We Stand Together: Canadians and Bolivians Supporting Survivors of Violence
Violence Against Women and Children
Canadians have been standing with women and children in Bolivia for almost two decades. Your unwavering support has been seen, felt and experienced by IJM Bolivia staff, partners and the thousands of survivors who are now living in safety and freedom. Learn the history of this relationship.
In 2006, IJM opened an office in Bolivia thanks to a generous Canadian church.
IJM Bolivia provided legal aid and psychological support to children who have experienced sexual violence. While walking alongside victims and survivors, IJM Bolivia also partnered with police and justice system officials to improve investigation and prosecution techniques for cases of sexual violence against children. This allowed for individual support while ensuring system-wide change.
The relationship between IJM Bolivia and Canada continued to grow, with Canadian judges and administrators travelling to Bolivia for annual training with Bolivian justice system officials. These training created a space to dialogue and problem-solve together, which directly impacted the effectiveness of the Bolivian court process. A joint project in La Paz proved it was possible for the criminal justice process to move forward more quickly and efficiently. These exchanges continued for over a decade until they were put on pause by the global pandemic and subsequent Bolivian judicial elections.
The result: When cases receive sentences faster and victims receive better support, women and children feel more confident to report crimes of sexual violence.
In 2018, Canada’s International Development Research Centre funded a twelve-month study on the performance of the Bolivian public justice system. The final report included recommendations for improving the Bolivian justice system’s ability to address child sexual assault cases. The report came at a time when rates of femicide were at their highest and the recommendations are still in use by IJM Bolivia.
In 2019, IJM Bolivia shifted their model from working on individual cases of violence to supporting and working through partners. Building partnerships, professional networks and launching a survivor support group helped create an ecosystem able to support more victims and survivors of violence across the country. A volunteer network of lawyers and social workers called PROBOS was developed to support individual cases of sexual and physical violence. The Universidad Católica Boliviana launched an onsite legal clinic where law students take on cases and directly defend victims of physical and sexual violence. These organizations are paving the way for long term, sustainable protection.
Today, rates of femicide in Bolivia have gone down, but need for justice system strengthening remains. 2024 IJM data showed that 1 out of 2 women and 4 in 10 of adolescents have suffered physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime. More than 80% of adolescents who experienced violence at some point in their lifetime were vulnerable to suffering it again. And when violence was reported, only 4% of sexual violence cases received a sentence. This may explain why less than 40% of victims remain engaged with the justice system after filing a complaint. (Download the protection study at www.ijm.ca/inmyshoes)
IJM Bolivia is one of six programs in Latin America focused on protecting women and children from domestic, sexual and intimate partner violence by ensuring a strong justice system response to existing cases. Through IJM and our partners, we aim to protect 22 million women and children from violence.
The data also showed that with proper intervention and support, survivors stay engaged in the criminal justice process and incidences of violence decrease. We know from our work with survivors that they want trauma-informed care, swift sentencing and to have their voices heard. This is the focus of IJM Bolivia's work, with the support of Canadians. And because of IJM and our partners, an estimated 700,000 women and children in Bolivia will be protected from violence by 2031.
Thank you for your unwavering support over the last 19 years!
This blog post is part of IJM Canada's 2025 International Development Week Campaign. #IDW2025 #TogetherfortheGoals @canadadev