COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN CONSIDERS REPORT OF PARAGUAY
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today considered the sixth periodic report of Paraguay on how that country is implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Introducing the report, Gloria Rubin, Minister of the Women’s Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Paraguay, said that for the first time Paraguay had recognized that the right to live a life without violence was an essential requirement. Since 2005 Paraguay had developed public services to assist women who were the victims of violence or who were trafficked persons. There was a draft bill against all forms of discrimination, which had received a favourable ruling from the gender equality commission, although it had not yet been fully approved. Bills on sexual and reproductive health, and on maternal health were also pending. There had been progress in parliament through the draft bill on preventing violence against women. The conservative attitudes reflected in political parties meant that addressing issues such as abortion were problematic, and that had caused issues in parliament. Reform had also faced resistance from society. A priority area and issue of great concern was the rights of domestic workers, and there was a draft bill to improve their lives and legislate a minimum wage and maximum weekly hours.
Questions and issues raised by Experts during the discussion concerned the epidemic levels of domestic violence in Paraguay, and measures taken to combat that. The high level of internal and external trafficking of persons, often for sexual exploitation, along with corruption surrounding the prosecution of perpetrators, was also discussed. Experts asked the delegation about the high rates of maternal mortality as a consequence of illegal abortions, and about sexual and reproductive health care availability, including support for HIV/AIDS sufferers, contraception and family planning. Committee members asked the delegation to elaborate on the portrayal of women in the media, and the role of the media in awareness raising on women's rights. The delegation was asked to explain the measures put in place to ensure land ownership for rural and indigenous women, and also to protect them from agrochemicals used in soya production. The rights of domestic workers, primarily women and girls, were discussed, as were measures taken to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. Finally experts asked at length about Paraguay’s gender parity in participation in the political life of the country, and whether quotas for woman candidates and parliamentarians would be permissible under temporary special measures.
In concluding remarks, Ms. Rubin thanked the Committee for their kind treatment, and the opportunity and advice that had been given.
In preliminary concluding remarks, Silvia Pimentel, Chairperson of the Committee, thanked the delegation for providing a further insight into the situation of women’s rights in Paraguay. She commended the delegation for their efforts and encouraged the State party to take all necessary measures to address all of the recommendations of the Committee.
The delegation of Paraguay included representatives of the Women’s Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Paraguay, the Civil Service, the Gender Section of the Judicial Board, the Ministry of Justice and Work, the Department of Domestic Commerce in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Department of Indigenous Health of the Ministry of Health, the Department of Regional For a of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Mission of Paraguay to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Thursday 6 October, to consider the sixth periodic report of Montenegro (CEDAW/C/MNE/1).
Report
The sixth periodic report of Paraguay (CEDAW/C/PAR/1) notes that the most significant advances made between 2005 and 2010 involve gender mainstreaming in State institutions. Women’s rights are now promoted in many ways in the capital and the interior of the country, new gender areas have been created, budgetary resources have been allotted and political statements refer to the need to incorporate women’s interests and expectations.
Action on domestic violence is establishing itself in the national agenda as State policy. Statistical data shows domestic violence to be the third most common punishable act, after cattle rustling and theft. The fight against trafficking in persons has been institutionalized, through public action to establish identification networks and provide for protection, sentencing of culprits and rehabilitation of victims. There has been an improvement in the sexual and reproductive health of women while new scourges such as the feminization of HIV/AIDS are being tackled. The maternal mortality rate has declined, and although it is still high, there has been progress.
The participation of women in the world of work has grown, although working conditions have not improved and there are still sectors from which women are absent, such as construction and private security. Fifty per cent of women are living in poverty and of those most are rural heads of family with a large number of children. The participation of women in public life is progressing, but their level of participation is minimal and the various efforts made have not been sufficient. Women in the interior of the country, rural women, indigenous women, young women and urban women are much better organized and participate actively in public life.
The report notes that the reporting period saw a very significant change in Paraguay’s political history: the recent elections of 2008 resulted in the ousting of the party that had traditionally held office, which reinforced the democratic process in the alternation of power. That situation creates a new scenario for a rights-based approach and breaks with established patterns in the functioning of institutions and social movements.
Presentation of the Report
GLORIA RUBIN, Minister of the Women’s Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Paraguay, said that Paraguay was currently setting out their aims and goals for the period 2008 to 2017, and were in the process of establishing instruments of State to assist achievement in that period.
