Media Center

Press Release

At OAS, Human Rights Experts Debate Challenges to and Opportunities for Women’s Political Rights

Guests and specialists on human rights from around the region today presented their views on the challenges to and opportunities for the full application of the political rights of women. It happened on the second day of the First Hemispheric Forum on “Women’s Leadership for a Citizens’ Democracy,” organized by the Organization of American States (OAS) through the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), UN Women, and the Ibero-American General Secretariat.

The Special Rapporteur for the Rights of Women of the OAS Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Luz Patricia Mejía, opened this morning’s panel with a presentation on the “State of the art: The exercise of women’s political rights in the Americas,” and asserted that “the inclusion of women in all political spheres strengthens democracy, because it promotes political plurality through the integration of women’s voices and demands.” She then referred to some of the achievements in the area of political participation and representation of women in the region, including the legal changes and public policies adopted to recognize the right of women to participate equally in politics; the increase in female representation in high offices, especially in the legislative and executive branches; the greater number of women elected as presidents or prime ministers; and the creation of institutes and departments to promote human rights and leadership.

In terms of challenges, the IACHR Special Rapporteur remarked that, although women constitute approximately half the population of the hemisphere, “these numbers are not reflected on the levels of decision making in the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural spheres.” She asserted that “today women have limited access to public positions, to exercise their right to vote and to remain in powerful positions.” She advocated not only greater numerical representation but also “a qualitative presence of the interests of women and of those that benefit gender equality.” She further stressed that “the rights and interests of women should be part of the national political agenda,” and that they should be incorporated in legislation, public policies, and judicial decisions.

At the panel, moderated by Virginia Vargas, Founder of the Flora Tristán Center for Peruvian Women, a feminist institution that promotes women’s citizenship, Mejía reported on some recommendations the IACHR has gathered on the issue, including establishing the conditions necessary to eliminate the structural and formal obstacles that women confront in decision-making positions; identifying alternatives to overcome the economic obstacles that women face; strengthening mechanisms of public financing to promote the political participation of women in the region; and “to adopt public measures to redefine the traditional concepts on women’s role in society, and finally to promote the elimination of discriminatory social cultural patterns.”

The Deputy Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Elizabeth Abi-Mershed, complemented the presentation made by the Special Rapporteur and spoke about the challenges to monitoring the exercise of women’s political rights and the tools and approaches that the Inter-American system of human rights offers for women to address those challenges. “The first and most basic challenge is that the right of women to participate fully and freely in political life is an acquired right,” she said, a challenge that States usually face to understand that this is a right that “gives rise to a number of obligations on their part.” “Even when the federal government has recognized this right, many officials at the local level do not necessarily understand this as a right and fail to recognize that it should be respected at all levels,” she said.

The IACHR representative also pointed out the link between violence and discrimination, and the recognition that violence can prevent women from fully developing their social, economical and political life. One of the great obstacles women face in their ability to exercise their political rights is the question of stereotyping, and for that reason the recognition of this link between discrimination and stereotyping is very important.” Abi-Mershed promoted the work of the IACHR and in general of the inter-American system of human rights for “the emphasis it places on democracy and human rights, which is unusual.” “The issues of voting, of strengthening democratic institutions and participation are placed as priorities, at the regional level, and that characteristic is also reflected in the Inter-American Democratic Charter, a unique set of principles that apply to our system.”

Mary Rose Madden, from the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights (IIHR), spoke about the hemispheric monitoring of the exercise of political rights of women and stressed that it is the duty of states to eliminate gender stereotypes by encouraging gender mixed education and in particular through inclusive teaching methods. Referring to the Convention of Belem do Para, in which Member States adopted the commitment to prevent, punish, and eradicate violence against women, she noted that Latin America and the Caribbean are the only regions in the world that have a tool of such nature, which "goes beyond affirmative action."

Madden said one of the situations that preclude the participation of women in political life is fear, as well as the concern with becoming victims "of sexual violence that women can face in public places," and urged that steps be taken to address it.

Silvia Pimentel, expert in the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), listed a number of initiatives conducted by the CEDAW in building women's citizenship, and affirmed that the best way to move forward in this area is by building bridges at the intrastate and intraregional levels. She further explained that the UN Convention on the subject, which she referred to as the "the Magna Carta of the rights of women," proposes two fronts: to "promote equality and to combat discrimination faced by half of the world population."

The CEDAW expert said that to date 101 States have ratified the Convention, and presented some issues "that could be of joint interest to advance the implementation of women's human rights," including: fostering collaboration for the dissemination and visibility of the Convention and its Optional Protocol; expanding the dialogue between regional institutions and those in the United Nations system; generating joint actions for the implementation of the CEDAW the recommendations; encouraging coordination in training and developing materials for States on the importance and commitments of the Convention; and reminding governments about the obligation they have acquired in combating discrimination and promoting women’s equality through legislative, administrative, and judicial measures.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-600/11