Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Commend Uruguay’s Commitment to Implementing the Convention, Ask about Women’s Access to Justice and Gender Parity in Politics

 

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today concluded its consideration of the tenth periodic report of Uruguay, with Committee Experts commending the State’s commitment to implementing the Convention, while asking about women’s access to justice and actions being taken to achieve gender parity in all political areas. 

A Committee Expert commended Uruguay for the State’s commitment to implementing the Convention, especially regarding the National Institute for Women, the National Gender Council, the development of the 2030 National Gender Equality Strategy, and efforts to institute functional gender equality desks in line ministries. 

Yamila González Ferrer, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, asked what measures were being taken to ensure access to justice for women victims of violence in the country, particularly in the interior of the country?  What budget was allocated to the law against violence?  How did the specialised courts for violence operate?  What measures was the State taking to increase confidence in the system so women could freely bring forward their cases?  What reparations were being provided to women who were victims of crimes against humanity during the dictatorship period? 

A Committee Expert said the participation of women in decision-making posts continued to be limited.  What measures would the State take to achieve gender parity in all political areas?  What was the status of the draft law on parity?  What progress had been made with the training programme for women in politics?  Had women been better trained to fill decision-making posts?  Could updated information be provided on the percentage of women working internationally as diplomats?  What actions were being taken in the labour market to ensure women could have access to directors’ posts? 

The delegation said Uruguay had strengthened the support hotline for violence, and the budget allowed for increased support.  There had been excellent results when it came to preventing femicide and monitoring potential aggressors.  Officers were stationed in all towns throughout the country to address urgent cases of domestic violence.  The court cases which involved women being abused during the dictatorship period were being investigated by the special prosecutor, who was conducting specific investigations into this time period.  Fourteen individuals relating to this case should be appearing before the court in December. 

The delegation said a law was in force in Uruguay since 2009 which stipulated a 30 per cent quota for women, or one woman per three electoral places.  Uruguay had a female Vice President, a female senator who was of African descent, and 60 per cent of representatives in judicial power were women.  Challenges still remained, including overcoming gender stereotypes.  All political parties in Uruguay had gender mechanisms that were committed to raising the visibility of women leaders to the highest positions.  Uruguay had a high level of women diplomats abroad, including 147 women out of 300 in the foreign service.

Mónica Bottero, Director of the National Institute for Women of Uruguay, said since 2016, the country had taken the recommendations of this Committee and had approved the comprehensive law on gender violence, the decriminalisation of the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, the trans law, and the law on equal marriage, which enshrined the Convention.  There were also laws on trafficking and sexual and workplace harassment.  However, these texts alone did not change a culture.  Without allocating appropriate resources, laws and plans did not make sense. 

Uruguay had established four strategic priorities: to improve the prevention and response to gender-based violence; to promote women's economic autonomy, with special attention to care and recognition of unpaid work; to promote women's participation in political decision-making; and to implement these pillars across the entire country.  Uruguay was here before the Committee to discuss building a gender-based public policy, mainstreamed across all institutions.  Uruguay looked forward to answering the Committee’s questions.

In closing remarks, Nicolás Albertoni, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and head of the delegation, said the dialogue had allowed Uruguay to focus on areas where efforts needed to be redoubled to close the gender gap.  Recommendations from the Committee would be essential in building a fair and egalitarian Uruguayan society.  The conditions necessary for women to enjoy the political, social and economic benefits of society needed to be established. 

Ana Peláez Narváez, Committee Chairperson, thanked the delegation for the constructive dialogue with the Committee which had helped the Experts better understand the situation of women and girls in Uruguay.  The State party was commended on its efforts and encouraged to implement all the recommendations provided by the Committee.

The delegation of Uruguay was comprised of representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of the Interior; the Ministry of Defence; the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries; the Ministry of Education and Culture; the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining; the Ministry of Social Development; the Legislative Branch; the Judicial Branch; the Attorney General’s Office; the National Administration of Public Education; the Institute for Children and Adolescents of Uruguay; and the Permanent Mission of Uruguay to the United Nations Office at Geneva. 