For the first time Paraguay had recognized the right to live a life without violence as an essential requirement for development. Paraguay had developed public services to assist women who were the victims of violence or who were trafficked persons. The budget for those services had been increased by 300 per cent, although most of that increase came from international cooperation. Five police stations had been equipped to deal with complaints of violence against women. Women’s shelters had been opened for victims of gender discrimination, violence and trafficking. The new shelters provided comprehensive care and services to all women victims and minors, from accommodation to psychiatric care, occupational health care, legal advice and training on rights and personal security.
There was a draft bill against all forms of discrimination, which had received a favourable ruling from the gender equality commission, although it had not yet been fully approved. A bill on sexual and reproductive health was also pending, as was one on maternal health. There had been greater progress by the draft bill on preventing violence against women. Although the bill had faced problems, an agreement had been signed between the three branches of the State, and the law would soon come before parliament. In 2009 the Secretariat for Women set up an office for the prevention and care of trafficking in persons, as well as a dedicated shelter to provide housing and care for victims of trafficking. A bill on the subject had been referred to parliament. Paraguay was fully aware of the need to improve the production and processing of information, particularly statistics on gender violence. A statistical system was currently being prepared that could harmonize and share information among various public institutions that provided assistance to female victims of gender violence.
Abortion was one of the main areas to be addressed. The conservative attitudes reflected in political parties were a problem, and had caused issues in parliament. The reform had also faced resistance from society. The general framework on comprehensive education on sexuality and sexual abuse, involving training of children at all levels, had been suspended last month because of pressure exerted by various fundamentalist religious groups that were part of the educational society.
A priority area and issue of great concern was the rights of domestic workers. It was necessary to focus on the way in which society understood domestic labour and the fact that society viewed it as a subservient role and unproductive work; it was also not well numerated. Joint programmes among civil society groups, including unions and non-governmental organizations, and some political institutions, had been held to advance work on that issue. There was now a draft law to improve the lives of domestic workers, which included a minimum wage and maximum weekly hours.
Ms. Rubin said she hoped her delegation could provide constructive and clear answers to the Committee’s questions.
Questions from Experts
A Committee Expert was pleased to note the progress achieved in women's rights in the period 2005 to 2011. However, some crucial recommendations, such as the definition of and prohibition of discrimination against women, had not been fully implemented. Could there be more information about the new bill, and those recommendations? Furthermore, in the State constitution there were articles prohibiting discrimination but there was no effective mechanism to enforce that. What sanctions were there to enforce the prohibition of discrimination against women and provide equality between women and men, and were there references to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women?
Another Expert asked about the three laws mentioned in the presentation of the report; although it was clear there was no will in the legislature to adopt laws such as the ones on reproductive health, on discrimination against women and on gender-based violence, what was the true perspective on the ground in Paraguay to resolve those issues, and how could progress be made within the legislature to adopt those laws?
What were the human resources of the Secretariat for Women? What prevented the presidency from improving the hierarchical position of the Secretariat? What part of the present 2011 budget was paid for by the State and what came from external sources? What did the Government have as an alternative policy in case the external financing, which was a fragile resource, was cut?
Was there a plan to improve the statistical system? What guarantee was there of proper coordination with other networks and for collaboration with civil society?
What was the freedom of movement of the Government if a bill was rejected in Parliament? How much power did the Secretariat have when it came to legislative matters?
Response by the Delegation
In response to the questions and comments, the delegation said that the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was a law of the nation and could be referred to as a domestic law; there was jurisprudence on that in the national legislation. CEDAW was of a superior standing to the civil code and did repeal it, although it relied on judges making a correct interpretation of the law. There had been awareness raising and training on the Convention, with the support of civil society. The Convention was taught in legal schools, and was an obligatory component of the training of lawyers and magistrates. The definition of CEDAW had been used in various mechanisms, including the Mechanism for Legal Protection.
The executive branch had been waiting for the bill on prohibition of discrimination against women to be favourably received by parliament, and it was conducting strategy meetings, lobbying and organizing forums. However it was up to the legislative branch to pass the bill. There was a great deal of resistance, not just from parliament, but also from the very conservative society in Paraguay, to the bill.
Strategies on getting the legislature to pass bills included working with civil society and signing agreements.
