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The most pervasive violations of women's rights in Paraguay involve sexual and domestic abuse. On average one woman is murdered every 10 days. [1] Although Paraguay has taken several measures to deal with this problem, including creating special police units for domestic violence victims, [2] [3] lack of adequate laws, as well as conservative attitudes within a male dominated society hinder progress.
Paraguay is a landlocked country in South America, bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. The vast majority of its population identifies as Roman Catholic, and religion in Paraguay plays a very important role. Paraguay is a socially conservative society; [4] [5] and has been slow to change traditional views on family: divorce was legalized only in 1991. [6]
It is very difficult to assess the extent of domestic violence. Most cases are not reported to authorities, and victims endure the violence privately. In a 2008 survey, 20.4% of the women interviewed in the survey (aged 15–49) said they suffered physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner. [7] This was lower than many other countries in the area, but these figures, being self-reported, may reflect differing personal understanding of what constitutes abuse. Of women who said they experienced domestic abuse in the past 12 months, 12.9% said they sought any institutional help for the abuse. [8]
In 2017, 770 instances of domestic violence against men by their partners were recorded (1,540 annualised). [9]
The legal response of Paraguay to domestic violence has been very weak, even by Latin American standards. Although Paraguay enacted in 2000 Law No. 1,600 Against Domestic Violence (Ley No 1.600 contra la Violencia Doméstica), this law - while having a broad definition of domestic violence (including physical, psychological and sexual abuse "lesiones, maltratos físicos, psíquicos o sexuales" [10] ) - is civil in nature, and as such does not provide for any sanctions against the perpetrators.
While the Criminal Code provides for a crime of domestic violence, this crime has a very narrow definition, as physical violence that is carried out habitually, and is punishable by a fine only. [11] [12] As of 2014, there have been increasing calls, from both inside and outside of the country, for the enactment of a comprehensive law against violence against women. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]
The age of consent for sexual activity refers to an age at or above which an individual can engage in unfettered sexual relations with another who is of the same age or older. This age varies by jurisdiction across South America, codified in laws which may also stipulate the specific activities that are permitted or the gender of participants for different ages. Other variables may exist, such as close-in-age exemptions.
The Courts for Violence Against Women are Specialised criminal courtrooms associated to the Inquiry Courts, established by the Organic Law 1/2004 of Comprehensive Protection Measures against Violence against women. Extraordinarily these courts also have powers in the civil jurisdiction acting as Courts of First Instance and Inquiry. They are associated to the Judicial District, even though one court can be created to cover the area of two or more districts.
Domestic violence in Argentina is a serious issue. Since the 1990s onwards, the Government of Argentina has taken steps to address this problem. However, the policies of Argentina have been criticized for being weak, primarily due to focusing on civil, rather than criminal dealing with this form of violence, and for stressing conciliation between victim and perpetrator. The policy dealing with domestic violence has also been made more difficult due to the decentralized nature of the country: Argentina being a federal state with 23 provinces has caused significant regional variation between provincial policies on domestic violence, with women across the country having differing levels of protection.
Domestic violence in Brazil involves any type of violence or abuse by intimate partners or family members against one another. The majority of domestic violence cases in Brazil are performed by the man against their female partners. In 2015, the government released a study that showed that every seven minutes a woman was a victim of domestic violence in Brazil, over 70% of the Brazilian female population will suffer some kind of violence throughout their lifetime and 1 in every 4 women reports being a victim of psychological or physical violence. In 2017, Brazil had an estimate of 606 cases of violence and 164 cases of rape per day, over 60 thousand cases throughout the year. It is also estimated that only 10% of the cases are registered to the police. Although Brazil acknowledged that domestic violence was a problem in the 1940s, the Government has only acted upon it from 1980s onwards, with the creation of the Women Police Stations and later in 2006, with the publication of the Domestic Violence law.
Domestic violence in Colombia, although prohibited by law, remains a serious problem. Since the 1990s, Colombia has started to tackle this problem. Article 42 of the Constitution of Colombia provides that “Family relations are based on the equality of rights and duties of the couple and on the mutual respect of all its members. Any form of violence in the family is considered destructive of its harmony and unity, and will be sanctioned according to law.” Acts of domestic violence can be charged under a variety of laws, and victims can obtain protection orders. Despite this, the prevailing view continues to be that domestic violence should be treated as a "private" matter; and the laws are often unenforced.
Although prohibited by law, domestic violence in Ecuador is widespread. Family courts can impose fines for domestic violence, and have the power to remove an abusive spouse from the home. Ecuador has created specialized judicial units under the Ministry of Justice, with judges specializing in family violence. Serious cases of abuse can be referred to the Office of the Public Prosecutor for prosecution.
Domestic violence in Panama is a serious problem and remains underreported. Domestic violence, including spousal rape, psychological, physical, and economic abuse are criminalized. Panama enacted Ley No.38 del 2001 against domestic violence. In 2013, the country enacted Law 82 - Typifying Femicide and Violence Against Women a comprehensive law against violence against women.
The status of women in Argentina has changed significantly following the return of democracy in 1954; and they have attained a relatively high level of equality. In the Global Gender Gap Report prepared by the World Economic Forum in 2009, Argentine women ranked 24th among 134 countries studied in terms of their access to resources and opportunities relative to men. They enjoy comparable levels of education, and somewhat higher school enrollment ratios than their male counterparts. They are well integrated in the nation's cultural and intellectual life, though less so in the nation's economy. Their economic clout in relation to men is higher than in most Latin American countries, however, and numerous Argentine women hold top posts in the Argentine corporate world; among the best known are Cris Morena, owner of the television production company by the same name, María Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat, former CEO and majority stakeholder of Loma Negra, the nation's largest cement manufacturer, and Ernestina Herrera de Noble, director of Grupo Clarín, the premier media group in Argentina.
Crime in Panama is investigated by the Panamanian police.
Women in Paraguay is a group of women whose rights are challenged in the country of Paraguay. Faced by socioeconomic inequalities and gender pay gap, they experienced significant cultural changes since 1990 as a result of constitutional and legal expansions of women's rights and evolving cultural attitudes. The legal and government institutions currently existing in Paraguay were developed in part through the efforts of feminist organizations in the country that held significant awareness-raising campaigns during the 1990s to formalize the guarantees of women's rights. UN Women supports the Paraguayan State in the challenge to extend women's rights, to fight for gender equality, as well as women's empowerment. It also ensures that women's voices are heard and create more opportunities for women.
Gender inequality can be found in various areas of Salvadoran life such as employment, health, education, political participation, and family life. Although women in El Salvador enjoy equal protection under the law, they are often at a disadvantage relative to their male counterparts. In the area of politics, women have the same rights as men, but the percentage of women in office compared to men is low. Though much progress has been made since the Salvadoran Civil War ended in 1992, women in El Salvador still face gender inequality.
Women in Panama are the women who live in or are from Panama. Panamanian women, by tradition, are Hispanic and they are treated as equal to men, accorded with "deference and respect".
#NiUnaMenos is a Peruvian group against femicides and violence against women in the Andean country. The movement was formed in July 2016, and the march it staged in August 2016 has been characterized as the largest demonstration in Peruvian history
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