Ecuador Admits Responsibility for Human Rights Violations of 16-year-old girl, Announces Center for Reproductive Rights

This is the first step in implementing the landmark ruling issued in August in Paola Guzmán Albarracín v. Ecuador—the Court's first case on sexual violence in school settings brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights and CEPAM-Guayaquil on behalf of Paola's family. This is the first step in implementing the landmark ruling issued in August in Paola Guzmán Albarracín v. Ecuador—the Court's first case on sexual violence in school settings brought by theCenter for Reproductive Rightsand...

This is the first step in implementing the landmark ruling issued in August in Paola Guzmán Albarracín v. Ecuador—the Court's first case on sexual violence in school settings brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights and CEPAM-Guayaquil on behalf of Paola's family.

The Court found that the suffering caused by the continued sexual abuse is what led Paola to attempt to take her own life. Although school officials learned she had ingested white phosphorus, they let her die by failing to take her to a hospital or alerting her family.

"My daughter was unjustly blamed by the State, by the Justice, and by the media in Ecuador that dared to say that she had seduced Espín," said Petita Albarracín.  "At last, Paola's name has been cleared by recognizing that she was a victim of the terrible abuse that led her to her suicide."

In its ruling against Ecuador, the Court's ruling clarified for the first time, that the right to education must also include sexual and reproductive education. This international decision will have a wide-reaching effect across Latin America as it requires 25 countries in the region to create policies to prevent sexual harassment and abuse in schools and could impact other States that are part of the Inter-American System of Human Rights.

"Paola's case represents thousands of other children and adolescents who were also victims not only of their abusers, but of the lack of sexual and reproductive education in the continent," said Catalina Martínez Coral, regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Center for Reproductive Rights. "The recognition of Ecuador's responsibility is only a first step, and we will work to hold other countries in the region accountable to implement the Court's decision in its entirety."