Resource information
Peru's fifth submission to the United Nations Committee that monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) outlines the status of women in Peru. The government has faced difficulties changing attitudes that discriminate against women. However, mandatory changes in Peru's education system, including the introduction of the National Sex Education Programme, are highlighted as positive steps. Other actions by the government include the establishment of numerous laws and legal instruments to protect women as well as promote and enhance their participation in public spaces and their access to socio-economic resources, particularly for rural women. A Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Human Development (PROMUDEH) was also created in October 1996, charged with ensuring that Peru is meeting its CEDAW commitments, as well as following-up with the implementation of domestic law. The report goes on to outline in considerable detail the laws that promote gender and protect women's rights, and how these have been applied in all areas of Peruvian life, including in health, employment, education and marriage.