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women’s eighty-sixth session is being held from 9 to 27 October.  All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage.  Meeting summary releases can be found here.  The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.

The Committee will next meet in public at 10 a.m. on Monday, 23 October to review the combined seventh to tenth periodic report of Nicaragua (CEDAW/C/NIC/7-10).

Report

The Committee has before it the tenth periodic report of Uruguay (CEDAW/C/URY/10).

Presentation of Report

NICOLÁS ALBERTONI, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay and head of the delegation, said while Uruguay had made significant progress in the area of equal rights and the fight against discrimination against women, challenges still remained.  Mr. Albertoni underscored Uruguay’s commitment to the United Nations human rights system and introduced the delegation of Uruguay.

MÓNICA BOTTERO, Director of the National Institute for Women of Uruguay, said the period under review had seen two different governments, with different political creeds.  Uruguay had been making great efforts since its democratic recovery in 1985 in the area of gender and had taken the signing of the agreements of Nairobi, Beijing and Belém do Pará very seriously.  Since 2016, the country had taken the recommendations of this Committee and had approved the comprehensive law on gender violence, the decriminalisation of the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, the trans law, and the law on equal marriage, which enshrined the Convention.  There were also laws on trafficking and sexual and workplace harassment. 

However, these texts alone did not change a culture.  Without allocating appropriate resources, laws and plans did not make sense.  Uruguay had established four strategic priorities: to improve the prevention and response to gender-based violence; to promote women's economic autonomy, with special attention to care and recognition of unpaid work; to promote women's participation in political decision-making; and to implement these pillars across the entire country. 

Uruguay had worked to deepen inter-institutional cooperation through the National Gender Council, which was comprised of 30 State institutions, as well as institutions from different sectors of civil society.  Training had been rolled out to all officials who staffed these units.  The budget of the division focused on violence had been increased and a special division of InMujeres [National Institute for Women] was created, which focused on economic empowerment.  A programme for strengthening political leaders was also created. 

Despite the efforts made in the last two terms of the government, there was no consensus in the political sphere that would allow for the adoption of a parity law.  Progress had been made in a draft bill, but the results were not known yet.  The last two election lists saw parity for the first time and in the last election, the first female Minister of Economy was appointed and the first Afro-descendant senator of the country was elected.  Uruguay was seeing a growing request to respond to gender-based violence, which implied a growing awareness and rejection of this phenomenon.  Uruguay was here before the Committee to discuss building a gender-based public policy, mainstreamed across all institutions.  Uruguay looked forward to answering the Committee’s questions.

Statement by the National Human Rights Institution

National Human Rights Institution of Uruguay said law 19.580 was a comprehensive law with great potential to address gender-based violence, but it had not been fully implemented.  The comprehensiveness of the inter-institutional response system required the implementation of strong measures for early detection, specialised care, and access to justice.  The role of the education system and health system for early detection needed to be bolstered.  It was important to expand the number of disciplinary teams, and strengthen the network of public and private health providers.  Care services for women and children and adolescents facing violence continued to be insufficient, especially for vulnerable women.

The weakening of gender mainstreaming policies at the Uruguayan Institute for Children and Adolescents represented a difficulty for the quality of services.  The role of the specialised gender units needed to be prioritised.  There was a need for an inter-agency response system that addressed all forms of violence.  There were still weaknesses in addressing gender-based violence in the workplace, obstetric violence, violence based on sexual orientation and identity, as well as institutional gender-based violence.  Regarding women’s political participation, the Commission considered it appropriate to approve the draft laws on parity for consideration by parliament.  The Commission believed it was essential to strengthen gender institutions at all levels, for Uruguay to become a country with strong equality policies and effective measures.

