Municipal Defenders of Children and Adolescents The Municipal
Defenders of Children and Adolescents were created in 1997, to
promote, protect and defend the rights of children and
adolescents. The Defenders provide each community with a
permanent, public and free municipal service. While the cost of
its running is the responsibility of the municipal governments,
UNICEF also supports their work. In Bolivia, children and
adolescents have frequently faced abuse, exploitation,
abandonment and exclusion. Although the State has created
institutions to protect child rights, these mechanisms were not
entirely effective. To remedy this situation, the Municipal
Defenders of Children and Adolescents (MDCA) were formed. In
1997, owing to the Popular Participation Law, the Municipal
Defenders of Children and Adolescents were created, with the
objective of generating a culture of respect for child rights.
The Child and Adolescent Code sets out and guarantees the
definition, procedures and attributions of these rights in ar