This shadow report, led by The Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women's Rights -Peru (CLADEM-Peru), contributes to the United Nations Committee that monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). It is an opportunity for women's groups to monitor their government and to raise concerns about the official submission of the government to the CEDAW committee. This shadow report maintains an explicit focus on those areas these groups deem to be of particular concern in Peru, namely, sexual and reproductive rights, discriminatory political practices and violence against women. Despite the existence of legislation, significant aspects of women's rights are overlooked. These include narrow definitions of sexual abuse; little recognition by public officials at all levels of the existence or seriousness of these problems; difficulties accessing (emergency) contraception and information despite laws guaranteeing their availability; the persistence of laws that state that life begins at conception, thereby preventing women from accessing abortions, even in cases of (marital) rape; and continued discrimination against sex-workers and weak child trafficking laws. The report concludes that in these areas, the government still has some distance to go before the CEDAW conventions are met.
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BRIDGE is a research and information programme located within IDS Knowledge Services. We are part of a global movement whose vision is a world where gender equality, dignity and social justice prevail, where poverty is eliminated and where human rights – including women’s rights - are realised.