Questions by Committee Experts

YAMILA GONZÁLEZ FERRER, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said specialised justice instruments were mainly found in the capital and other departments did not have them.  This created serious problems for access.  What measures were being taken to ensure access to justice for women victims of violence in the country, particularly in the interior of the country?  What budget was allocated to the law against violence?  How did the specialised courts for violence operate?  What measures was the State taking to increase confidence in the system so women could freely bring forward their cases?  What reparations were being provided to women who were victims of crimes against humanity during the dictatorship period?  Uruguay had been working on a plan for women, peace and security and the creation of an institutional working group.  What was the current status of this project?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said the special courts were created at the behest of the Supreme Court, one in San Carlos in 2022, and another two in Salto this year.  In December, two more specialised courts would be initiated in the city of Rivera.  Since the pandemic, Uruguay had strengthened the support hotline for violence, and the budget allowed for increased support.  Uruguay had initiated a project based solely on gender-violence, which would see the construction of a care centre.  There had been excellent results when it came to preventing femicide and monitoring potential aggressors.  Officers were stationed in all towns throughout the country to address urgent cases of domestic violence. 

Fifty-seven cases in the Supreme Court had invoked the Convention in 2021, and 55 in 2020.  The cases which involved women being abused during the dictatorship period were being investigated by the special prosecutor, who was conducting specific investigations into this time period.  Fourteen individuals relating to this case should be appearing before the court in December.  Women were never pressured to file reports for domestic violence.  The National Commission for Reparations was created in 2010.  From 2010 to 2023, reparations had been provided to 250 families.  On 15 June this year, an event was held in the palace and presided over by the President, where apologies were offered by the State to family members who had suffered abuse.

Uruguay had seen significant progress in increasing women’s participation in conflict resolution.  The country was a leader in Latin America with women in military deployments and peacekeeping.  The plan for women, peace and security was adopted in 2022 and was in effect through to 2024. 

There were eight prosecutors in Montevideo specialising in domestic violence and gender-based violence, and two new prosecutors would be introduced next year.  The courts in Uruguay had been restructured.  Criminal courts had become courts which now addressed cases in gender violence, due to the new Criminal Code.  Fifty-six police commissioners who specialised in gender-based violence were located throughout the country.  Training was being promoted to all officials, regardless of their status, to ensure they could properly exercise their duties. 

Questions by a Committee Expert and Responses by the Delegation

YAMILA GONZÁLEZ FERRER, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, asked for more information on how the budget was organised for the law against violence?

The delegation said there was a guide to plan the budget for the law.  The National Plan on Gender-Based Violence lay down the main objectives of public policy.  Uruguay had specifically focused on training for judges who sat in more general courts.

Questions by Committee Experts

A Committee Expert commended Uruguay for the State’s commitment to implementing the Convention, especially regarding the National Institute for Women, the National Gender Council, the development of the 2030 National Gender Equality Strategy, and efforts to institute functional gender equality desks in line ministries.  What political will existed to upgrade the National Institute for Women to cabinet level and enhance its authority to coordinate gender mainstreaming across all sectors?  How effective were sector-specific gender structures in the Foreign and Interior Ministries?  What operational challenges existed and how were these being resolved?  How was the machinery equipped to cope with emerging issues such as climate change and artificial intelligence, bearing in mind their implications on the livelihood of women and girls?  What budget was allocated for gender in key sectors to bridge gender gaps?  Did the National Human Rights Institute and the Office of the Ombudsman possess sufficient resources to drive gender? 

Another Expert commended the State for the temporary special measures which had resulted in the election of the first female Vice President.  What concrete temporary special measures had been adopted by public bodies in respect to the most vulnerable women?  Why was the draft bill on parity facing resistance?  Uruguay was below the regional average of parity at 26 per cent; what per cent of elected women did the last election produce?  Would temporary special measures be considered to help younger women enter politics?  At the University of Uruguay, women accounted for 57 of grade teaching positions, but this decreased as grades went higher.  What measures were in place to correct this?  What temporary special measures were in place to help prevent girls dropping out of school?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said the National Institute for Women was created in 1987 and it had its own ringfenced budget.  The budget was not sufficient and a specific request had been made, with the support of United Nations Women, to establish a presidential secretariat, which was still under consideration.  The four pillars of the Institute, outlined in the opening speech, were defined by the National Gender Council.  A National Gender Policy had been drafted.  There were numerous lines of action which had led to public policy, and a follow-up commission comprised of mainly civil society met twice a month.  Financial literacy would primarily be provided through digital format to rural women.  It was hoped the department would be able to reach 3,000 rural women next year. 

