The Congressman Milagros Aguayo faces questions after revealing he runs a hostel linked to the evangelical church Father’s Housewhere – in their own words – girls who are victims of rape continue with their pregnancy. The controversy arose after he stated that in these cases “the only victim is the baby,” a phrase that triggered criticism for excluding minors as victims of a crime.
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The shelter, called “La Casa del Padre”, is part of a religious project founded by the spouses María Jáuregui and Guillermo Aguayo. According to what the parliamentarian herself has pointed out, the place receives girls of 10, 11, 12 and 13 years old who became pregnant as a result of rape. He also indicated that some are referred by the Ministry of Women and family courts.
In public statements, Milagros Aguayowho is seeking re-election to the Senate with number 2 for Renovación Popular, maintained that none of the minors “have regretted giving birth” and that at the center they are taught to “love the fruit of their womb.” He added that they cannot see the child “as a curse,” even when that pregnancy is a direct consequence of sexual assault. His words generated outrage on social networks and among human rights defense groups.
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Aguayo defends the shelter and ensures permanent State supervision
In a public statement, the Congressman Milagros Aguayo rejected criticism against Father’s House hostel and stated that there is “bad information disseminated by some sectors” about its operation. The parliamentarian maintained that the shelter serves “pregnant, abused teenagers and mothers with their babies, in extreme poverty,” and that its work does not replace the State, but rather acts as complementary support.
According to the statement, the shelter fulfills a social role without invading public powers. “They are attended to in a clear spirit of complementary support to the State, without substituting or interfering with the powers that the law assigns to it,” he said. Milagros Aguayo in the document released on February 5, 2026. With this, it sought to answer questions about a possible parallel action to state services.
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The congressman He also assured that the hostel operates under institutional control. “The work carried out in said shelter is carried out under the permanent supervision of the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations (MIMP), complying with current regulations and the required standards,” he indicated. This statement contrasts with criticism that calls for greater transparency regarding oversight mechanisms.
In the statement, Milagros Aguayo rated the Father’s House as “a model shelter” and stated that it has received official visits. “It has been visited on several occasions by Ministers of Women and Vulnerable Populations, who have been able to directly verify the quality, suitability, relevance and excellence of the services,” he said. Finally, he reiterated his “commitment to the defense of life” and rejected any attempt to discredit a work that, according to him, is recognized and supervised by the State itself.
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Former Minister Anahí Durand: “There is a politicization of the pain of these girls”
In conversation with La República, the former Minister of Women and Vulnerable Populations, Anahí Durand, harshly questioned the role of Milagros Aguayo and pointed out that there is a “politicization of the pain” of girls who are victims of abuse sexual. “They are playing politics with this situation and are supposedly increasing political capital at the expense of keeping low-income women in the neglect,” she stated. According to him, the majority of minors who come to these spaces come from contexts of poverty and have gone through traumatic experiences.
Durand accused the congressman to present forced motherhood as something positive. “The lady is doing politics and she is also doing ideology,” he indicated. He added that since Father’s House hostel and their social networks, the case of the girls is exposed “as something positive” and useful for their public positioning. “The last thing he cares about is the girls’ pain,” he said.
The former minister also denounced an alleged economic benefit. “This lady also profits from this situation. Why? Because the Peruvian State contracts her shelter,” he declared. He explained that the Ministry of Women outsources services due to the lack of resources to manage its own shelters. “And who does it outsource to? To institutions like those of this Mrs. Aguayo,” he said, adding that the parliamentarian requested meetings to “renew and expand its entire network of shelters” during Anahí Durand’s administration at the ministry.
Durand considered that this contractual relationship is “quite harmful.” According to him, while they oppose sexual education, family planning or therapeutic abortion policies, they promote centers for pregnant girls. “And what do they want? Shelters for raped girls in order to increase their political capital and secure resources from the State,” he questioned. For her, the debate should focus on strengthening public services and not delegating them to organizations linked to political figures.
He warned of possible re-victimization. “This low use of a situation as traumatic for a girl as having been raped and also being a mother,” she said. He also questioned the lack of adequate oversight. “There is no adequate oversight policy for these shelters,” he stated, and stressed that the State should guarantee the best interests of the minor before allowing these cases to become a political platform or a “business” supported with public resources.
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Emilia Salazar, sociologist at Demus: “Forcing pregnancy is not protection, it is torture”
Emilia Salazar, Demus sociologist, maintained that what was stated by Milagros Aguayo constitutes a public admission of a serious practice. “In reality, what the congresswoman is doing is publicly accepting that she is forcing teenagers, girls, to give birth, and that act involves torture,” he stated. He stressed that “forcing pregnancy is not protection, it is torture,” and pointed out that presenting these cases as positive examples conceals a situation of structural violence against minors who have already been victims of abuse sexual.
Salazar also questioned the images disseminated from around the Father’s House hostelwhere girls and adolescents are seen with their babies in front of an audience. “You see girls carrying their babies in front of an audience and presenting them as if they were supposed success stories, but in reality they are not successful at all,” she declared. He added that in the photographs “you can see that some are very uncomfortable, trying to hide,” which, in his opinion, evidences re-victimization and unnecessary exposure.
For the specialist, the problem worsens in a context of setbacks in sexual and reproductive rights. “When Comprehensive Sexual Education is denied and access to therapeutic abortion is also denied, these are finally the results,” he warned. He considered that child pregnancy constitutes a form of violence. “Child pregnancy is torture, forcing a child to give birth is torture and even more so if they are acts of sexual violence,” he stressed, and expressed that he hopes that the tax investigations will advance to clarify what happened.
