Joseph: for better or worse, here in the US children are taken away from their parent(s) if a neighbor alleges the kids are abused, until Child Protective Services finds otherwise.
The MOTHER here wanted her “kids” out because of how hey were treated, but Guatemalan authorities are apparently doing nothing. Not surprising from a country that has at at least hundreds of its citizens fleeing thousands of miles on foot in hopes of a better life.
The reason many girls marry young there is because the parents simply can’t afford to feed them. So again this is a widespread problem with a government lacking the funds to feed its citizens, let alone enforce its laws.