The delegation said Uruguay had a high level of digital inclusion.  It was true that vulnerable groups, including women, needed to be trained on these priorities.  The State was using technology for matters of violence and was implementing the possibility of electronic reporting of cases of domestic violence.  An agreement was in place with the United Nations Development Programme to use a tracker which measured the level of violence in social networks, to respond to this phenomenon.  Violence in social media was an issue of interest to the Government.

In March 2021, a special gender unit was created within the Foreign Ministry.  The unit needed to provide counsel on gender perspective and planning, plans of action, prevention of sexual harassment, and a system of receiving complaints.  Training programmes and awareness raising programmes had been held focusing on policies and management.  There were 334 civil servants abroad with 157 of them being women.  The Foreign Service held competitive exams, with no discrimination based on gender. 

There were five positions in the Supreme Court of Justice, with women holding three of them, amounting to 60 per cent.  Within the entire judiciary, 74 per cent of posts were held by women.  Civil society had permanent and ongoing participation in all councils pertaining to gender.  The Department of Women of African Descent was incorporated into a bigger division with a bigger budget.  Uruguay aimed to include eight per cent of people of African descent in public posts. 

Uruguay aimed to achieve inclusive education and this was present throughout the education policy.  The scholarship programme was a symbol of hope in this regard and existed throughout all levels of schooling; 10,000 scholarships were awarded in Uruguay in 2022.  Trans and African quotas were respected throughout these scholarships.  Uruguay struggled to understand why there was resistance to parity, even in the academic area.  It was very strange.  There was a gender lens in all university programmes in Uruguay and a lens on science and technology programmes, with specific rewards aimed at stimulating women’s participation in these areas.  The law on the promotion of employment provided subsidies for hiring people under the age of 25 and over 45.  If the people hired were women, the subsidies were doubled.  Uruguay had provided a billion dollars during the pandemic to help its citizens mitigate the impact of COVID-19. 

Questions by Committee Experts

A Committee Expert appreciated the work going on in some of the ministries, particularly concerning agriculture.  In terms of mainstreaming, however, there were many gaps.  It would be good to have data on how much budget was available for data collection.  How were the services provided helping to close the gender gap?  What was happening on gender in transport and in the extraction industry?  Trackers were encouraging as were steps to upgrade the institute. 

YAMILA GONZÁLEZ FERRER, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, asked of the eight per cent quota for people of African descent in the public service, how many were women?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said the inclusion of gender in all institutions was a process which took time.  Uruguay was undergoing an important cultural shift, and it had taken longer than expected.  There had been no backslide, or tension in implementing gender public policy.  Parity would certainly be able to be achieved in the near future in some sectors.  Universities had work to do when it came to parity.  No State institution could impose parity on universities.  The creation of the budget and specialised units had been absolutely essential.  The model of gender equality was being rolled out across 30 public institutions.  A specialised engineering programme had been established to ensure training in e-trade and the digital economy for small and medium enterprises, focusing on businesses led by women and businesses located in the interior of the company.

Questions by a Committee Expert

A Committee Expert said Uruguay had made a clear distinction between missing persons and disappeared persons.  Had police and prosecutors been trained in the new standards of investigating missing persons, adopted in 2022?  How would the lingering cultural impunity, relating to the disappearances of three women during the military dictatorship of Uruguay, impact the current investigations of missing women and girls?  What studies had been conducted on men’s responsiveness to the redistribution of care work?  How would Uruguay advance women as editors in chief in the media and train the media on gender sensitive reporting?  How would women human rights defenders be equally protected? 

