Legal Framework and Institutional Mechanisms
Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Accession in 1981. Ratification of Optional Protocol in 2001. Main reference document for equality between men and women. Through its ratification or accession to it the States are legally bound to adopt all necessary measures, including special temporary measures and laws, in order for women to fully enjoy all their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). The signatory countries take responsibility for the implementation of the Platform for Action, in which 12 critical areas of concern for the advancement of women are defined.
Constitution and reforms (1972). There shall be no personal privileges or distinctions or discrimination based on race, birth, disability, social status, sex, religion or political ideas.
National Institute for Women (2008). It coordinates programs and projects aimed at eliminating structural causes of inequality between genders.
Gender and Equal Opportunity Bureau attached to the Ministry of Labor and Workforce Development (2014). It coordinates plans, programs and projects regarding gender and employment, ensuring the fulfillment of men and women's work rights.
Equal opportunities
Act on Women's Equality of Opportunity (1999). It prohibits all sex-based discrimination. It defines guidelines for the development of public policies with gender perspective. Within the sphere of care economy it advises on the creation and extension of child and community support centers to allow women to integrate themselves to social and economic life. Within the family sphere the State shall favor equitable distribution of responsibilities between both members of a couple.
Act Forbidding Discrimination at Work (2005). It forbids job discrimination based on sex.
National System on Gender Training (2001). It strengthens government and non-government institutions' ability to incorporate gender perspective into the development, implementation, tracking and evaluation of public policies, programs and projects.
Care Economy
Public Policy on Equal Opportunities for Women - PPIOM[1] (2012).
There are, among its strategic guidelines: to have unpaid household work recognized and appreciated as an economic activity which generates wealth and social well-being, and to develop a system for evaluating care-work; policies that foster co-responsibility in unpaid household work in order to enable women's access to productive work; development of new labour relations and quality employment model that include a gender perspective and facilitates co-responsibility for personal, family and work life reconciliation.
[1] Spanish acronym for Política Pública de Igualdad de Oportunidades para las Mujeres
Personal and labor conciliation
Labor Code and reforms (1971).
Makes provision for paidmaternity leave for 14 weeks (6 weeks prior to and 8 weeks after childbirth). No provision is made forpaternity leave.
Violence due to gender
Act 82 (2013). This act classifies femicide and its goals are to ensure women's right to a violence-free life and to protect the rights of women victims of violence, as well as prevent and punish all forms of violence against women.
Argentina
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Guyana
Haiti
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Peru
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
Uruguay
Venezuela