Jimena Asturias, 13 -- Jalapa, Guatemala
Jimena is a brave 13-year old girl leader from Guatemala. Over the past year Jimena has worked with a youth collective in Guatemala to bring an end to sexual violence against women and children in her community. Communities such as Jimena's often reject girls who are victims of sexual violence, doubly victimizing them and preventing them from attending school and accessing essential health services. Jimena advocates to change this discrimination against girls by working with regional and local organizations to ensure that girls get the education and health services they need, and to increase violence prevention programs in her community. Jimena believes that open access to education, health care, and other community services is a basic right for girls and is especially important for girls who have been victims of sexual abuse. Jimena powerfully reminds us that we all must raise our voices to stop violence against women and girls.
Jimena's Story: Hi. I am Jimena Asturias from Jalapa, Guatemala. I'd like to tell you my story about youth leadership. We work to stop sexual violence against women and children. We have worked with various institutions and NGOs. We have intervened in many cases to stop the expulsion of girls from educational, religious, and health centers, where they were kicked out for being pregnant, or a victim of sexual violence. Gracias.
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