How would the dark side of technology be addressed, including the abuse of women in politics?  What services were provided for pregnant girls in schools?  According to the United Nations, one woman died every 15 days from domestic abuse in Uruguay.  Regarding the modification of the 2017 Penal Code to define femicide as an aggregating case of homicide, could more information be provided? 

The Expert said despite new policies, Uruguay received criticism for low levels of trafficking convictions.  How did the trafficking law of 2007 look at the new forms of trafficking against transgender adults and children?  What services and shelters were designed to accommodate trans-people specifically?  What were the processes for investigating and prosecuting labour traffickers?  What were the witness protection laws in place?  What training was provided to frontline workers to identify victims of sex and labour trafficking?  What could be done to address the small towns and rural areas where traffickers frequented? 

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said women who were disappeared were those who had been abducted and held captive during the military dictatorship from 1973 to 1985.  For some years, the reparation and search procedures were suspended, and were resumed 15 years ago.  The Ministry of Labour had the power to undertake inspections in places where trafficking was suspected. 

A public act in June recognised the responsibility of the Uruguayan State regarding the dictatorship, and reparations were being made.  In 2020, there were 23 investigations into trafficking, 19 in 2021 and 18 in 2022, and with 22 so far in 2023.  These cases typically involved numerous persons.  A series of programmes were in place within the educational system when it came to co-responsibility for pregnancies, and scholarships were in place to encourage pregnant girls to return to school. 

A special reparation had been provided for prisoners and ex-prisoners of the dictatorship.  A new penitentiary unit would be built in Uruguay focusing on gender diversity.  Building more jails was not the solution, but there needed to be measures taken to address the conditions of women in the penitentiary system.  It was not common for there to be violent acts between women deprived of liberty.  In the case of transgender individuals, Uruguay had recognised that there needed to be a specific response by trans-experts working in the Ministry.  They provided the shelters and 24-hour care for those in need, including women.  However, there were no specific shelters for trans individuals. 

Civil servants had been trained on trafficking.  In 2023, with the creation of the cybercrime unit, this strengthened the fight against trafficking in the digital environment.  The unit had been able to identify potential trafficking from the get-go.  A new article had been added to the Criminal Code which criminalised those who contacted a minor online with the goal of committing a sexual crime against them, or forcing them to do something against their will. 

Questions by Committee Experts

A Committee Expert said the participation of women in decision-making posts continued to be limited.  What measures would the State take to achieve gender parity in all political areas?  What was the status on the draft law on parity?  What progress had been made with the training programme for women in politics?  Had women been better trained to fill decision-making posts?  Could updated information be provided on the percentage of women working internationally as diplomats?  What actions were being taken in the labour market to ensure women could have access to directors’ posts?  What dialogue existed with women’s civil society organizations?

Another Expert asked what positive steps had Uruguay taken to ensure the integration of refugees from the Middle East, especially from Syria, in Uruguayan society?  What steps had the State party taken to ensure equal access to services and opportunities for foreign nationals?  Why was the birth country still used in the passport of a nationalised citizen?  Had the implementation law on the recognition and protection of stateless persons worked for women?  Had it been effective in granting stateless women protection in Uruguay? 

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said a law was in force in Uruguay since 2009 which stipulated a 30 per cent quota for women, or one woman per three electoral places.  Uruguay had a female Vice President, a female senator who was of African descent, and 60 per cent of representatives in judicial power were women.  Challenges still remained, including overcoming gender stereotypes.  All political parties in Uruguay had gender mechanisms that were committed to raising the visibility of women leaders to the highest positions.  Uruguay had a high level of women diplomats abroad, including 147 women out of 300 in the foreign service.

Questions and Comments by Committee Experts and Responses by the Delegation

YAMILA GONZÁLEZ FERRER, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, asked for more specific approaches that the State was taking in relation to parity in the labour market? How was civil society participation being facilitated? 

