In 2023, ECData, the data journalism unit at the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio, revealed that almost 30 marriages with minors under 16 years of age were registered each year in Peru, on average. In 10 years, more than 4,000 underage marriages had taken place in the country.

The story showed that, despite the fact that it was illegal to marry a minor under 16 years of age, a modification of the civil code and a flawed judicial interpretation opened the door to unions with children as young as 14. The data showed that marriages had been registered even with minors of that age.

Giving victims a voice

El Comercio managed to locate and make contact with one of the children who, at only 12 years old, had been forced to marry her abuser, who was her mother’s boyfriend. She had become pregnant as a result of the rape. Based on this disturbing case, we were able to show that minors were often forced to marry their abuser in order to prevent their imprisonment.

After the story was published, we launched “No More Child Abuse. Because Growing Up Without Fear Is a Right,” a campaign that aimed to use social media formats to amplify the report’s findings and make them go viral. It also sought to establish a collaborative dynamic between the newsroom and the public, with the goal of engaging decision-makers and encouraging them to take specific actions.

Bringing hard facts to light

In this way, we used social media to humanise hard data, make complex problems visible through original formats, mobilise citizens to exert pressure, and ultimately reach decision-makers to promote specific measures to protect minors in the country.

The videos published on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube exceeded half a million views (543,588). The public engaged significantly, with over 40,000 interactions, including 1,000 comments in support of the campaign, notably from the young target audience (18 to 24 years old). TikTok was the most effective platform for conveying our message, achieving over 300,000 views across four videos.

Thanks to the citizen pressure encouraged by the campaign, on November 2, a bill to eliminate marriage with minors was scheduled, debated, and approved unanimously in Parliament. This marked a historic decision, as child marriage was explicitly banned in Peru.

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