The Evo Morales case: When sexual violence against women gets stuck in the political mud
Recent accusations of sexual abuse levied against the former president of Bolivia point to a pact of silence in service of the country’s political elite and a troubling history with the legal status of statutory rape
Evo Morales is holding a press conference in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba. He’s seated behind a bank of microphones, alongside his lawyer Nelson Cox, and is holding a sheath of papers. They are flanked by women leaders. Two rows of provincial assembly members and party members serve as their escort. For 20 minutes, he responds to accusations that have recently arisen pertaining to alleged aggravated statutory rape with incitement to prostitution, related to having sexually abused a 16-year-old girl in 2016. Bolivia’s former president reads his favorable polling results and calls the accusations part of a political strategy to disqualify him from the presidential race in 2025. “This campaign is so dirty, such a pack of lies. Everyone is after Evo because he is a winner,” he says before ending the presentation to a standing ovation from his followers.