International
Two laws in force in Bolivia since 2014 allowed the marriage of 487 girls and 4,804 adolescents
Two laws in force in Bolivia guarantee that girls and adolescents up to the age of 17 marry males of legal age, which, according to complaints from human rights defenders of the Andean country, exposes them to sexual abuse, abandonment and unwanted pregnancies.
A recent report by the Ombudsman’s Office revealed that since 2014 the Bolivian State registered 487 marriages of girls and 4,804 links of adolescents, all with the consent of the parents of the minors.
These figures alarm Ariel Ramírez, director of the Munasim Kullakita Foundation (‘quiérete sirta’, in the Aymara language), who works on the problem of human trafficking, pimping, child pornography and sexual exploitation.
“We have forced unions, violations that become conciliations with the aggressor and reach marriage, or cases of rape that become marriages by conciliation. Behind these data we do not see the damages that are generated against the girls nor do you see the future problems they are going to suffer,” he told EFE Ramírez.
The legality of these marriages is based on Law 996 ‘Family Code’, which dates from 1988, and Law 603 ‘Code of Families and the Family Process’, promulgated in 2014.
The first rule states that women “before the age of 14 cannot marry,” but then indicates that “the judge can grant age waiver for serious and justified reasons.”
The second says that exceptionally, marriage can be constituted “at the age of 16, provided that there is the written authorization of those who exercise parental authority.”
“These records date back approximately 10 years and the legal regulations at the time allowed those exceptions to carry out those marriages with parental consents,” the national director of the Civic Registry Service (Sereci), David Dávila, confirmed to EFE.
Given the number of marriages registered in 10 years, Dávila said that it is worrying and that although marriages have been reduced in recent years, they still occur.
“Behind these issues of forced unions there is a total detachment from the State. We have had two cases of girls who were sexually exploited by their husbands. One of them took his friends to his house,” said the director of Munasim Kullakita.
According to Ramírez, among the short or long-term consequences is the abandonment of the husband when the adolescent is pregnant or the removal of relatives after getting married, which leaves the minors more vulnerable.
“I had to get together, I had no other choice, my family left me,” said a teenager interviewed by the Ombudsman’s Office, when asked why she got married.
“It was evident that many, when forced to marry, left their family environment to live with their husband’s family, which implies situations of physical, psychological or sexual violence,” the Ombudsman’s Office concluded in its report “Interrupted Dreams.”
“My father forced me” or “they forced me to marry” reflect the null consent that existed in these marriages, “forcing a girl or adolescent to assume roles of wife at a young age and for those who are not physically, psychologically or sexually prepared,” the institution said.
From the Sereci they reported that among the cases they received is that of a 15-year-old teenager who was taken by her parents to a notary’s s Office to marry a 78-year-old neighbor.
“When the civil registrar saw that age difference, he asked the girl if he agreed and she replied no, that her parents took her and then it was known that the reason for the marriage was an economic matter, her parents had debts,” the source who preferred not to identify himself told EFE.
The marriage was not registered because the teenager’s parents were convinced to suspend it.
According to the Sereci registry, in the eastern region of Santa Cruz there is the largest number of marriages of girls and adolescents. It is followed by the central department of Cochabamba and La Paz.
The investigations of the Munasim Kullakita Foundation agree that some parents take their daughters to marry adult boys because they abused them and became pregnant, or for an economic arrangement.
Ramírez emphasized that in the absence of State protection, which translates into the absence of children’s defenders and sexual and reproductive education policies, measures must be taken from all levels of the Government so that this problem comes to light.
International
Mexico, Brazil and Colombia left out of Trump’s “Shield of the Americas” summit
Left-wing governments in Latin America, including Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, were excluded from the “Shield of the Americas” summit convened by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The meeting, held in Miami, Florida, brought together 12 presidents from across the continent to discuss strategies to combat drug cartels and organized crime.
In Mexico’s case, President Claudia Sheinbaum had recently rejected the use of military force as a solution to the drug trafficking problem. She has argued that her administration’s security strategy is producing results and emphasized that force alone is not the answer.
During the summit, Trump said that most narcotics entering the United States come through Mexico and referred to his previous conversations with Sheinbaum on the issue.
“I like the president very much, she’s a very good person,” Trump said. “But I told her: ‘Let me eradicate the cartels.’ And she said, ‘No, no, no, please, president.’ We have to eradicate them. We have to finish them.”
The remarks highlighted ongoing differences between Washington and Mexico over how to confront drug trafficking networks operating across the region.
International
Trump announces 17-nation alliance in the Americas to “destroy” drug cartels
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday the creation of a 17-nation alliance across the Americas aimed at dismantling drug cartels, during a regional summit held at his golf club in Doral.
Speaking to a group of allied leaders at the Shield of the Americas Summit, Trump said the initiative would rely on military force to eliminate powerful criminal networks operating throughout the hemisphere.
“The heart of our agreement is the commitment to use lethal military force to destroy these sinister cartels and terrorist networks. Once and for all, we will put an end to them,” Trump told the assembled heads of state.
The Republican leader argued that large portions of territory in the Western Hemisphere have fallen under the control of transnational gangs and pledged U.S. support to governments seeking to confront them. He even suggested the potential use of highly precise missiles against cartel leaders.
Before making the announcement, Trump greeted the roughly twelve leaders attending the summit, including close allies such as Javier Milei, Daniel Noboa and Nayib Bukele, whom he described as a “great president.”
The meeting forms part of Trump’s broader regional strategy inspired by his reinterpretation of the Monroe Doctrine, which seeks to reinforce Washington’s influence in the Americas, strengthen security cooperation and counter the growing presence of powers such as China.
Trump pointed to recent U.S. actions in the region as examples of his administration’s approach, including the operation that led to the capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro earlier this year.
The summit also takes place amid escalating international tensions following the conflict launched last week by the United States and Israel against Iran.
International
Trump replaces Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday the departure of Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, one of the key architects of the administration’s policy of deporting undocumented immigrants.
Noem, who has been assigned a new role as a “special envoy” to Latin America, will be replaced starting March 31 by Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, the president said in a message posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
According to media reports, Trump made the decision after Noem’s recent hearings in Congress, during which she faced tough questions regarding the awarding of a major public contract.
Mexico, Brazil and Colombia left out of Trump’s “Shield of the Americas” summit
Trump announces 17-nation alliance in the Americas to “destroy” drug cartels
Trump replaces Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin
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