Paola (name changed) is an 11-year-old girl who was raped by her 15-year-old cousin. Although several months passed, her mother realized that something was not right when she noticed that her belly was growing. However, her daughter did not dare to tell her anything out of fear. The truth came out when she had an ultrasound at a hospital and it was confirmed that she was 22 weeks pregnant.
Paola is one of the more than 1,362 girls, boys or adolescents who have been victims of rape in Bolivia, according to data from the Public Prosecutor’s Office until July 17, 2023. The vice-minister of Equal Opportunities, Nadia Cruz, revealed that every day 104 pregnancies are reported in minors, many of them as a result of rape perpetrated by family members or people close to them.
Rape and sexual abuse against women, especially girls and adolescents, continues unabated. After discovering Paola’s pregnancy, her mother went to the Defensoría de la Niñez y Adolescencia (DNA) in Sacaba with proof of the crime, the ultrasound scan.
“He’s my cousin,” the victim said.
Paola was sexually assaulted on at least three occasions, taking advantage of her parents’ absence from home. The perpetrator had been living with them for some months and was apparently considered another son. His room was adjacent to that of his victim.
The aggressor, being a minor, was remanded in custody at the Cometa Social Reintegration Center, according to information from the head of the Criminal Intelligence Department (DIC) of the Special Force to Combat Violence (FELCV), Jhonny Coca.
TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY
The case did not end with the discovery of the pregnancy and the identification of the perpetrator, as the authorities coordinated actions to expedite the Legal Termination of Pregnancy (ILE), which was carried out on July 23. Paola is hospitalized, but in stable physical condition.
It is important to mention that, in Bolivia, since 2014, Constitutional Ruling 0206/2014 has been in force, which guarantees access to legal and safe abortion in case the pregnancy is the result of rape, incest, statutory rape or when the life or health of the pregnant woman is at risk.
Only between January and April of this year, 12 cases of teenage pregnancies were registered in Cochabamba. Girls and adolescents arrived at the Germán Urquidi Maternological Hospital with pregnancies; some of them more than 22 weeks, which generated a debate on the application or not of Sentence 0206/2014 and the possible risks for the pregnant woman.