The Bolivian official in charge of defending the fundamental rights and civil liberties of the citizens is concerned over a rise in sexual assaults against girls and women.  He’s warning Bolivian society against “complacency” which leads to taking no preventative action.

Ombudsman Rolando Villena said Bolivians believe it “was enough to detain and jail the perpetrators, while nothing is done to protect girls and adolescents”.  That's led to 34 percent of underage girls in Bolivia being subjected to some form of sexual abuse in their young lives.

The Bolivian public was stunned by the rape and murder of a four-year old girl in Palos Blancos, about 250 kilometers north-east of La Paz.  It came a week after a five-year-old girl was raped at a medical centre in the central region of Cochabamba.  The girl later died while being transferred to a hospital. 

“We don’t know how many more cases we have to have before the government accepts that we're facing a situation with untenable levels violence against women, and girls in particular,” said Villena.