Senator Esperanza Martínez demanded that the General Budget of the Nation (PGN) include real and transparent investment in public policies for the protection of women, girls, and adolescents, warning about the serious situation of child maternity and teenage pregnancy in Paraguay.
Within the framework of Mother's Day, the parliamentarian presented a critical analysis of the conditions faced by thousands of Paraguayan women, linking the lack of state investment and structural corruption to high rates of violence and social vulnerability.
Martínez released figures for 2025: of the 77,864 births registered in the country, about 8,000 were to adolescents between 15 and 19 years old, while 350 cases involved girls aged 10 to 14. The senator was emphatic in stating that, in this age group, there is no consent — these are cases of sexual abuse that the State must prevent. She also warned that, on average, 25 children are born each day to mothers under 19, exposing these adolescents to a risk of maternal mortality up to four times higher than that of adult women.
Currently, 35% of Paraguayan households are headed by women, many of whom face raising children alone due to forced migration and the impact of femicide. Martínez highlighted the role of "caregiver mothers," such as grandmothers and aunts, who support families in the face of economic and social difficulties.
The senator urged Congress and the Executive Branch to set aside protocol speeches and move toward public policies backed by concrete resources. "Recognition of women and mothers is not guaranteed with speeches, but with the application of transparent public resources in the General Budget of the Nation," she stated. She demanded effective and corruption-free programs that especially benefit workers, farmers, nurses, and women who economically support their families.
Finally, Martínez appealed for a "Second Independence," a concept she used to refer to the urgency of freeing public management from the control of illicit structures. According to her, the abusive use of state resources, irregularities in bidding processes, and the business of educational certificates are direct obstacles to the development and security of women and young people in the country.