Paraguay: Protect the rights of 11-year-old rape victim and give her justice

UPDATE 14 AUGUST 2015: On 13 August, doctors performed a C-section on Mainumby. Mainumby and the baby both survived the traumatic ordeal and are now recovering, and Mainumby wants to return home as soon as possible.
While Equality Now and our partner CLADEM are relieved that Mainumby survived the pregnancy, her struggles are far from over. She has been forced to become an 11-year-old mother, and still has not seen justice against her rapist. In addition, her mother lost her job as a result of this case and is worried she will not be able to support Mainumby and provide a stable home. The State has yet to deliver on promises to provide housing and support for the family.
Mainumby’s situation reflects a pattern in Paraguay, where the State is failing to protect girls from sexual assault and the enduring trauma. Within the past week alone, two more girls (both aged 12) have become pregnant as a result of sexual abuse and have been institutionalized at the same Red Cross home where Mainumby has been detained.
Join us in urgently calling on Paraguay to immediately address this epidemic of child sexual abuse, including ensuring that young abused girls like Mainumby are not detained by the state and forced to carry resulting pregnancies to term. Please also continue to take action to hold the State accountable to providing a home and financial assistance to Mainumby and her family.

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