Crime in Paraguay

The Policía Nacional, under the Ministerio del Interior, handles prevention, protection and criminal investigations. The Ministerio Público, also called Fiscalía, receives complaints, investigates and brings prosecutions. A denuncia is a formal report of an alleged offence. Anyone can report a public offence, and a lawyer is not required. Reports can be made verbally or in writing at the nearest comisaría, meaning police station, or at an Oficina de Denuncias Penales. Carry a Cédula de Identidad if available and provide the time, place, people involved, witnesses, descriptions and supporting evidence. There is no government fee for making a criminal complaint. Report violence, sexual offences, trafficking, robbery, theft, fraud, extortion, kidnapping and danger to a child without delay. Call 911 for an emergency. The Ministerio Público Central de Denuncias can be reached at 021 454 611 at any time, including weekends and public holidays. Fiscalía offices operate through zonal and regional locations nationwide. Tourist Police contacts include Asunción at +595 21 446 608 or +595 21 449 020, Ciudad del Este at +595 61 502 715, Encarnación at +595 71 204 102 and Salto del Guairá at +595 46 243 575. Availability and local coverage can differ by police station, so verify the appropriate regional contact when necessary. Recorded offence areas include hurto, or theft without force, robo, or robbery involving force or threat, estafa, or fraud, homicide, serious injury, threats, property invasion, cattle theft known as abigeato, family violence, extortion, kidnapping and trafficking. Ministerio Público figures must be read as reported cases for a stated period and area, not as a complete measure of how often offences occur. Unreported incidents and differences in reporting practices create a hidden figure that national administrative data cannot fully capture. From 2021 to 2025, the Ministerio Público recorded 172,722 family-violence complaints and 183 femicide victims. Everyday precautions reduce exposure to common theft risks. On public transport, keep phones, wallets and bags out of sight. At night, avoid isolated or poorly lit places. Use ATMs inside buildings or in well-lit areas, limit visible cash and jewellery, and choose a licensed taxi or a taxi arranged by a hotel instead of stopping an unknown vehicle on the street. Follow official local safety notices. Asunción and the Área Metropolitana have higher reporting density, while organised-crime and violence risks are particularly relevant in border departments including Amambay, Concepción, Alto Paraná, San Pedro and Canindeyú, as well as Salto del Guairá and the Triple Frontier. Drug and weapons smuggling is a concern in some of these areas. EPP activity has been reported in northern San Pedro and southern Concepción. Kidnappings are rare but can have severe consequences. Tourist destinations are not routinely the main targets, although people nearby can still be harmed. The Centro de Atención a Víctimas of the Ministerio Público provides psychological and social support, guidance, assistance with statements and court proceedings, protected interviews through Cámara Gesell, and help seeking protective measures. It has 33 offices nationwide, with Cámara Gesell facilities in Asunción, Ciudad del Este, Caacupé and Concepción. Women facing violence can contact Línea 137 SOS Mujer, which is free, confidential, anonymous and available 24 hours a day, every day, for guidance, psychological, social and legal assistance, referrals and shelter protection. Children can be supported through MINNA Fono Ayuda 147, 911, the Ministerio Público, the Centro de Atención a Víctimas or CODENI. Digital crime includes phishing, identity fraud, fake government-service links, malicious APK files, WhatsApp or email scams, SIM swapping and unauthorised access to accounts or banking services. From 2020 to July 2025, the Ministerio Público recorded 12,642 cybercrime cases: 6,064 involving computer-system fraud, 3,943 unauthorised system access cases, 1,341 data-alteration cases and 1,294 unauthorised data-access cases. Disconnect a compromised device from the internet, scan it, change passwords to unique ones, activate two-factor authentication and do not reopen a suspicious file. Report the incident to Policía Cibercrimen or the Unidad Especializada de Delitos Informáticos of the Ministerio Público. CERT-PY at abuse@cert.gov.py can coordinate technical incident reporting, but a CERT-PY report does not replace a criminal complaint. Protection of children and teenagers requires prompt action when abuse, exploitation, technology-facilitated abuse or family violence is suspected. Ministerio Público data for January 2020 to July 2026 recorded 110,886 cases across eight offences against children and teenagers. From January to July 2025, the data included 12,943 underage victims, including 1,959 victims of sexual abuse. In 87 percent of cases in the cited 2025 dataset, the suspected offender was a family member or someone known to the child. Do not publish personal details, photos or passwords, do not accept unknown online contacts, preserve messages and other evidence, inform a trusted adult and avoid confronting the suspected offender yourself.