On budgetary concerns, external income came from stable sources that would hopefully continue for the next 100 years. Paraguay had one of the lowest personal income taxes in the world, virtually nil. There had been an on-going campaign to make society aware of the importance of income tax, as without money the Government could not fight poverty. Poverty had a female face in Paraguay. It was hoped that the Government would approve a personal income tax, which would then provide another income for the Secretariat for Women. Later in October the Secretariat’s budget must be defended to the Government.
Regarding human resources, there were 140 persons working in the Secretariat for Women, including 20 per cent who were technically trained staff. There was a competitive and careful recruitment procedure and constant training of staff.
Improvement of the statistical system was in progress and the Secretariat was working together with various branches of authority including the police, the court system and the Ministry of Health.
On freedom of movement in the legislature, the current Government held a minority in parliament, making it a struggle to find room for manoeuvre. However through negotiations and public information the Secretariat had found a degree of satisfaction in some areas.
Questions from Experts
An Expert raised the question of quotas at a political level, as a law had been introduced to raise the quota of women.
Domestic violence continued to occur at epidemic levels; what measures had the Government taken to prevent that? Although the penal code was amended in 2007 some articles were not amended in accordance with the Convention. For example, the requirement for domestic violence to be habitual for it to be classed as an offence remained. Although the law allowed for a jail sentence, in most cases the sanction inflicted on perpetrators was a fine. What measures were being taken to effectively prosecute perpetrators and what specialist training was given to law-enforcement officials, magistrates, court staff and specialist support services for dealing with domestic violence cases and victims?
An Expert referred to a report by a United Nations Special Rapporteur that said that girls in Paraguay were leaving school early and working in homes, often in environments where they could be subject to sexual abuse. Was there going to be an amendment to child labour rules for girls and boys?
On changing public opinion, could the media be better used? Also could training be linked to the promotion of women; was there any way of ensuring that education and training had an effect on the ground for the betterment of women’s lives?
Trafficking of persons was often controlled by powerful mafia groups who even had influence over the judiciary, an Expert noted. Could public awareness be raised on those issues? For example, removing impunity of a magistrate who had willingly cooperated with the mafia, or prosecuting anyone who had links with the mafia?
Paraguay was a source, transit and destination country for trafficked women, who were mostly used for sexual exploitation. Internal trafficking within the country, from rural to urban areas, especially of indigenous women, was also a serious issue. Efforts to combat trafficking had already included strengthening policies and coordination with other bodies, but what timeframe did the Government have for adopting national legislation, as well as preventative measures?
Perpetrators of trafficking were not adequately prosecuted and cases were not adequately investigated. What actual punishments were meted out? There were allegations of insufficient progress against official complicity in trafficking of persons, for example by police, border guards and the judiciary who were alleged to have received bribes of diamonds in return for allowing trafficking. There was not enough protection for witnesses, which deterred women from testifying against traffickers. How were the victims protected? There was one single refuge centre for victims in Paraguay, did the authorities intend to open others?
Since trafficking was a serious regional problem, to what extent was Paraguay working with neighbouring countries to take concrete action on the issue. Was it a priority issue for both the Secretariat of Women and the Government? Trafficking was more than a violation of women's rights, it was also a form of slavery.
Response by the Delegation
Regarding quotas in political parties, the delegation recalled the issue being raised in parliament; a situation that they said was unfortunately both tragic and comic. A woman parliamentarian requested a temporary 50 per cent quota, and a male parliamentarian requested a 30 per cent quota. When the 50 per cent draft bill was discussed male parliamentarians dismissed it and made a mockery of it, asking why a woman would ask for seats in parliament. The discussion was suspended with the intention of it never being resumed. The author of the 30 per cent draft bill did not ask for the floor or defend his draft. The reaction of civil society was negative. Subsequently the Secretariat for Women had been working on local campaigns, training on political ideologies, including types of socialism. The Secretariat hoped that women would realise that if Parliament would not give them the quotas they could not continue just voting for men, they must act to have women candidates.
Any woman candidates were discriminated against, for example in the ranking of candidates on voting slips, as a woman would always be listed last. Women usually had less money for political campaigns, even when it was State funded. There was an equality and non-discrimination protocol in the public service plan, and although there were numbers of women working in lower ranks, in higher ranks of the civil service there were very few women.
Legislation on domestic violence was provided for in the law, but there were very few cases of male perpetrators being imprisoned. Most of the time they were just fined. When the penal code was reformed, the men doing that thought including domestic violence was ‘feminist insanity’ and said so publicly. The only alternative was a campaign dealing with violence. It was an issue but there was no vaccination against the problem.
