Women's rights in Latin America

by Grace Barker

As I prepare to embark on my 2 month trip to South America, I thought now would be a good time to explore women's rights in the continent...

Women in all regions of the world suffer subordination to men, in economic, political and social life and in the home. Latin America is no different. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data shows that violence against women is also a serious problem in Latin America, as it is in most of the rest of the world. Approximately one in three women in Latin America and the Caribbean has been a victim of sexual, physical, or psychological violence at the hands of intimate partners, according to survey data collected by the Pan American Health Organization in 2006.

Since the 1990s, a majority of the countries in Latin America have taken some action to outlaw violence against women. However, conservative courts often choose not to rule for women, especially in cases of domestic violence. Though international treaties on women's right are recognized in Latin America and laws are on the books, courts in Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Mexico and Peru don't always uphold them.


One court in Chile ruled that a female soccer referee couldn't continue working because her job was too dangerous. Another tribunal in Mexico made it logistically impossible for a raped woman to obtain an abortion because it is illegal in most of Latin America. In Peru a woman was refused a grant for divorce on the grounds of
abandonment, even though her husband had left her 10 years earlier. Pregnant woman in Chile are still occasionally expelled from school
and college because the relevant legislation
contains no effective sanctions for violating women's rights.


The good news is, according to the OECD, Latin American women suffer less total gender discrimination — in ownership rights, civil liberties, family codes and physical integrity — than other regions of the world. This is because times are changing and people are starting to realize slowly that real action needs to be taken. Women's rights groups like ONG Epikeia, meaning justice with equality, have strongly fought against government sponsored sterilization programs, which aimed to reduce the birth rate in poor communities where in some cases, sterilization was done without the woman's consent. What they are doing is so important and will eventually make a difference.


We can do our bit by wearing black on Thursdays to remind us and those around us that there is still much in the world that has to change. Please don't forget Thursdays in Black!