BASIC
COUNTRY INFORMATION
Population, 2000 estimate: 700,000
[1]
Ethnic groups:� 51% East Indian, 30% Afro-Guyanese, 14% mixed,
4% Amerindian,� 1% Chinese and white
Religion: 50% Christian, 33% Hindu, 9%Muslim, 8% other
GDP per capita, 1999 estimate: US$ 2,500
GDP real growth rate, 1999 estimate:� 1.8%
Unemployment rate, 1992 estimate: 12%
Major industries: bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, fishing
(shrimp), textiles, gold mining
Population Growth Rate, 2000 estimate: -0.1%
Fertility Rate, 2000 estimate: 2.11 children born per woman
Maternal Mortality Rate: 172/100,000� births*
Infant Mortality Rate, 2000 estimate: 39.07 deaths per 1000
live births
Life expectancy at birth, 2000:� Total - 64.04 years
�������������Male - 61.08 years
�������������Female - 67.15 years
Literacy, 1995 estimate:� Total - 98.1%
�������������Male - 98.6%
�������������Female - 97.5%
Sources: The World Factbook 2000
- Guyana, [2] � *PAHO,
[3]
Political
and Economic Context
Guyana
gained independence from Britain in 1966. Political allegiance
in multiethnic Guyana is generally split along ethnic and
geographic lines: rural Indo-Guyanese prefer the People�s
Progressive Party (PPP); urban Afro-Guyanese favor the People�s
National Congress (PNC). [4]
The
March 2001 presidential election was won by Bharrat Jagdeo
of PPP with a voter turnout of 90 percent. [5] � From
1992-2001 Guyana was ruled by the PPP under the leadership
of a couple, first Cheddi Jagan and then Janet Jagan, both
of whom had been instrumental in the struggle for Guyana�s
independence in the 1960s. The opposition PNC Party (which
had ruled the country from 1964 to 1992) and its elderly leader,�
Desmond Hoyte, vehemently opposed their rule. After losing
the 1997 election to Mrs. Jagan, Hoyte�s� supporters alleged
fraud and rioted in the capital of Georgetown.� Hoyte and
PNC ignored the 1998 independent audit that confirmed the
PPP victory. Eventually, however, Hoyte and PNC pressured
Jagan to step down as president in August 1999. She named
the finance minister Bharrat Jagdeo her successor.� Mrs. Jagan
was Guyana�s first female prime minister, vice president,
and subsequently president.
Guyana
is a country rich in natural beauty, but its people are among
the poorest in the Western Hemisphere: poverty stood at 35
percent in 1999. [6] � The country�s economy was in recession
until early 1990s.� In addition, a 1998 drought hit the country
hard. Guyana still suffers frequent power outages.� Many regions
lack trash service, so people often throw garbage in the rivers
or canals. School textbooks are often unavailable. Schools
and hospitals are in a very bad condition as there is not
enough money to fix them. [7] � However,
in 2000, the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) approved $590 million in debt relief for Guyana
contingent on the continued implementation of social programs
to reduce poverty.� According to the WB, the government has
made sufficient progress to warrant continued assistance by
reducing poverty by almost 10 percent since 1993. [8]
Human
Rights and Freedom of Expression
The
Constitution provides for freedom of speech and the press.�
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists these rights
are generally respected by the government.� The print media
have flourished, with the independent newspaper Stabroek
News published daily and a host of other publications
by religious groups and political parties.� However, Guyanese
journalists have criticized the government for not respecting
the freedom of the electronic media: for example, the government
owns and operates the only radio station.�� Private entrepreneurs
have alleged that the government denied or did not respond
to 20 requests for radio frequency authorizations. [9] �
STATUS
OF WOMEN IN GUYANA UNDER SPECIFIC CEDAW ARTICLES:
CONVENTION
ARTICLES 1-3
DEFINITION
OF DISCRIMINATION; OBLIGATIONS TO ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION;
THE DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN
Institutional
Mechanisms
Article
29(1)of the Constitution mandates equal rights for women by
stating that �Women and men have equal rights and the same
legal status in all spheres of political, economic and social
life.� [10]
� Furthermore, the same article makes illegal �all
forms of discrimination against women on the basis of their
sex.� [11] � However, article 149(3)(b) of the
Constitution excludes laws concerning marriage, divorce and
inheritance from the prohibition of discrimination [12] ��
The Women�s Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Labor is charged
with monitoring women�s legal rights. [13] � In 1990, the government put into
practice the Equal Rights Act and in 1997 established the
Antidiscrimination Act.� Although these two documents were
intended to provide a framework for women and minorities to
seek redress for any discriminatory practices, so far no
case has been tried under these provisions.� According
to critics, the� ineffectiveness of these two Acts stems from
the appointment of an overburdened and short-staffed Chief
Labor Officer to take charge of such cases. [14] The new draft constitution establishes
