Noticias

In 2023, a total of 4,571 adolescent pregnancies were registered in the department of Cochabamba, making it one of the leading risk factors for maternal mortality, school dropout, child labor, and early and forced child marriages and unions.

In response to this serious issue, in December 2023, the Autonomous Departmental Government of Cochabamba enacted Departmental Law No. 1146 “to prevent adolescent pregnancy in Cochabamba”, and in November 2024 was approved the law’s regulatory framework through Supreme Decree No. 6357. The law aims to promote the development and implementation of public policies, programs, and projects to prevent unplanned adolescent pregnancies. It does so by strengthening AIDA Comprehensive and Differentiated Care for Adolescents (better known by its acronym AIDA in Spanish) and GAIE (Comprehensive Care Offices for Students) services, improving care and protection for survivors of sexual violence, implementing measures to prevent early and forced child marriages and unions, and designating the last week of September each year as the official prevention week across the department.

This law was built on the voices and leadership of adolescents and young people. The process unfolded in three phases:

1. Initial drafting by a Youth Advocacy Committee made up of over 14 youth organizations that jointly developed the proposal.
2. Validation by the Departmental Youth Council of Cochabamba, with participation from young people representing all 48 municipalities of the department.
3. Technical coordination involving the Secretariat of Health, Secretariat of Education, Secretariat of Human Development, Culture and Tourism, and the Departmental Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Departmental Government of Cochabamba.

Throughout this process, Save the Children, together with other organizations such as UNFPA, CEMSE, CIES, MSI, and others, provided technical and financial support for advocacy, development, validation, approval, and dissemination of the law and its regulations.