Human rights in Uruguay

[6] However areas of concern remain, including inhumane prison facilities, access to justice for crimes committed as a result of the dictatorship and discrimination towards women.

[7] Uruguay has one general reservation/declaration with regard to article 38, paragraphs 2-3 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which deals with youth involvement in armed conflict.

[16] Various other institutions exist to promote human rights in particular areas of government, such as:[17] The Commission Against Racism, Xenophobia, and All Forms of Discrimination was created in 2007 however it has not had an allocated budget since 2010, and the terms of its members have lapsed.

This causes many problems in international travel, jurisdiction, investment, property ownership, asset declaration, marriage, extradition, discrimination, etc.

[28] In 2014 the passage of the Law of Audiovisual Communication Services was hailed by human rights groups as a model for Latin American freedom of expression.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression noted that there are occasional cases of violence and intimidation against journalists such as the 2011 assault on Luis Diaz by police in Salto.

Legislative authority is vested in the bi-cameral General Assembly and the Executive takes the form of a President and appointed Cabinet.

[37] Furthermore, Uruguay recently introduced gender quotas for election cycles, requiring equal representation on candidate shortlists.

[43] The Constitution does not contain a clear freedom from torture provision but it does give the right to enjoy life, liberty, security and property.

[44] The Penal Code contains provisions criminalising abuse of authority by public officials in the prison system and article 22.1 of the Law on Cooperation with the International Criminal Court in Matters of the Fight against Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity criminalises torture by any State agent, including cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.

[50] It was found that prisoners had restricted access to water, toilets, medical attention, and a lack of space to sleep and were allowed out of their cells for only four hours a week.

During this time a number of human rights abuses were committed including the use of torture, unlawful detention and enforced disappearances.

[58] Pressure from the Gelman v Uruguay decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights led to the repeal of the Expiry Law in 2011 with the passage of Act No.

[59] However recent events have continued to undermine the access to justice for the victims of the dictatorship and once again risked non-compliance with international human rights standards.

[64] Human rights groups have also noted that there had been an increase in domestic violence complaints and state programmes had been unsuccessful at reducing the number of deaths of women.

[61] This is a problem as anecdotal evidence suggests some rape victims do not file complaints due to social stigma and a fear of retribution.

[68] The creation of the National Women's Institute and the Equal Opportunities Plan of the Municipal Government of Montevideo is helping to make progress.