With the objective of making visible and debating the serious consequences of early and forced marriages and child unions (MUITF) in the country, a dialogue was held on Monday, June 30, organized by Ipas Bolivia, the Foundation for Journalism, the Association of Journalists of La Paz, the Circle of Women Journalists, the Human Rights Community and the Women’s Coordinating Committee.
The meeting warned about how this practice continues to take away the childhood, health, education and future of thousands of girls in Bolivia. Even today, the Code of Families and Family Process allows 16-year-old adolescents to marry with the consent of those exercising parental authority, a legal exception that organizations, activists and now also journalists are seeking to eliminate, based on international recommendations.
“MUITFs are any union in which one of the partners is under the age of 18,” explained Malena Morales, country director of Ipas Bolivia. “This practice is deeply naturalized, and we should not wait for thousands of cases to react. It is enough for us to be concerned if a girl is harmed. “, he emphasized.
According to data from the Ombudsman’s Office, between 2014 and 2024, 4,804 marriages of adolescents aged 16 to 17 were recorded. The consequences are alarming. Between 2020 and 2023, 8,855 pregnancies were reported in children under 15 years old and more than 139 thousand pregnancies in adolescents between 15 and 19 years old. In 2024, 240 girls under 10 gave birth. Girls under 16 are four times more likely to die from maternal causes than women over 20.
The damage is not limited to the physical. Depression, dropping out of school, poverty, sexually transmitted infections (18,325 cases reported in 2024, data provided by Ipas Bolivia – National Health Information System – SNIF) and economic dependence are part of a cycle that marks the lives of thousands of girls and adolescents.
During the event, Senator Virginia Velasco, promoter of the bill to ban MUITFs, reiterated her commitment to children. The bill has already been approved by the Senate and is expected to be passed by the Chamber of Deputies before the end of the legislature in November.
The technical secretary of the Human Rights Community, Mónica Bayá, denounced that there are even marriages under the age of 16. “We hope that the law protects girls and adolescents, not abusers,” she said.
From Ipas Bolivia, Morales insisted that the solution not only lies in legal reform, but also in guaranteeing access to health, education, economic support for families and the empowerment of girls. “We cannot continue to allow girls to be seen as a bargaining chip,” he concluded.
This dialogue reinforces the urgent call for action. The convening organizations, institutions and media recalled that MUITFs are not part of any tradition worth preserving, but a form of violence that must end.