The delegation said the immense majority of civil society identified with ideological camps of the opposition.  Hence, they may have the impression their dialogue had deteriorated with the current administration.  However, the truth was that there had not been an exclusion of society in any legislative or public policy body.

ANA PELÁEZ NARVÁEZ, Committee Chairperson, said she felt compelled to mention that the role played by civil society was essential when it came to the promotion and protection of human rights.  Hence, they should not be considered as part of the opposition.

Questions by Committee Experts

A Committee Expert asked what practical measures and actions was the State party taking to strengthen the implementation of the Education Act, to specifically address the reasons for girls dropping out of school?  What was being done to address access to age-appropriate education for women and girls of African descent, those with disabilities and those living in rural areas?  The quotas and scholarships were not being sufficiently utilised by women and girls of African descent; what did the State party have to say in this regard?  Was there information about those who did benefit from those scholarships?  Did the State party have disaggregated data on abuse, particularly cyber abuse and bullying, on women and girls in the education sector?  Alternative reports showed that children with disabilities were enrolled in special schools which could result in de facto segregation?  What steps were being taken to ensure that the enrolment of girls in special schools did not undermine their pathway to inclusion? 

Another Committee Expert asked if there could be a possible labour reform in Uruguay.  Had the State created a specialised office to deal with cases of discrimination in the workplace?  What results had been achieved in this area?  The pandemic highlighted that much of the informal work was undertaken by women; how did the State plan to increase women’s participation in the formal employment sector?  Uruguayan women received around 5 per cent less pay per hour than men in most sectors, with the biggest gap being in the financial sector.  How did things currently stand?  What was being done to reduce and eliminate the wage gap? 

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said the national education public policy offered inclusive education.  Uruguay sought to address the issue of bullying and harassment within the classroom and to help young people become more resilient in these situations.  As part of the educational commitment 2024, the Government was focusing on eradicating violence, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund.  A programme was in place, with the participation of psychologists, to support pregnant students and help them stay in education.  A protocol was being drafted to help teenage pregnant girls stay in education throughout their pregnancy.  Sex education was provided to all students, beginning in primary school, with specialised sex education teachers working in secondary schools across the country. 

Uruguay was incorporating public policies specific to the labour market.  Training programmes had been carried out promoting the elimination of violence in the workplace and the prevention and punishment of sexual harassment.  Uruguay had provided information and guidance to private companies with capacity building under the relevant law on gender-based violence.  A project was currently being implemented with the World Bank to break down stereotypes within the workplace, allowing women to hold higher paying positions.  Uruguay was the first country in the world to ratify ILO Convention 190, and the country had a great commitment to that instrument.  The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs had an online system to address complaints more efficiently.  There were efforts to bring the interior of the country online and ensure women felt comfortable to raise complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace.  The number of complaints regarding sexual harassment in the workplace had increased, as it was now easier for women to report complaints. 

Female domestic workers in Uruguay were represented by a trade union of domestic workers.  Uruguay had been reducing the pay gap, but it still remained.  The National Institute for Women had set up a line where sexual abuse in the workplace could be reported.  This had been created at the request of various public and private institutions. 

The first 1,000 days were essential for a child’s development.  Centres in Uruguay targeted the most vulnerable populations, across the entire country, to share the distribution of care.  Single mothers benefitted positively from these centres.  There were more than 520 centres in the State, with plans to add an additional 86 centres, along with mobile centres.  An additional subsidy was provided for the care of children with disabilities and special provisions were provided for the care of children of detainees. 

In 2023, a model programme aimed at increasing women’s access to leadership positions was recast to include private companies. 

Questions by Committee Experts

A Committee Expert asked if Uruguay had considered evaluating the abortion law, including patients who had been required to appear in front of a tribunal?  Were doctors punished if they did not carry out an abortion?  What was being done to ensure the health of all women in Uruguay, regardless of their geographical location?  How was care ensured for indigenous women?  Was data available on HPV, HIV, cervical cancer and breast cancer?  How was the mental health of Uruguayan women ensured?

