The Ministry of Childhood and Adolescence (MINNA) carried out a protection operation in the early hours of May 18 that removed 42 indigenous children and adolescents from the streets of Ciudad del Este. Three were without an adult reference; a repeat offender woman and her seven children were sent to the Centro Abierto Refugio. The rest were taken back to their communities in the departments of Guairá, Caazapá, and Alto Paraná, after undergoing medical inspection by the Mobile Clinic of the Ministry of Health.
Consejería Municipal por los Derechos del Niño, la Niña y el Adolescente
Organismo municipal encargado de la protección de los derechos de niños y adolescentes en Concepción.
In Presidente Franco, Alto Paraná department, a father refused to vaccinate his three children against measles, raising concern among health authorities. The director of the Tenth Health Region, Federico Schrodel, and the head of the Expanded Immunization Program (PAI), Sergio Cetrini, warn that misinformation can lead to outbreaks of the disease, which is highly contagious and has already been reported in neighboring countries. The Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (Codeni) was notified and may sue the father for breach of duty of care.
The Ministry of Children and Adolescents (MINNA) coordinated an action that removed 42 indigenous children and adolescents from the streets of Ciudad del Este, amid cold and danger. Three adolescents were unaccompanied, and an indigenous woman with seven children was taken to a shelter. The group will be reintegrated into their communities of origin in Guairá, Caazapá, and Alto Paraná.
Seven siblings, aged 3 to 17, were rescued after repeated reports of abandonment by their mother in Concepción. They are under the care of their paternal grandmother, who reports a lack of clothes, shoes, beds, and mattresses, as well as the sale of the children's belongings by the mother. None of the minors have identity documents.
The Public Prosecutor's Office investigation found no evidence of sexual abuse against the 7-year-old boy killed by his mother in Lambaré, who later committed suicide. The complaint made by the woman on social media was not corroborated by exams or testimonies, and the owner of the boarding house where the tragedy occurred stated that the mother had mental health issues and had been admitted to a psychiatric center.
A 26-year-old woman suffocated her 7-year-old son and hanged herself in a tenement in the Santa Luísa neighborhood of Lambaré. In a letter on Instagram, she stated that the report of sexual abuse against the child's biological father, filed in 2024, was never thoroughly investigated. The Public Prosecutor's Office reported that medical exams ruled out physical violence, but the director of Forensic Medicine, Pablo Lemir, highlighted that not all sexual abuse leaves physical marks.
A woman killed her 7-year-old son and then committed suicide in Lambaré, leaving a letter attributing the act to alleged sexual abuse by the father. The Public Prosecutor's Office reported that the complaint was never confirmed: a medical examination found no injuries and the child was unable to recount the facts.
Prosecutor Amelia Bernal detailed the failures in the investigation of a sexual abuse complaint that preceded the filicide followed by suicide in Lambaré. The victim's mother displayed contradictory behavior, tried to throw herself in front of a vehicle with her son, and threatened to jump from a roof, but the boy was rescued and handed over to an aunt. Medical exams ruled out physical and sexual violence, and the child did not attend psychological interviews, preventing the indictment of any suspect.
The Public Prosecutor's Office clarified that there is no confirmation that the 7-year-old boy, found dead alongside his mother in Lambaré, was a victim of sexual abuse, as alleged by the mother in a complaint filed in December 2024. A medical examination ruled out physical injuries and signs of sexual violence, and the child did not attend scheduled psychological interviews.
The Ministry of Childhood and Adolescence (Minna) reported that the 147 Fono Ayuda hotline received 578 calls in April 2026, involving 1,110 children and adolescents in vulnerable situations. The main violations were failure to fulfill the duty of care (459 cases), mistreatment (406), social risk (192), street situation (125), and alleged sexual abuse (102). The Central department led the records with 266 cases, followed by Asunción (113) and Itapúa (38). The cases were forwarded to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Public Defender's Office, and CODENI.