Guatemalan women 'hit by violence'

Some 700 women have been murdered in Guatemala since 2001, rights groups say

A human rights group says at least 46 Guatemalan women have been killed after being tortured and raped this year.

The Mutual Support Group said the deaths were among 170 cases of women murdered in the country since January.

Despite the new government's promises to crack down on crime, "Guatemalans have yet to perceive any real change" in the situation, the group said.

Security issues were among the main concerns of ordinary Guatemalans during last year's presidential election.

Local media reports say that murders, assaults and kidnappings increased by more than 150% during 2003.

Civil war legacy

According to the Mutual Support Group's statistics, there have been 800 cases of violence this year - which, the group says, indicates that violence is not declining.

It added that at least 508 murders occurred in the first four months of the year.

President Oscar Berger, who took office in January, has promised to fight organised crime.

Guatemala's 36-year civil war ended in 1996, but its legacy remains difficult to eradicate, correspondents say.

It is estimated that there are 1.5 million guns in circulation in a nation of 12.3 million people.