A draft law on trafficking of persons depended on the lobbying and campaigning that the Secretariat of Women could do; women were behind the law and they were an absolute minority. Regarding finding lost girl children, there were ongoing public information campaigns with the assistance of the police. There were on-going public information campaigns on trafficking, and plans to improve witness protection, especially in conjunction with the police.
Women were rarely able to complain about trafficking, and there was little support in the judiciary. For example, the head of the specialized work being done on trafficking was a high-ranking woman in the judiciary, District Attorney Teresa Martinez, who should had been a member of the delegation today but she had had her immunity lifted and was unable to leave Paraguay. The delegation said that they thought the mafia – who were behind trafficking – were also behind that case.
The inter-agency board on trafficking was comprised of people from different ministries and from civil society. The police were responsible for trafficking and had a human trafficking department. The legal office may also have a trafficking unit. The Secretariat of Women was responsible for psychological care, legal needs and the reinsertion into the labour market of female victims.
Domestic or internal trafficking was dealt with in the same way. The issue was that people deliberately turned a blind eye to domestic trafficking, including parents of trafficked children or young women. Despite providing training for people they often had an indifferent or stonewall response and refused to believe domestic trafficking was a problem. It often happened within families, which added another layer of silence. Women were often trafficked to Europe, Spain or to neighbouring countries. There was an agreement with Brazil and Argentina, and nationals of all three countries had access to a joint service. Many radio and television programmes as well as educational programmes in schools were undertaken to raise awareness. However the delegation accepted that the root of the problem had not really been tackled.
Questions from Experts
An Expert noted that all of the delegation members who had attended from the capital in Paraguay were women, which indicated that issues of women's rights in Paraguay were left for women to deal with alone. Since women had not reached the critical mass needed to impact the decisions made by parliament or the ministerial cabinet, they needed to win the support of the men who held the political power in the country. The delegation had said that Paraguay was a very conservative country, and conceded it was a sexist state. The media played a very important role in making changes, and the Expert would like to hear about efforts taken to make the media accountable in the role they had in shaping the values and societal norms, and in holding gender equality in respect.
How were women portrayed in the media, what was the role of the media in changing attitudes? Were there any media regulations on the pre-election campaign?
Was there a positive discrimination policy in Paraguay, an Expert asked? How many women were involved in the diplomatic service? Were there women diplomats and how many? Also were there women working in the educational sector and were there women serving in the judiciary? Those women should be the brightest and the best, and should be role models for other women.
Response by the Delegation
A delegation member recalled her previous career working as a journalist and said it was a completely masculine environment and male-dominated industry. There were publications available nationwide whose goal was to strengthen sexism, or a ‘macho attitude’. Despite that, the State worked with the media in all forms, including the State-controlled network. The State media outlet did work on gender issues. However not a single politician would raise his hand in support of the work of the Secretariat. It was very difficult to raise male support. There were three programmes across the civil service addressing gender issues, and the Secretariat were offering a prize to the media outlet that worked hardest on promoting gender equality.
In the fight against violence, parliamentarians were active and supportive and had voted through the budget. The latest campaign, called ‘Zero Abuse’ had been sponsored by the President himself. Two well-know figures in Paraguay, a singer and a sports player, were publicizing the campaign, as they were influential in the society of Paraguay.
Questions from Experts
Regarding girl children’s education, girls often stopped attending school or their parents kept them at home to do domestic work and care for other children. That was especially prevalent in rural areas. Figures showed a high rate of teenage pregnancy – up to 20 per cent of pregnancies were to girls aged 15 to 19. In many instances the school authorities, because of the stigma of teenage pregnancy, expelled those girls. Could school authorities be obliged to keep pregnant girls in school, and also after their pregnancy?
An Expert noted that drop-out occurred throughout the education system, and the delegation had said there was no data available on the reasons for children dropping out. What did the authorities intend to do about that?
Domestic workers were one of the most vulnerable categories of workers, and mostly comprised women and girls. Domestic workers often worked up to 16 hours per day and the legal minimum wage for that sector was less than the minimum wage for other workers. Domestic workers did not have access to the same social security and retirement benefits as other workers. There had been discriminatory rulings by courts against domestic workers.
An Expert noted with concern that the economic participation of women had slightly decreased in the past four years, so inequality had grown during that period. The overall pay gap of 73.1 per cent, which was an alarmingly high number, had increased.
