinate with GT authorities
  • CONACMI and other shelters accept victims referred from abroad — coordination via consulate or directly

If the victim needs to leave the country urgently (imminent femicide, children in danger), the consulate can issue an emergency passport and the US Embassy can issue a humanitarian visa in cases of documented violence.