At the inaugural Cities Summit of the Americas in Denver, Colorado, the Inter-American Dialogue and CAF-Development Bank of Latin America convened a high-level workshop entitled, “Women’s Economic Empowerment & the Digital Transformation.”
A Latin America Advisor Q&A featuring experts’ views on what Latin American and Caribbean countries should do to fight gender-based violence.
A Latin America Advisor Q&A featuring experts’ viewpoints on efforts to fight violence against women in Brazil.
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On February 25, 2021, the Inter-American Dialogue hosted the webinar “The Road to Legal Abortion in Argentina” in partnership with the Embassy of Argentina in Washington, DC, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation Western Hemisphere Region (IPPFWHR). Panelists discussed the winning strategy employed by the feminist movement to promote passage of the law to legalize abortion, the challenges they encountered, and how they leveraged resources to produce a favorable outcome.
A Latin America Advisor Q&A on the impacts of Covid-19 on Latin American and Caribbean women’s participation in the work force.
A brave whistleblower recently reported that women immigrants at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center have been subjected to gynecological procedures without their knowledge or informed consent. Unfortunately, for thousands of women and girls, these reported violations are just a sampling of the government’s illegal practices of aggression and neglect in its treatment of women seeking to immigrate to the United States.
A Latin America Advisor Q&A featuring experts’ viewpoints on the progress and challenges of gender representation in Brazilian politics.
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On July 24, the Inter-American Dialogue and the Seattle International Foundation hosted “Nowhere to Turn: Gender-Based Violence and its Impact on Migration.”
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On June 4, the Inter-American Dialogue, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation co-sponsored an event titled “The Crisis of Democracy and Women’s Rights in the Americas.”
Just three days into his presidency, on January 23, 2017, Donald Trump reinstated the so-called Global Gag Rule. The executive order, also known as the Mexico City Policy, prohibits all US federal money from funding international organizations that provide information about or support abortion rights.
Despite taking significant steps towards a more gender-balanced political system –notably the recent adoption of female representation quotas— Colombia, like many other Latin American countries, continues to struggle with the legacies of pervasive social, economic and political inequality that disproportionately affect women. The study gauges the effect that campaign finance has for aspiring female leaders, and puts it in the context of broader social and cultural barriers that hinder women’s political activism throughout the region.
While the overall landscape for reproductive rights showed little change in 2014, there is evidence of glacier-like movement toward easing restrictions on abortion.
Why is there such a lack of women in powerful seats running companies or sitting on boards in the region?
Latin American countries have some of the most restrictive reproductive health laws and policies in the world, particularly with regard to abortion. In part this stems from not recognizing reproductive freedom as a fundamental human right. However, imposing legal restrictions on abortion does not reduce the likelihood that women will seek this reproductive health service. Instead, harsh laws compel women to risk their lives and health by seeking out unsafe abortions.
How are women faring in Latin America? Where has progress been made and how has that been achieved?
