Guatemala City, December 2 (NNN-RHC)-- The Guatemalan Human Rights Ombudsman announced the creation of a specific unit designed to improve protection for journalists, who are the subjects of many threats and abuses in the Central American country.

“With the creation of the unit, we will monitor and provide immediate answers with security measures, so journalists can see us as an institution committed to protect human rights,” Jorge de Leon told spokespeople from the Protection Network for Guatemalan Journalists.

According to official statistics, 71 assault complaints have been reported by journalists so far this year -- five more than during 2013.

While Guatemala is one of the most violent countries in the world, journalism is among the country’s most dangerous professions. With this recently-announced initiative, Guatemala will become the third country in the region to create a specific unit for the safety of journalists, following Colombia (2000) and Mexico (2012).