a Women and Gender Equality Commission to promote the advancement
of women, girls and gender issues, but IWRAW does not have
information on when or if the constitution is to be adopted. [15]
Beijing
Platform for Action
A
result of commitments under the Beijing Platform for Action,
Guyana has adopted a national plan. [16] � In 1996, the government
established the National Commission for Women as the national
machinery for implementation of the Platform.� The Commission
is to report to the Minister of the Women�s Affairs. [17]
� The Commission has worked with a Committee made
up of senior officers of several relevant ministries.� The
national machinery does not report to the national legislature,
and it lacks the authority to start legislative action. Sixty-five
NGOs have been involved in the activities of the machinery
on all levels from planning to implementation of programs. [18] � Some of the specific programs and
policies as part of the implementation have been: anti-poverty
programs (US$355,000), support to small business entrepreneurs
(US$ 15,300), vocational training and computer literacy programs
(70 women), and a Domestic Violence Act in 1996 (see under
General Recommendation No. 19: Violence Against Women). [19]
�Women
and Ethnicity
The
levels of poverty and status of Guyanese women vary markedly
across ethnic and social lines.� By far, Amerindian women
experience the highest level of poverty and geographic and
social isolation. [20] � Moreover, Amerindian women have the
highest illiteracy rates, which are higher than the illiteracy
rates of Amerindian men. [21]
Generally,
Guyana has a high prevalence of female-headed households,
and their number has been increasing in the last decade. There
are marked differences in the number of such households depending
on the ethnic group and geographical location: Fifty-one percent
of� Afro-Guyanese households are female-headed as compared
to 32.5 percent among Indo-Guyanese and 2.6 percent among
Amerindians. [22] � Female-headed
households typically have lower incomes.
CONVENTION
ARTICLE 7
POLITICAL
AND PUBLIC LIFE
Although
there are no legal obstacles to women�s participation in the
political process, women and minorities are typically underrepresented
in higher echelons of the government and politics. Out of
20 Cabinet members, two are women. [23]
The
government-sponsored Women�s Leadership Institute was inaugurated
in 1999.� It was established by law with a goal of encouraging
and facilitating women�s participation in government and in
the private sector, and it planned to train 350 women per
year on issues related to women�s human rights and leadership.�
IWRAW has no information as to the impact of the Institute. [24]
CONVENTION
ARTICLE 10
EDUCATION
Access
to education is equal for both men and women (although it
varies across social and ethnic lines as indicated under Art.
1-3 above).� Women outnumber men at all educational levels
except at the Technical and Vocational Schools, where male
enrollment stands at 75.6 percent. [25]
CONVENTION
ARTICLE 11
EMPLOYMENT
As
a result of a 1999 civil service arbitration ruling, the minimum
public sector wage increased to US$104 (G$19,000) per month,
but there is no legislated private sector minimum wage. Consequently,
unorganized workers � particularly women and children who
predominate in the informal (private) sector �are often paid
much lower wages than sufficient to provide an adequate standard
of living. [26] � This is particularly significant
because of the many (and increasing number of) women-headed
households, particularly in the depressed urban areas. [27]
Even
though women in some sectors constitute the majority of workers,
they often dominate in the lowest paid occupations.� For instance,
in the Guyanese Public Service, women comprise 60 percent
of employees.� They also make up 60 percent of the lowest
seven salary grades and only 36 percent of the top seven grades. [28]
Sexual
Harassment
Women
have no legal protection against harassment in the workplace.�
The law prohibits dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy, and
such dismissals do not happen in practice. [29]
CONVENTION
ARTICLE 12
HEALTH
CARE AND FAMILY PLANNING
Reproductive
Health
According
to a survey conducted by the Guyanese women�s NGO Red Thread,�
few women in Guyana have regular physical examinations, the
majority do not practice breast self-examinations and do not
know what a pap smear is. [30] �
The
prevalence of contraceptive use for women is low:� Fewer than
50 percent of women use contraceptives (45.2 percent). [31] � Most of the women indicate that they
learned about the use of contraceptives from books (70.5 percent)
and television (49.1 percent).� Women�s NGOs maintain that
sources which are best located to provide information about
contraception, i.e. parents and teachers, rated too low as
the providers of this information, with 8.1 percent and 7.5
percent, respectively. [32]
� According to Red Thread, this indicates that
there is a need for educational programs for both parents
and teachers encouraging their role in passing on reproductive
health information.
