|
|
|
PRESS RELEASE
N° 27/09
IACHR RELEASES REPORT ON THE SITUATION OF WOMEN IN CHILE
Washington, D.C., May 13, 2009 – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) releases today its “Report on the Rights of Women in Chile: Equality in the Family, Labor and Political Spheres.” The report concludes that discrimination is one of the main barriers that women encounter in getting their rights effectively protected and guaranteed.
The IACHR recognizes advances in the rights of women in Chile, but observes that, in law and in practice, different forms of discrimination against women persist that continue to be tolerated by society. This accentuates the structural inequities in the home, in political life and on the job. The report analyzes the direct link between Chilean women’s unequal status in the family and their limited participation in the country’s political life and labor force.
One of the problems identified by the Commission is that the processes of approval of bills relative to the rights of women, especially those relative to equality in the home, are characterized by sluggishness and delays. “The democratization of the family is crucial to enabling Chilean women to participate in the labor market and the political life of the country. As President Michelle Bachelet has said, women’s equality on every front is a key to Chile’s continued and sustainable economic, social and political development”, the report concludes.
The working visit of the Rapporteurship on the Rights of Women to Chile took place in September 2007 and it was conducted with the financial support of the Government of Finland.
A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote respect for human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this matter. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who act in a personal capacity, without representing a particular country, and who are elected by the OAS General Assembly.
Useful Links
Read this press release in Spanish / Lea este comunicado de prensa en español
Press contact: María Isabel
Rivero
To subscribe to the IACHR press release mailing list, please type your e-mail address in this form. |