There was a new ruling that employers with over 50 staff had to provide childcare for children under two, an Expert said. How was this implemented, and were there plans to extend the ruling?
A campaign on sexual harassment was undertaken in 2006, although the definition of sexual harassment in the constitution was narrow. Were there procedures in place to deal with sexual harassment in the workplace?
An Expert raised the subject of health, namely sexual and reproductive rights and abortion. The maternal mortality rate was one of the highest in the region, and clandestine abortions were the first and major cause of maternal mortality. Those deaths would be avoidable if public policy could be implemented in rural areas.
Was there political will in the State to discuss the issue of the very extensive prohibition of abortion, and was there a solution to end those deaths and suffering? From 2004 onwards around 24 per cent of deaths were due to clandestine abortions. The other two major causes of death were bleeding and septicaemia. Together those three causes accounted for 66 per cent of deaths. Those causes pointed to something being wrong with gynaecological treatment. The Committee could not require the State to decriminalize abortion. However, even if abortion was not decriminalized the State had a responsibility to ensure women had access to a broad range of family planning services, which would prevent them from having an unwanted pregnancy, and an abortion.
Regarding HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, there are no reliable figures on the HIV/AIDS infection rate in Paraguay. In 2008 it was calculated that 13,000 people were infected with HIV/AIDS but only 8,000 had been officially recorded. Without a clear overview it would be difficult to carry out in depth work for those people.
As a secular State, how did Paraguay ensure legislation was kept separate from the influence of fundamentalist groups? The huge difficulty in fighting against the fundamentalist views of the church was noted, however the delegation was encourage to seek a ‘magical’ strategy to overcome those strong views.
Was there a strategy to provide sexual and reproductive health education?
For women and young girls with disabilities, what provisions were available, and what training was given to healthcare staff?
An Expert welcomed the recognition of provision of healthcare as a right in Paraguay, including family planning. What follow-up had been given to the Ministerial resolution on primary healthcare services, and to what extent were services to women included in that regard?
How did the Government plan to implement land rights for rural women? What happened to women who had no money to purchase land?
The poverty statistics showed that 50 per cent of women were on the poverty line, with 19 per cent of those women living in situations of dire poverty. Those women were mainly rural, indigenous, or the head of a household. The Expert noted that work had already been done on the issue, including a social project to aid those groups. What were the results of that programme? Was there a national strategy on poverty?
Response from the Delegation
In response to the questions and comments, the delegation of Paraguay said companies were monitored to check whether they provided childcare, but there was no penalty for companies that did not comply.
On the perpetuation of stereotypes, girls were usually invited to study in traditional fields, for example hairdressing. The Secretariat had not yet managed to start a planned campaign in which the Minister for Labour would call on girls to study fields such as engineering and how to fix motorbikes (of which there were many in Paraguay). Stereotypes still existed when it came to technical training.
For a woman to claim social security, a man must declare that he was unemployed and the woman was supporting him. That was very difficult.
Paraguay was a secular State, but the topic of abortion was still very difficult. There was a strategy for reviewing it, and for the past few years the Secretariat had asked the Minister for Education for the review to take place. Women had been trained to educate children on sexual and reproductive health and abortion. There was political will to address the distribution of contraceptives through the Ministry of Health. There was much tension around that issue and it was not easy to deal with it. Many organizations would say that the Minister was a murderer and an abortionist. It was difficult to be on a panel debating about reproductive health when people ended up describing the person in that way.
Information statistics on sexual harassment in the public sector were available from a 2010 survey of workers in the public sector. Of those surveyed 10 per cent of persons said they had been subjected to sexual harassment and 80 per cent would not report cases because they feared losing their jobs. As a result of the survey policies, guidelines and a campaign had been developed.
Healthcare had been taken on board by the national Government as a priority issue. The Ministry of Health had installed 503 healthcare units throughout the country giving priority to rural and indigenous communities; 138 units were covering 166 rural and indigenous villages. By the end of 2011 it was hoped to have 100 per cent coverage of those villages. The units offered healthcare covering sexual and reproductive health and family planning, and also contraception.
HIV/AIDS was a priority for the Ministry of Health and they were focused on a national preventative strategy. Under-reporting was a problem throughout the country. The disease was widespread, particularly in rural and border regions. It was a challenge and the country had to find a way to focus attention not just on sufferers, but also persons vulnerable to it.
