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Project

The Bolivian public justice performance research study
 

Bolivia
Project ID
108470
Total Funding
CAD 63,700.00
IDRC Officer
Adrian Di Giovanni
Project Status
Completed
End Date
Duration
12 months

Programs and partnerships

Governance and Justice

Lead institution(s)

Project leader:
Alejandra Cámara
Canada

Summary

The Bolivian justice system obtains a conviction in less than 0.05% of sexual assault cases against children. This poor rate of conviction is due largely to a failure to complete trials in a timely manner. Many cases end before reaching a verdict.Read more

The Bolivian justice system obtains a conviction in less than 0.05% of sexual assault cases against children. This poor rate of conviction is due largely to a failure to complete trials in a timely manner. Many cases end before reaching a verdict. In addition, only about 15% of incidents of sexual violence against children are ever reported by families of victims, which is likely explained by low rates of confidence in the criminal justice system.

This study will develop a more systematic body of evidence on the effectiveness of the Bolivian judicial system in investigating and prosecuting child sexual assault cases. It will be implemented by International Justice Mission Canada, a global organization protecting the poor from violence throughout the developing world. Research will be conducted in collaboration with the Bolivian Magistrate’s Council, primarily in La Paz – El Alto. The study will consist of two main streams: the first will involve an analysis of closed child sexual assault cases of tribunals in La Paz – El Alto. This will allow analysts to assess performance against a series of basic criteria, such as required timeframes and procedures to process cases. The second stream will seek to gauge perceptions and confidence of key officials, inside and outside of the justice system, about the justice system’s performance in investigating and prosecuting sexual assault cases against children.

Taking both lines of analysis together, the research will generate a deeper picture of existing strengths and weaknesses, as well as possible opportunities and political will for improving current performance. Targeted recommendations for improving the Bolivian justice system’s ability to address child sexual assault cases will be developed.

Research outputs

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Report
Language:

English

Summary

The research identifies procedural performance of the Bolivian Public Justice System in each stage of the criminal process, the proportion of cases of child sexual violence entering the system that reach a verdict, and the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the system in administering justice. The study reveals findings about child sexual violence cases initiating their criminal process in the department of La Paz during the past 10 years (2007-2016), and sheds light on an alarmingly high rate of child sexual violence cases never moving forward to trial nor a final verdict. The report presents specific recommendations.

Informes
Language:

Spanish

Summary

La violencia sexual INNA no distingue entre clase social, nivel cultural, educativo o condición económica es considerada un problema social y de salud pública (UNICEF, 2016). Muchos de los sobrevivientes de violencia sexual, sufren consecuencias de este delito en el periodo inmediato después del asalto y durante todas sus vidas. Estas incluyen el sentido de culpabilidad, ansiedad, depresión y trastorno por estrés postraumático. Los sobrevivientes de violencia sexual son más susceptibles a desórdenes conductuales, trastornos cognitivos, desempeño académico bajo y otras dificultades (Pereda & Beltrán, 2010). Además, las personas que han sufrido un asalto sexual en su niñez corren un mayor riesgo de ser nuevamente victimizados en su adultez, por lo que se encuentran en una situación de vulnerabilidad a lo largo de su vida (Organización Mundial de la Salud, 2002). Dada la transversalidad del problema, hay muchas implicaciones para una comunidad que sufre una alta prevalencia de violencia sexual, ya que se extiende a lo largo de la vida de una persona entre los ámbitos psicológicos y sociales. El 38% de la población actual de Bolivia está constituida por niños y adolescentes (UNICEF, 2017), por lo tanto, la protección contra la violencia sexual se considera un indicador clave para el futuro desarrollo de los ciudadanos del país.

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