Rosa Julieta Montano Salvatierra

Jailed during the dictatorship era and a fierce defender of independent civil society, Rosa Julieta Montano Salvatierra has never shied from advocating for the rights of Bolivian women. Through her NGO Oficina Jurídica para la Mujer, Ms. Montano has provided legal assistance to women in some of the most emblematic cases of rape, sexual assault, and domestic abuse in Bolivia. In total, her organization has provided services to more than 30,000 women in Bolivia and has influenced nearly every piece of legislation that advanced women’s rights over the past 30 years. Ms. Montano’s advocacy has resulted in stricter penalties for rape and sexual assault, greater protections for reproductive rights, and advances in gender parity laws that helped make Bolivia’s 2015-2020 Legislative Assembly one of the most gender equal in the world.