At
the same time, about 10,000 women per year use the services
provided by the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association
(GRPA), an affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood
Federation (IPPF), concerning information on abortion, birth
control and prenatal care. Guyana reports 6,500 abortions
per year but, according to estimate, thousands are unreported
as they are performed in remote regions of the country, raising
concerns about their safety. [33] �� The IPPF (through grants from USAID)
funds 70 percent of GRPA�s operations, including pap smears,
HIV screening, diabetes and hypertension tests for poor women.�
The Guyanese government funds the remaining part of the operations.�
At a time when USAID is cutting support for IPPF, it is expected
that outside funding will be severely curbed and many services
eliminated or limited.� It is unknown if the Guyanese government
has plans to increase its funding to the Association. [34] �
Pregnancy/Child
Birth
According
to the Red Thread study, about half of all women in Guyana
have multiple pregnancies (defined as bearing more than four
children during their childbearing years).� The age of the
first pregnancy is typically very low: in half of all cases,
women were between the age of 17 and 21 at the time of the
birth of their first child, and some of them were under 16.
[35]
Abortion
The
Guyanese Parliament passed the �Medical Termination of Pregnancy
Bill� in May 1995 after an intense two-year campaign by its
supporters and NGOs. This made Guyana the first country in
South America to have a liberalized abortion law.� The law
has changed the basic power relation between the doctor and
the woman seeking abortion.� In the past, both the provider
and the woman were outside the law, which opened the possibility
of abuse; for example, low quality services that were harmful
to a woman�s health could not be reported as the woman had
no legal recourse. [36] � Following the passage
of the bill, the press was more open to reporting cases of
abuse, such as abortion providers� sexual molestation of the
clients. [37]
This
law has created a legal framework with the goal of making
abortions safer, but it also� stressed the necessity of access
to information and education to help women and girls make
an informed decision about prevention and abortion. [38]
� As part of the law, the government of Guyana
was obligated to implement programs of Family Life Education
by September 1995. [39] �� Reports by the Ministry of Heath
indicated that, as of 1997, there was still a high rate of
repeat abortions and that counseling was not sufficient. [40] According
to the NGO Red Thread study, these programs continue to be
ineffective and there is a need to implement even more educational
programs.� Surveys undertaken by Red Thread consistently show
that women do not have sufficient information concerning their
reproductive health.
There
is some evidence that the law has had an impact on abortion
safety: within six months of its passage, hospital admissions
for septic and incomplete abortion dropped by 41 percent. [41] ��
Overall, between 1995-1997, hospitalizations due to abortion-related
complications decreased 65 percent. [42] � Although the passage of the bill
has had a positive impact on women�s health and safety, the
government has been hesitant to collect data documenting abortion.�
The statistics would whether the incidence of abortion has
decreased. [43] � In recent years, however, it has
been reported that data collection on abortion has improved
and it includes demographic information about the woman (length
of pregnancy, reasons for abortion, type of procedure, complications,
contraceptive method provided to the woman). [44]
STDs/HIV/AIDS
According
to NGO information, although women do have knowledge of sexually-transmitted
diseases, including HIV/AIDS, the majority� do nothing to
protect themselves. [45]
�� In 1998, Guyana was singled out as one of the
seven developing countries � in addition to severely impacted
Africa � in Asia and Latin America most affected by the HIV/AIDS
epidemic. [46] �� The government of Guyana has recognized
that the AIDS epidemic is getting out of control, and in 1998
it pledged to design a comprehensive program to combat the
problem, including more reliable data collection.� According
to available data, by 1996, there were 129 cases (72 men and
57 women) of HIV/AIDS, and by the end of 1997 the number of
cases soared to 1,055 (666 men and 371 women).� It is� believed
that the HIV/AIDS incidence is underreported. [47]
Prostitution
and STDs
Surveys
indicate that the prevalence of STDs, including HIV/AIDS,
among prostitutes in Guyana is increasing rapidly.� While
a 1993 survey of prostitutes in the capital of Georgetown
demonstrated that one-fourth of all prostitutes were HIV positive. [48]
� a 1997 cross-sectional survey of prostitutes
working on the streets and in brothels� showed that almost
half of all prostitutes (47 percent) tested positive for HIV
(and one-third had syphilis). [49]
� These studies indicate that the incidence of
HIV among the women engaged in prostitution is increasing
rapidly.� Studies also show that many prostitutes are unaware
of the seriousness of HIV/AIDS.� For example, in 1993, only
20 percent of the surveyed prostitutes knew that AIDS was
untreatable and a third of them did not see themselves at
risk of� contracting HIV/AIDS. [50]
Moreover,
the 1997 study showed a high correlation between the risk
for contracting syphilis, HIV/AIDS and cocaine use. The authors
of the survey recommended an integrated risk reduction program
focusing on frequent STD checkups, safe sex practices and
drug abuse prevention targeting this high risk population. [51]
CONVENTION
ARTICLE 13
SOCIAL
AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Access
to Credit
While
women�s access to credit is not legally limited, the requirement
of high levels of collateral and high interest rates make
it impossible for many women to obtain formal credit.
