The Fundación Una Brisa de Esperanza (FUBE), Familias Saludable and the Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra la Violencia (Felcv) reported yesterday that the crimes of rape and sexual abuse of children and adolescents increased.
In the framework of the World Day for the Prevention and Sanitation of Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence, which is celebrated on November 18, José Miguel de Angulo, member of FUBE’s board of directors, indicated that, in Bolivia, according to statistics, one out of every three girls is sexually abused before the age of 18.
He also pointed out that one in five children is sexually assaulted before the age of 18. “Most rapes are incestuous, 80 percent. The perpetrators of these crimes are relatives or people close to the family,” he said.
The Felcv reported that, from January 1 to November 14, it handled 4,587 cases of family and domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse of minors.
Nidia Gutiérrez, part of the Felcv, informed that every month they receive around 15 reports of rape and sexual abuse of children and adolescents.
Most of the victims are minors, from 5 to 14 years of age. The high valley and the Cochabamba tropics registered more cases, he concluded.
The aggressors are in the family
According to FUBE, out of every 10 girls who were raped or sexually abused, eight were victims of their parents, uncles, grandparents or a person close to them.
The most serious thing would be that when a girl breaks the silence, the other women in the family would take it upon themselves to silence her.