Recognized for her strong background in Criminal Law and her commitment to defending the rights of children and adolescents, María José Bowen joins the Fundación Amparo y Justicia team as Deputy Director of Legal Affairs and Public Policy Advocacy.
Bowen is a lawyer from the University of Chile and holds a master’s degree in Criminal Law and Criminal Sciences awarded by Pompeu Fabra University and the University of Barcelona. She has 20 years of experience at the Public Prosecutor’s Office, where she carried out outstanding work in the investigation of sexual crimes and gender-based violence.
Since 2005, and in a specialized capacity since 2008, she has been dedicated to investigating sexual crimes and gender-based violence. In 2014, she was appointed Deputy Prosecutor of Valparaíso, and in 2019, she assumed the role of Chief Deputy Prosecutor of the Villa Alemana Local Prosecutor’s Office. In these roles, she led complex investigations, including international operations against child abuse networks and cases involving multiple victims.
In 2023, she moved to the Oriente Regional Prosecutor’s Office in the Región Metropolitana, where she joined the specialized gender unit, exclusively dedicated to investigating sexual crimes. Throughout her career, she has secured significant convictions, including life sentences, which have brought justice to victims of sexual violence.
“Throughout all these years, what has motivated me is a deep vocation to repair and protect victims, especially children and adolescents. Joining the Foundation represents a new way to continue that commitment, from a different space, but with the same conviction”, Bowen expressed.
