Sexual violence against minorsis a major problem in Latin America.Children are mostly
at risk in their own homes, while adolescents are at risk in their homes but also in the
wider community (for instance, schools or boyfriends). However, data is very limited
due to silence around the issue. Latin America is highly patriarchal, is riven by
inequalities within and between social groups, and has weak judicial institutions; these
are all factors that impact on gender based violence. However, governments in Bolivia,
Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Paraguay are starting to see children as
individuals with rights, rather than minors under the sole authority of fathers, and are
designing laws and agencies to protect those rights. Civil society in the meantime is
increasingly mobilising against violence against women, including violence against
girls, two forms of violence that go hand in hand, at a time when the problem is
increasingly recognised and acted upon globally. This report outlines possibilities for
the EU to support these recent developments and initiatives to end violence against
minors via the establishment of national action plans, in collaboration with national,
regional and global partners.