This COI Focus provides an overview of the primary mechanisms through which the Peruvian government protects its citizens from crime and violence.
The main government bodies responsible for providing this protection are the Peruvian National Police, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the judiciary, and the Ombudsman. Sources consulted highlight factors limiting their effectiveness, including corruption, political interference, underfunding, and fragmented powers. The so-called 'pro-crime' laws introduced since 2023 are also cited as an additional obstacle to effective crime fighting.
There are several procedures in place for reporting crimes and applying for legal. Citizens can lodge a formal complaint (denuncia) with the police or the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which also operates a digital portal for submitting and tracking reports. In addition, specific reporting channels have been set up for government corruption, extortion and related offences, violence against women and domestic violence, and for environmental and human rights defenders. The Ministry of Justice offers free legal and multidisciplinary assistance to people with limited financial means and vulnerable groups through the ALEGRA and MEGA ALEGRA centres and the Fono Alegra 1884 helpline.
Citizens can report corruption and misconduct by public officials anonymously or by name via an online platform. However, sources consulted suggest that the criminal prosecution of senior civil servants and politicians remains limited in practice.
Between 2024 and 2026, the Peruvian government introduced various legal measures to combat extortion. These measures aimed to lower the threshold for reporting, provide better protection for victims, and enable more effective prosecution of perpetrators. The impact of these measures is not yet clear. Figures on arrests and convictions suggest that extortion often went unpunished in 2024–2025. Obstacles to effectively combating extortion include corruption, staff shortages and limited resources within the police and the judiciary, as well as mistrust of the police.
Femicide has been a criminal offence in Peru since 2013. Since then, the Peruvian government has developed a robust legal framework to address violence against women and family members. The government offers free, specialised services to victims of violence through the AURORA programme. Nevertheless, only a minority of victims report the crime or seek help from government services. Sources cite limited knowledge of rights and available services, as well as mistrust of the government, as reasons for this. Furthermore, victims who do report incidents are often faced with lengthy, complicated and largely ineffective legal proceedings, which can result in further victimisation.
The Peruvian government established the Intersectoral Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders in 2021. This mechanism enables human rights and environmental defenders at risk because of their activities to receive protective measures. In practice, however, underfunding, poor coordination, and staff shortages within the relevant government bodies have hindered the implementation of these measures. As a result, between 2021 and mid-2025, fewer than a third of applicants actually received protection.
Policy
The policy implemented by the Commissioner General is based on a thorough analysis of accurate and up-to-date information on the general situation in the country of origin. This information is collated in a professional manner from various, objective sources, including the EUAA, the UNHCR, relevant international human rights organisations, non-governmental organisations, professional literature and coverage in the media. When determining policy, the Commissioner General does not only examine the COI Focuses written by Cedoca and published on this website, as these deal with just one aspect of the general situation in the country of origin. The fact that a COI Focus could be out-of-date does not mean that the policy that is being implemented by the Commissioner General is no longer up-to-date.
When assessing an application for asylum, the Commissioner General not only considers the actual situation in the country of origin at the moment of decision-making, he also takes into account the individual situation and personal circumstances of the applicant for international protection. Every asylum application is examined individually. An applicant must comprehensively demonstrate that he has a well-founded fear of persecution or that there is a clear personal risk of serious harm. He cannot, therefore, simply refer back to the general conditions in his country, but must also present concrete, credible and personal facts.
There is no policy paper for this country available on the website.