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February 28, 2008
Committee against Sexual Violence
Marcos Farfán, Eliana Del Pozo, Dr. Waldo Albarracín, Colonel Miguel Jemio, and Dr. Roberto Tardío meet in the Board of Directors of the National Committee against Sexual Violence.

With the endorsement of government and police authorities, Ipas-Bolivia, Marie Stopes Bolivia and the Bolivian Human Rights Ombudsman formed the National Committee Against Sexual Violence in Bolivia on February 12.

In her welcoming speech, Eliana Del Pozo, director of Ipas-Bolivia, stated that “sexual violence continues unnoticed due to failure to report cases, the absence of registration mechanisms and statistics, and the lack of response from the overall system, which leans towards conciliation with the assailant.”

Colonel Miguel Jemio, deputy chief of Bolivian police, noted the need for “us to commit ourselves as citizens to a fraternal, peaceful struggle that upholds the law and respects the victims of this calamity and to provide, as a police institution, every guarantee to carry out this mission.”

Upon congratulating the institutions that drove the creation of the committee, Dr. Marcos Farfán, vice-minister of public safety, stated “that sexual violence, in particular, is a problem that deserves the attention of all organizations in civil society, police, government and others, because not only does it affect victims, but it is also a negative factor in the development of society.”

Human Rights Ombudsman Waldo Albarracín, who now holds office on the committee’s board of directors, declared that from now on “the committee has the role of articulating and working jointly, uniting human and financial resources to undertake a real struggle to eradicate sexual violence.”

The creation of the committee is the result of the alliance of several institutions that have been working separately on fighting sexual violence and now have united to assume leadership of this initiative. The event convened participants from approximately 60 institutions, as well as individuals who support the initiative and expressed interest in becoming a part of its mission.

Addressing sexual violence and its consequences is an important focus of Ipas’s global mission and activities, especially in Bolivia. Some evidence suggests that more than one-third of Bolivian women have been forced to have sex with a partner and many more have suffered physical or mental abuse. Given the prevalence of violence against women in Bolivia, Ipas-Bolivia developed a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to ensure victims of sexual violence have access to abortion and other health services, as well as to law enforcement and judicial processes.

In collaboration with the Vice Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Ipas-Bolivia helped to create and release national norms and health-care protocols outlining comprehensive care for victims of sexual abuse. These norms guarantee victims a range of services, including safe, legal abortion and psychological counseling. The norms also mandate protocols for collecting evidence and documenting rape and/or pregnancy resulting from rape. Ipas-Bolivia and partners have created a special kit that includes gloves and other materials for collecting evidence that could substantiate rape claims in the courts and ensure that evidence is not tampered with or altered. Additionally, for International Women’s Day 2008, Ipas-Bolivia is developing an insert on sexual violence for dissemination in national newspapers.

For more information, contact:
Kirsten Sherk
Senior Associate, Media Relations
e-mail: sherkk@ipas.org
phone: 919.960.5612
fax: 919.929.0258