An Aymara woman named Rosa Quiroga spent five years in prison after accusing a high-ranking Bolivian politician of sexual harassment. Now cleared of wrongdoing, she demands comprehensive redress from the Bolivian state—and, if necessary, will seek help abroad for justice.
The Roots of an Unjust Ordeal
Bolivia’s judicial system stands at the heart of a controversial case involving 34-year-old Aymara woman Rosa Quiroga. After beginning work in early 2015 for then–deputy Inés Lopez Quispe, Quiroga claims she became a target of sexual harassment by Santos Paredes Mamani, also a deputy at the time and the president of Bolivia’s Commission of Indigenous Peoples in the lower legislative chamber.
“What I’m asking for is justice,” Quiroga told EFE. “That the law be upheld. I’m in fragile health, unemployed, and starting from zero after suffering so much trauma from the sexual harassment I experienced.” Quiroga’s story underscores the immense difficulties women in Bolivian workplaces face—especially Indigenous women, who often confront additional layers of discrimination.
Quiroga alleges that Paredes repeatedly insisted she join him on trips and attend social events so they could spend time alone. “He told me, ‘I’m the boss, and here you’ll do what I say,'” Quiroga recounted to EFE. She confided in her then–colleague Inés Lopez, who appeared supportive at first, vowing to bring the matter to the Chamber of Deputies’ Ethics Commission if necessary. Instead, the response Quiroga received was a chain of events that would land her behind bars for half a decade.
From Accusation to Imprisonment
In November 2015, Quiroga formally reported Paredes to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for sexual harassment. Soon after, she was dismissed from her position. Though Paredes was charged in 2016, his case saw numerous postponements. Meanwhile, Quiroga’s legal fortunes took a devastating turn in April 2017 when she attended a scheduled judicial hearing related to her complaint. As she arrived, police abruptly detained her on charges of ideological falsehood and abuse of a blank signature—accusations levied by the same individuals she had implicated.
“I was taken to judicial cells within minutes and spent 10 days in the lockup,” Quiroga told EFE. “They accused me of being a terrorist. I had no money or lawyer.” Legal representatives from the Fundación Construir, including attorney Elena Attard, argue that these charges amounted to retaliation, criminalizing Quiroga for speaking up in “a deeply machista, misogynistic work environment.”
According to Quiroga’s lawyer, Audalia Zurita, Lopez had initially written three letters to the Ethics Commission denouncing Paredes’s conduct toward Quiroga. But by 2017, the congresswoman changed her account, claiming she had signed those letters in blank and was unaware of their contents. Quiroga ended up in pretrial detention for years.
“Rosa’s case demonstrates everything that’s wrong with Bolivia’s justice administration,” Zurita said to EFE. Beyond the prolonged waiting times and repeated procedural delays, Quiroga’s living conditions in prison proved unbearable. Lacking money to pay for defense or even basic necessities, she was left without a bed in a cramped cell, suffering harsh temperatures and an inadequate diet.
“I lost weight; my bones ached,” Quiroga recalled. “I was malnourished; my hair turned white. I looked like an 80-year-old woman.” Medical experts told her she should cut off her Aymara braids to take better control of her health, which was worsening. She stopped wearing the cholita clothes typically worn by Indigenous women in Bolivia. The choice was a large personal sacrifice, which showed how serious her situation was.
For four years, Quiroga languished behind bars before she was permitted to move to house arrest. Throughout this period, multiple judges allegedly pressured her to plead guilty—so she could, in their words, “put the paperwork to rest,” her attorneys claim. Still, Quiroga refused, maintaining her innocence.
Vindication, Redress, and a Call for Systemic Change
In 2023, a court finally absolved Quiroga. Yet her legal team wants Bolivia’s judiciary to issue a full declaration of innocence. They are further demanding that the state provide comprehensive reparation for the grave moral, physical, and economic damage Quiroga endured. Should the Bolivian authorities fail to comply, her lawyers intend to appeal to international human rights bodies, seeking compensation and accountability.
“Rosa is a survivor,” attorney Attard told EFE. “This case involved torture and cruel, degrading treatment. It brings up important inquiries concerning how separate the courts are, what part the punishment system plays, and to what degree the laws influence justice.
Quiroga’s experience has propelled women’s advocates across Bolivia to press for institutional changes. “Rosa’s case is a criminalization of a woman who dared to speak out in a sexist, misogynistic workplace,” said Susana Saavedra, president of the Fundación Construir. “It’s an alarming message to those who still believe the system will protect them if they denounce abuses.”
For her side, she has hope. She wants the trouble she had to make more people know about the deep unfairness that faces native women often. This happens most of all in-state groups. They still have old ways of male power. Quiroga does not give up. She still seeks a real sorry, good payment along with a promise. It must be said that no woman ever goes by the same need for stilling once more.
“I want justice,” Quiroga reiterated. “I want to live with dignity again, and I don’t want any other Bolivian woman to suffer like I did.”
Organizations concerned with human rights, both within Bolivia and elsewhere, watch the situation closely. They consider it a clear example of a complete failure of the system. These organizations claim that improvements to judicial training, faster court procedures, and a change to the culture present in political offices are required. This will ensure that people who have survived sexual harassment and assault receive a fair hearing and are not penalized.
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Quiroga’s experience serves as both an appeal for change and a strong reminder. Achieving true justice often goes further than a court’s judgment. Needed are significant changes that will defend the rights of those in need of defense. This makes sure that no person, especially Indigenous women, suffers incarceration without cause for a long time. Rosa Quiroga stays strong and committed as pressure builds on the Bolivian government to address her accusations. She is determined to turn her suffering into a bigger attempt to achieve responsibility, equality, and respect for all.