Sexual Violence

KIGALI, RWANDA – Last week, a young man was convicted for sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl. He had been raised as an adoptive brother to the little girl, making the abuse all the more painful for the family.

The little girl's mother contacted IJM for help. Acting as the family's representative, IJM Rwanda helped police track down the man, who had moved to another province after the assault was discovered. IJM staff also facilitated a medical examination for the girl, who will receive trauma-focused counseling to help her recover from the abuse.

GUATEMALA CITY – This week in a Guatemalan courtroom, "the scales of justice were tipped towards the truth," says IJM lawyer, Mabel Gutiérrez. Justice was secured for 14-year-old Kassia* when her stepbrother was convicted of continuous rape and sentenced to over ten years in prison.

IJM helped police locate the 34-year-old man and ensure his arrest last June. IJM lawyers helped develop a strong case, documenting the medical evidence and helping Kassia get ready to share the truth in the trial.

KIGALI, RWANDA – Late last week, a man was convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison for sexually assaulting 12-year-old Cadence.* The just ruling was rendered a week after two children gave testimonies in a hearing, recounting the abuse they had witnessed.

GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA – A man who kidnapped and raped a 12-year-old girl was sentenced to 35 years in prison last month in Guatemala. The conviction secures justice for Beatriz,* who is now 13 years old and living in a safe and loving children's home.

At 12 years old, Beatriz was offered a job in the city as a domestic helper last year. She was eager for an opportunity to escape that poverty that had defined her young life, and she moved into the home of a woman who needed help caring for her baby in Guatemala City.