Yesterday, August 9th, marked the 20th anniversary of the Regional Day in Solidarity with Child Victims of Sexual Violence in Latin America, an event that was started by Brisa De Angulo Losada.
For those who don’t know, Brisa De Angulo Losada’s story is one of incredible bravery and resilience. Last year, the Global Women’s Institute (GWI) had the honor of screening the eponymous documentary Brisa, which tells Brisa’s incredible story. A survivor of childhood sexual violence, her pursuit of justice – which included becoming her own lawyer – spanning several decades took her to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that would, in 2023, issue a groundbreaking ruling that resulted in legal reforms across nearly 26 Latin American countries.
The court ruling established that the Bolivian government’s treatment of Brisa, which mirrored the treatment of childhood sexual assault survivors across Latin America, was unacceptable and caused further harm to survivors. In response, it laid out a set of key standards around survivors’ access to justice including:
- States have an obligation to guarantee access to justice in cases of sexual violence without discrimination on the basis of gender or age and must act with enhanced due diligence when the victims are girls or adolescents.
- Investigations and judicial proceedings must be free from gendered, age or behavioral stereotypes about victims and may not impose undue evidentiary burdens or require conduct such as physical resistance, immediate reporting, or absolute consistency in testimony.
- Consent must be central to the analysis of sexual violence offences. It cannot be inferred from silence, lack of resistance, or the victim’s prior behavior, particularly where relationships of power, authority or dependency exist.
- In contexts of power imbalance, such as those in which the perpetrator holds a position of authority or there is a significant age difference, no form of purported consent can be considered valid.
- Criminal offenses such as estupro, which relativize sexual violence against adolescents by relying on notions of seduction or vitiated consent, are incompatible with international human rights standards and must be eliminated.
- States must adopt comprehensive measures of prevention, investigation, punishment and reparation, including the development of appropriate protocols, specialized and ongoing training for justice operators, and the provision of comprehensive support services for victims to prevent revictimization.
List reproduced from Equality Now.
Today, Brisa's organization A Breeze of Hope leads regional efforts to address childhood sexual assault and has branded the blue ribbon as a symbol of solidarity and hope – a message to survivors that they are not alone. Founded when she was only a teenager, A Breeze of Hope was at that time the only center in Bolivia offering support to survivors of childhood sexual violence. The organization continues to serve as a hub for survivor-centered care as well as a regional and international advocate for survivors of childhood sexual violence.
To honor all of Brisa's incredible achievements, GWI granted her a Champion of Justice award as part of our 10-year anniversary celebration. Today, GWI continues to stand with Brisa and we support her efforts to center the well-being of and to provide justice for survivors of childhood sexual assault.
On its twentieth anniversary, A Breeze of Hope acknowledges this “milestone as more than a celebration of longevity. It is a testament to the resilience of survivors, the commitment of communities and the belief that collective action can transform silence into change.”
To learn more about A Breeze of Hope, visit the website.