There were no special measures for indigenous women as such. Land ownership for indigenous persons, including women, was community based – the ownership of land went to a community as a legal entity. The gender issues of land ownership were slowly being understood. The agricultural credit system had been given to rural women for the first time, through which they could take out a loan by presenting their identification details along with a certificate which stated they had no police record, although that certificate was only available by travelling to the capital city in person. The Ministry of Agriculture was now working on a mobile system in order to distribute that documentation to rural women in person.
Agrochemicals used in soya production were an issue. They were a cause of forcing rural women off their land and this led to their poverty. There was a policy but no legislation to restrict use of agrochemicals or to respect the environment. Health measures for the use of pesticides, to protect persons as well as food crops, had been introduced. A positive point was that the issue of agrochemicals was finally being discussed in Paraguay. Following the tragic death of a child and a case brought by the national coordinator for indigenous women, the discussion had begun. Some of the revelations were damaging to the major soya producers. No research had taken place with respect to birth malformations and other adverse effects of agrochemicals but there were clear complaints from women who were affected by soya production.
There was a study for the drop-out rate of girl children in rural areas. There was no specific programme in the Ministry of Education to ensure those children remained in school, or returned to school if they dropped out.
Poverty was still a problem despite the 14 per cent rise in the economy. Paraguay was a country that exported agricultural crops and meat, and the 14 per cent rise was beneficial, but did not reach the poor. There was nothing to add, except to reiterate that Paraguay was a country with the lowest level of personal income tax, and the lowest rate of tax collection. The Minister for Finance was currently waging a personal media campaign to persuade people to pay their taxes. There was a pessimistic view that any law to bring in tax would be enacted.
There were no real sex education programmes in schools. There was a sexual education programme, which was out of date. The delegation hoped to implement a programme in the future.
On the issue of confidentiality for women who had had abortions, there was an ongoing discussion in the Ministry of Health. The Ministry was also launching an intensive training process of healthcare personnel, both nurses and doctors, to focus on rights and equality in treatment and care. That was one of the most difficult issues faced across the Paraguayan State.
Questions from Experts
An Expert noted that the report had not addressed the issue of marriageable age. The age for marriage in Paraguay, for both girls and boys, was 16. Were there plans to adjust that to the minimum age specified by the Convention and also the Convention of the Rights of the Child, of 18?
Single-mothers, whether as a result of divorce or just being one-parent families, faced problems with paternity suites. What was the judicial system for family law, were there special family courts? Who was authorized to handle legal claims for child maintenances? Was legal aid available for women and on what grounds?
Regarding distribution of marital assets, such as property, were women aware of their choices and were they being provided with information about possible consequences of their decision to divorce? What defined conjugal property? Did it include pensions and savings, and also earning potential during the marriage?
Response from the Delegation
Concerning marriageable age, the delegation said there was a general consensus that the age of 16 should be changed to 18, in both legal and academia circles, although as yet there have been no legal provisions to change that.
There were no specialized family courts. There were specialized child and teenage courts. In those courts issues related to paternity were addressed, as well as access to paternity tests. There was a budget so paternity testing could be paid for those who could not afford it. The general law still did not recognize DNA evidence, and it would be useful for Paraguay to enact a new law on that.
There were two well-known economic regimes within marriage (the third was not well known or used, nor was the total separation of assets regime). The separation of assets only involved products of the lucrative activities of both men and women within the marriage – the goods were split 50 per cent for each party. It did not matter how much man or wife earned as that was shared, 50 per cent each. If the marriage was dissolved via the separation of assets, women who did not work in a paid job, even though they worked at home, did not benefit. The economic aspects of marriage were important but had never been discussed, and it should be the topic of a future campaign.
The mentioned increase in maternal mortality could possibly be explained because public healthcare had been expanded to include another two million persons. Priority was given to rural and indigenous women who were giving birth, and to emergency care. When the female Minister for Health took over in 2008, 12 ambulances and 100 paramedics were acquired.
Concluding Remarks
GLORIA RUBIN, Minister of the Women’s Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Paraguay, thanked the Committee for their kind treatment, and the opportunity and advice that had been given.
In preliminary concluding remarks, SILVIA PIMENTEL, Chairperson of the Committee, thanked the delegation for providing a further insight into the situation of women’s rights in Paraguay. She commended the delegation for their efforts and encouraged the State party to take all necessary measures to address all of the recommendations of the Committee.
For use of information media; not an official record
CEDAW11/017F