Bolivia title
Subtitle
Bolivian context.
Possibly numbers pulled from SOW that need to be checked and/or updated.
In Bolivia, 3,652 marriages and free unions of adolescents aged 15 to 18 years were registered, between 2015 to September 11, 2023,
The Bolivian State registered 4,804 marriages of female adolescents aged 16 and 17, representing 38% of female adolescents aged 16 and 62% aged 17.
From 2018 to 2023, the incidents of sexual violence have increased—in the case of rape of children or adolescents, by 132%
In 2024, there was an average of 21 sexual violence crimes reported a day. Of the victims of feminicide, 4% were girls and adolescents aged 10-20.
Yoss, 23, worked as she attended night school after she had a baby at 16 and is now a nurse.
“I discovered I was pregnant two months after my 16th birthday. I was quite afraid. I used to say, ‘If I don’t even know how to take care of myself, how am I going to take care of a baby?’
Motherhood was a 360-degree change.
My mom was surprised and disappointed, but she never chased me from her house. She tried to do things differently with me, as she was 15 when she had me, but my grandparents kicked her out.
Life was complicated, even though I had my mom’s support and didn’t drop out of school.
I hope for economic and emotional stability in the future, for my daughter, me, and my family.”
Rishel, 18, dropped out of school at 16. She’s now focused on raising her son and hopes to return to school one day.
“My baby boy is only 19 days old. Before I had him, I worked at a factory in the mornings and a pharmacy in the afternoons to help my mom because my little brother was sick. I wasn’t going to school at the time.
I was shocked when the doctor told me I was pregnant because they had told me that I could not have a baby because I had a cyst in my womb. My partner was equally surprised.
For now, I’m not doing anything for financial gain. My partner sends me tokens to cover my expenses.
I wanted to study this year, but I won’t be able to. Perhaps I’ll do so later because I want to finish my studies and become a nurse.”
Brenda, 14, dropped out of school when she got pregnant. Pregnancy complications and financial constraints are keeping her out of school.
“I found out I was pregnant after I passed out in school. They rushed me to the hospital, and that’s how I discovered I was already two months along. My boyfriend wants nothing to do with me anymore.
I told my mom that I wanted to have an abortion, but she forbade me, saying the baby was not to blame for what I had done.
I stopped going to school and moved far away from home. If I’m going to start studying, I also need to start working because there will be one more person to feed.”
Yotse, 15, is in her fourth year of high school. She studies while taking care of her one-month-old son.
“My mom kicked me out of the house when she found out I was pregnant because I was “no longer a girl.” When she calmed down, she promised to support me. She helped me throughout my pregnancy, as did my 24-year-old partner.
After I had my baby, I decided that I must continue my studies to be someone in life and show my baby that I can do it. It’s very difficult, but I want to be a nurse because I like helping people.”
Bolivia takes historic step to ban child marriage
In September 2025, the Bolivian government approved the Law Against Child Marriage and Early Unions, officially prohibiting all marriages under the age of 18. The move eliminates legal exceptions that previously allowed marriage from the age of 16 with parental or judicial authorization.
Senator Virginia Velasco spearheaded the push to change the law, with technical support from Ipas Bolivia and human rights organizations. This success builds on years of advocacy by Ipas and partners to end child marriage, which is disturbingly common in Bolivia. In 2024, Ipas testimony at a hearing of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights prompted the Bolivian government to commit to take action to address the country’s child marriage crisis.
– Malena Morales, director of Ipas Bolivia
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