Another Expert commended the State party on the Care Act of 2020, which allowed for the redistribution of care.  How was the care policy benefitting women?  How did the State party intend to measure and account for any unpaid care work?  What was the reach of these policies in rural areas?  What measures had been taken to support the agricultural projects led by women, particularly those belonging to vulnerable groups?  How was the Government facilitating women’s access to finance in Uruguay? 

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said in cases where a doctor was not willing to carry out a voluntary interruption of pregnancy, the woman would be given access to another doctor willing to carry out the procedure.  The national system for health care was comprised of providers from national and private health care sectors. 

Two thirds of non-renumerated work was undertaken by women.  Women’s non-renumerated work represented around 23 per cent of Uruguay’s Gross Domestic Product.  Seven policies focused on rural women, including specific opportunities to support rural women entrepreneurs.  A specific loan backed by the State was available for rural women, as well as programmes focused on climate change and digital literacy, among others. 

Questions by Committee Experts

A Committee Expert congratulated Uruguay on the seamless, intersectional and mindful ways in which the rights, care and recognition of indigenous women, women of African descent, rural women, women and girls with disabilities, and transgender persons had been integrated into the report and in various pieces of legislation.  Would the State party implement specific studies on the lives of indigenous women and girls?  Were there mechanisms in place to improve women’s access to land?  What mechanisms existed to reduce the stigmatisation faced by indigenous women and girls?  Were there funds to raise awareness on this discrimination and indigenous women’s and girls’ rights?  What was being done to value indigenous women’s and girls’ knowledge and practices and recognise them as the first people of Uruguay?

YAMILA GONZÁLEZ FERRER, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, asked what the State was planning to do to prevent early marriages?  Could information on alimony payments be provided?  What was the State planning to do to prohibit discrimination of same sex maternal couples? 

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said the national plan of gender in agri-fisheries planned to address the issue of gender in the sector.  The agri-fishing policy included deadlines, responsibilities and targets which were continually monitored.  Over 50 institutions were involved in implementing this and rural organizations were involved from across the country.  Campaigns had been developed to recognise rural women and their work.  The ownership of productive resources showed women owned 11 per cent of the land surveyed.  The national census of Uruguay had just finished and included all sections as recommended by the Committee, so data would soon be available on all areas for the first time.  Women deprived of their liberty were provided with the same level of health care as male prisoners.  Mental health units would be established to help women with addiction issues.  A law had been created to oblige people to pay alimony; 96 per cent of those required to pay alimony were men. 

In Uruguay, it was possible for marriage to be undertaken for children – girls as of 12 years and boys as of 16 years - until 2013.  From 2013, the age was levelled and marriage was now possible for boys and girls who were 16.  A bill was before parliament to consider raising this to the age of 18.  Three bodies were responsible for training judges in the area of human rights.  There were courses on domestic violence and gender-based violence with a focus on children and on evidence. 

Concluding Remarks

MÓNICA BOTTERO, Director of the National Institute for Women of Uruguay, said she fully agreed with the Chair’s statement about the importance of civil society.  She had been referring to an interpretation which may have been made about why the dialogue was cut off.  She thanked the Committee Experts for their questions. 

NICOLÁS ALBERTONI, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay and head of the delegation, said the dialogue had allowed Uruguay to focus on areas where efforts needed to be redoubled to close the gender gap.  Recommendations from the Committee would be essential in building a fair and egalitarian Uruguayan society.  The conditions necessary for women to enjoy the political, social and economic benefits of society needed to be established. 

ANA PELÁEZ NARVÁEZ, Committee Chairperson, thanked the delegation for the constructive dialogue with the Committee which had helped the Committee Experts better understand the situation of women and girls in Uruguay.  The State party was commended on its efforts and encouraged to implement all the recommendations provided by the Committee.

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