On Friday, April 10, the Vice Ministry of Equal Opportunity, Decolonization and Depatriarchalization, the Human Rights Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, Ipas Bolivia and ChildFund relaunched the campaign “Ni esposas, ni concubinas. Girls are girls,” an initiative promoted by Ipas Bolivia since 2023, which seeks to raise awareness about Child, Early and Forced Marriages and Unions (MUITF).
The event brought together national authorities, representatives of the diplomatic corps, civil society organizations, the media and the general public. Among the authorities present were the Vice Minister of Equal Opportunities, Decolonization and Depatriarchalization, Jessica Echeverría; Congressman and President of the Human Rights Commission, Marcelo Solís; the country director of Ipas Bolivia, Dr. Malena Morales; the country director of ChildFund, Ximena Loza; and the representative of the National Platform for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy, Carla Laura Pacoricona.
Photo 1. From left to right: Dr. Malena Morales, country director of Ipas Bolivia; Marcelo Solís, president of the Human Rights Commission of the Chamber of Deputies; Jessica Echeverría, vice-minister of Equal Opportunities, Decolonization and Depatriarchalization; and Ximena Loza, country director of ChildFund Bolivia.
Also participating were representatives of the diplomatic corps, among them Johanna Teague, Ambassador of Sweden in Bolivia; Maja Messmer, Ambassador of Switzerland; Laurie Rogers, Counselor of the Embassy of Canada; as well as representatives of the Embassies of Germany, Tarmo Dix; Korea, Sunha Joo; and France, Emilie Riviére.
Also present were cooperation agencies and allied organizations, such as Germana Montalvo, project coordinator of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES Bolivia), among other institutions.
During the presentation ceremony, Congressman Solis highlighted the work promoted in the last administration for the approval of Law No. 1639, which eliminates any exception that allows the union of persons under 18 years of age. In this sense, he pointed out that “real transformations require awareness, commitment and action”, and reaffirmed the need for institutions to work together in the protection of girls and adolescents.
In her speech, Deputy Minister Jessica Echeverría warned about the magnitude of this problem at a global and national level. “Every year in the world, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18. Every year, 1 in 4 girls is forced to marry in Latin America. In Bolivia, 6,000 girls had their dreams interrupted. It is an alert that we have as a State and we cannot be indifferent”, he pointed out.
Photo 2. Dr. Malena Morales, country director of Ipas Bolivia, during her speech at the presentation of the campaign’s relaunch.
Dr. Malena Morales, Ipas Bolivia country director, highlighted the importance of working together with partner institutions and actors. In this context, she affirmed that this inter-institutional support, together with the support of international cooperation, “is a clear demonstration that the eradication of child marriages and unions is not only a legal responsibility, but also a shared ethical and political commitment.
The relaunching of this campaign takes place in April, Children’s Month, with the purpose of reinforcing the message that girls should grow up free of violence and forced unions. Through this initiative, it seeks to denaturalize harmful practices, in addition to alerting society about their consequences.
