training programs, for officers of the Public Prosecution, on human rights and care for victims of
sexual violence and observes that it includes some training on care for minors who are victims of
sexual violence. Furthermore, the Court observes that the State of Bolivia presented information on
existing health measures for the care of victims of family or domestic violence. In particular, the
State reported that Law 2033 of 1999 prescribes the right of victims of sexual violence to “receive
emergency, material and medical care in state hospitals and medical centers” and “receive free posttraumatic, psychological treatment and sexual therapy for the recovery of their physical and mental
health in state hospitals and medical centers.” However, the Court notes that the State did not
present information on the measures adopted to implement said legislation effectively.
210. Accordingly, and considering the need for all public officials who work with issues of sexual
violence to receive sufficient and appropriate training, this Court considers that the State must adopt
and implement permanent training and courses for public officials who, due to their role in the justice
administration system, work with issues of sexual violence; in particular, officials belonging to the
Judiciary and the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Such training and courses must address due diligence
standards in the investigation of cases of sexual violence against children and adolescents, as well
as its eradication and the protection measures to be adopted. Similarly, incest and the circumstances
in which this aggravating circumstance occurs must be included in the training. Furthermore, the
training must be based on the criteria established in this judgment, which correspond to the content
of the standardized protocols ordered by this Court (supra paras. 204 to 207), in the Court’s case
law in relation to gender violence and protection of children's rights, as well as international standards
on the matter. Training must be provided from a gender and child protection perspective, aimed at
deconstructing gender stereotypes and false beliefs regarding sexual violence, to ensure that
investigations and prosecutions of these events are carried out in accordance with the strictest due
diligence standards.
211. If it deems appropriate, the State may turn to organizations such as the Inter-American
Commission of Women or the Committee of Experts of the Follow-up Mechanism of the Belém do
Pará Convention, so that such entities provide advice or assistance that may be useful in compliance
with the measure ordered. Furthermore, in accordance with statements from the Committee on the
Rights of the Child, the Court highlights the importance of children’s participation in the formulation
of public prevention policies.330
212. The Court also orders the State to adopt and implement permanent training and courses for
forensic doctors and other personnel of the Forensic Investigations Institute, with the aim of
authorizing the corresponding certification to said professionals, providing them with training on the
appropriate treatment of child and adolescent victims of sexual violence during medical
examinations, and with a view to ensuring that said examinations are carried out in accordance with
the criteria established in this judgment (supra para. 107) and international standards on the matter.
213. Furthermore, the State must implement a campaign to raise awareness through an open-access
television channel, radio, and social networks, aimed at confronting the sociocultural perceptions that
normalize or trivialize incest. The campaign must be aimed at the general population of Bolivia and
take into account the country’s cultural and linguistic diversity. It must also include information on
the circumstances of vulnerability that facilitate the occurrence of incest, the existence of an
aggravating circumstance for the criminalization of this behavior, the concept of incest in Bolivia, the
rights of children, and the importance of consent in sexual relations. Similarly, the campaign must
have a gender and childhood perspective, and the entire population must be able to understand it.
of sexual violence, assessment of victims of sexual violence – methodology for collecting, custody and processing of evidence).
Cf. Comprehensive law to guarantee women a life free of violence of March 9, 2013 (evidence file, pages 521 to 530), and
the Child and Adolescent Code of July 17, 2014 (evidence file, pages 1310 to 1317).
330
Cf. Committee on the Rights of the Child. General Comment No. 13, supra, para. 39.
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