Human rights in Peru
Supreme Court of the RepublicPresident Javier Arévalo Vela [es] Within Peru, human rights are protected under the Constitution.
[1] Ever since the end of the internal conflict in Peru that occurred from 1980 to 2000, the country has worked to integrate humanitarian regulations and statuses into national law.
[3] In spite of the country's progress since the Maoist insurgency, many problems are still visible and show the continued marginalization and displacement of those who suffered through the systematic violence of the Peruvian conflict.
[1] In the 1980s, a decade of systematic violation of human rights occurred in Peru in the war against terrorism, characterized by guerilla groups like the Shining Path and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Army against the Peruvian government.
[4]: 24 However, both the Peruvian security forces as well as the guerrilla insurgencies were responsible for the drastic increase in human rights violations throughout the period of violence.
As the country began to recover from the decades of conflict, programs like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission emerged, recommending levels of compensation for those individuals and communities in areas such as “mental and physical health, education, economic support and the provision of identification documents, regardless of the resulting financial implications.
It states within the first two articles that every human has a right to their respect and dignity, as well as their life, equality, and various freedoms relating to personal opinions and security.
However, despite this legal document and the progression past internal conflict, the country continues to face challenges in the protection of human rights.
[1] The second article of the Peruvian Constitution states that every person has the right “to life, his identity his normal psychical, and physical integrity, and his free development and well-being.
[8] The labor movement was originally linked with the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance, allowing for the emergence of the Confederation of Peruvian Workers in 1964.
[9] Union activity increased throughout the military years, introducing the Industrial Reform Law, which in turn led to a decrease in formal sector employment.
[15] In order for this to be accomplished, the organization has worked to promote good quality health services to reach those who live in poverty and exclusion from greater Peruvian society.
[16] All the partnerships within Peru work to help these vulnerable populations be better positioned to advocate for changes in their communities within more national health service contexts.
Similarly, freedom of religion is a human right that Peru acknowledges in their Constitution, preventing the instance of discrimination for religious differences.
[22] However, gender, ethnicity, place of residence, and vernacular all have significant effects on attendance, reinforcing the need for more early childhood care and education programs.
[24] Indigenous students believe that the education system in place in Peru forces them to "blend with the dominant culture," because they are encouraged to discard their traditional clothing and household dialect.
[28] The 2017 census stated that 76% of the population was Catholic, 14% was Protestant (mainly evangelical), 5.1% were nonreligious and 4.9% followed other religions; other religious groups included Israelites of the New Universal Pact (an evangelical Christian group blending biblical and Andean religious beliefs, with an emphasis on communal farming life), Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church of Jesus Christ), Jews, Muslims, Baha’is, Buddhists, Orthodox Christians, and the International Society of Krishna Consciousness.
[27] Many Peruvians continue to have problems with Christian religious groups who impose their culture on those populations who have different beliefs and ways of life.
[28] Many minority groups have said that they were pleased with adjustments made by the government in 2011 and 2016 to reduce favoritism toward the Catholic Church and relax organization registration requirements.
[34] Throughout the Fujimori regime, women were forced to abide by aggressive population policies, limiting a woman's reproductive rights.
[35] Although many abuses occurred under Fujimori, when Alejandro Toledo assumed power, the Ministry of Health restricted access to contraceptives, and increased the severity of repercussions for abortions.
[33] These facilities are usually inadequate and do not provide culturally appropriate services for non-Spanish speakers, making new or expectant mothers unwilling to seek emergency obstetric care.
Policies that have been created on women's bodies, sexuality, and reproductive abilities have "corresponded mainly with the interests of the state and other powerful entities, such as the Catholic Church and conservative groups.
"[32] Through the interchanging power dynamic between political elites, the Catholic Church, and feminists, topics of contraception and reproductive rights were debated.
[32] In 2004, with the emergence of ForoSalud, the Monitoring Group on Sexual and Reproductive Rights paved the way for free choice in Peru.
In modern sectors, it is sexual acts between two individuals of the same sex; in traditional sectors, it represents the adoption of sexual norms of the opposite gender; in the media, homosexuality includes transvestites and "feminine" men; and in news media, homosexuality is considered morally wrong and is associated with common vices like drug abuse.
[39] It was found that within this population, there was limited education and even if the Peruvian men knew their personal risk for the HIV infection, they were not more likely to try and obtain contraception.
[22] Similarly, most of the indigenous population resides in rural areas, making access to resources a large problem for the individuals in those communities.
