Chile: Information on women's rights and violence against women
| Publisher | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 October 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CHL18336.E |
| Cite as | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Chile: Information on women's rights and violence against women, 1 October 1994, CHL18336.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab350.html [accessed 18 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
This Response adds to the information provided in Response to Information Request CHL17815.F of 5 July 1994.
Please find attached a copy of chapter 3 of the Constitution of Chile outlining constitutional rights and obligations (Sigler et al Oct. 1991, 41-46). Please note that the first article of this chapter (art. 19) states that the constitution "guarantees to all persons," without particular reference to men or women. Information on rights specific to women in Chile could not be found among the sources currently available to the DIRB.
In addition to the above, the attached documents provide information on the increasing activism and empowerment of women in different aspects of society, and on violence against women. Please note that the most recent document, a news article from Latinamerica Press, reports that two bills on domestic violence became law in August 1994 (25 Aug. 1994, 7). The laws reportedly "create a system through which victims can lay charges for both physical and psychological abuse" (ibid.).
The most comprehensive document on domestic violence and violence between couples in Chile currently available to the DIRB is the book Relaciones Posibles e Imposibles (Gutierrez et al Mar. 1994). Excerpts of the book cannot be included with this Response, as it is not published in one of the official languages of Canada. A copy of the book's index will be forwarded separately to your Regional Documentation Centre, together with excerpts from two other Spanish-language sources that describe the situation of women, domestic violence and women's assistance programs in Chile as of 1990 (Violencia en Contra de la Mujer en America Latina y el Caribe: Directorio de Programas, pp. 35-47, and Violencia en Contra de la Mujer en America Latina y el Caribe: Información y Políticas, Informe Final, pp. 17-18, both by Isis Internacional).
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 25 August 1994. "Chile: Domestic Violence."
Sigler, Jay A. et al. October 1991. "Chile," Constitutions of the Countries of the World. Edited by Albert P. Blaustein and Gisbert H. Flanz. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana Publications.
Attachments
Fisher, Jo. 1993. Out of the Shadows: Women, Resistance and Politics in South America. London: Latin America Bureau, pp. 17-43, 177-200.
Gonzales, Nelly. 1992. "A New Concept of Mediation: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Domestic Violence in Chile." Freedom From Violence: Women's Strategies From Around the World. Edited by Margaret Schuler. New York: Women, Law and Development, OEF International, pp. 227-53.
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 25 August 1994. "Chile: Domestic Violence," p. 7.
Sigler, Jay A. et al. October 1991. "Chile," Constitutions of the Countries of the World. Edited by Albert P. Blaustein and Gisbert H. Flanz. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana Publications, pp. 41-46.
Sisterhood is Global: The International Women's Movement Anthology. 1984. Compiled and edited by Robin Morgan. New York: Doubleday, pp. 137-38.
Violence Against Women in Latin America and the Caribbean: Bibliographic Catalogue. 1990. Santiago: Isis Internacional, pp. 55-59.
"Viva": Women and Popular Protest in Latin America. 1993. Edited by Sarah A. Radcliffe and Sallie Westwood. London: Routledge, pp. 170-172.