Older
Women
Older
women (defined by the NGO Red Thread as �menopausal�) in Guyana
are often marginalized and isolated.� They face difficulties
regarding their health, aging, work and social security.�
Fifteen percent of older women live alone and in poverty. [52] � These women still
play an important role in the national economy (30 percent
of menopausal women are still in the labor force,� 18 percent
work and 12 percent are unemployed and 50 percent live in
female-headed households).� In fact, many of them are forced
to re-enter the workforce to support their families and other
dependents: many of them support children who are not their
own, such as grandchildren.� Many (more than 70 percent in
the Red Thread survey) do not have access to pensions or other
outside financial support.
Women
with Disabilities
No
law mandates access for disabled persons.� Appropriate infrastructure
to give them access to both public and private buildings is
absent, making it difficult to employ the disabled outside
the home. [53] �� The gender barriers
to well-paying jobs, thus become almost impossible to overcome
for disabled women.
CONVENTION
ARTICLE 14
RURAL
WOMEN
Land
Ownership
Men
hold the majority of land titles to property in Guyana (nationally
71.6 percent in 1993).� However, inequality in land ownership
is more pronounced in rural areas where men hold 76.3 percent
of titles, compared to 63.3 percent in urban areas.� While
legally women have equal right to ownership, the lack of a
clear land policy and the ownership criteria frequently used
by the Land Selection Committees have been reported to discriminate
against women.� Additionally, women often apply for land titles
in their husband�s name.� As a result, especially in the context
of a housing shortage, women are more vulnerable in case of
divorce when they may have difficulty getting an equal share
of family assets. [54]
CONVENTION
ARTICLE 16
MARRIAGE
AND FAMILY LAW
A
1990 law protects women�s property rights in common law marriages.��
In case of divorce or separation the woman is entitled to
half of the couples� property if she had been working, and
to one-third of the property if she had been a housewife. [55]
GENERAL
RECOMMENDATION # 19
VIOLENCE
AGAINST WOMEN
Family
and Marital Violence
Violence
against women is widespread in Guyana.� NGO-conducted studies
of domestic violence indicate that between one-third and one-half
of all women become victims of domestic violence.�� Among
the client base of Help & Shelter (a shelter for abuse
victims) of more than 2,000 persons, 86 percent are women,
17 percent are under 20 years old, and 71 percent are victims
of spousal abuse. [56] � Health professionals and NGOs report
a high incidence of rape of girls and young women, as well
as incest. [57] �� Such cases, as other cases involving
domestic violence, are rarely reported or prosecuted because
of the stigma attached.� The press reported 17 deaths resulting
from domestic violence between January and October 2000, but
the actual number is estimated to be higher. [58]
In
1998, Red Thread surveyed 360 women in greater Georgetown
about violence against women.�� Out of more than 60 percent
of women who were involved in a relationship or union, 27.7
percent reported physical abuse, 26.3 percent had experienced
verbal abuse and 12.7 percent experienced sexual violence.
Approximately half of the surveyed women responded that one
of the likely causes of partner�s abuse was jealously (55.4
percent) or �hot temper�. [59] � Significantly,
more than 65 percent of respondents had no knowledge of the
Domestic Violence Act (the lack of awareness of the Act was
higher among Indo-Guyanese women and stood at 77.3 percent). [60]
Nearly
four of every five respondents perceived violence in the family
to be very common in Guyana (76.8 percent).� More than one
in three knew someone who was currently experiencing domestic
violence (35.5 percent). [61]
Legal
Recourse
Although
there is no public defender system in Guyana, the Georgetown
Legal Aid Clinic, supported in part privately, gives advice
to persons who cannot afford a lawyer, with special focus
on helping women in divorce cases involving an assault and
other violence-related cases.� Additionally, the Guyana Association
of Women Lawyers provides free legal services in civil cases. [62] �
The
1996 Domestic Violence Act defines domestic violence, makes
it a crime, and gives women the right to seek immediate protection.�
Magistrates are empowered to issue an interim protection order
based on an application for protection filled out by the victim,
a police officer or a social worker.� This order is then evaluated
by the magistrate, who may decide to issue a permanent order
instead of a temporary one.� The Act gives victims the right
to seek protection, occupation or tenancy orders.� Occupation
orders make it possible for the victim and any children to
remain at a home, and the abuser must leave. Tenancy orders
require an abuser to leave a rented dwelling, but to continue
paying for the rent.� In the event of a violation of protective
orders, the abuser may be fined up to US$54 (G$10,000) and
imprisoned for up to one year.� But, to date, this law has
not been enforced, and while NGOs consider the Act a positive
development, they also claim that it has not had a real impact.
[63]
NGOs
and the Department of Public Prosecutions have made some efforts
to sensitize police to domestic violence, but officers are
often hesitant to interfere in such cases. [64] �� NGOs and the UN Human
Rights Committee (during a 2000 review of Guyana) asked the
government to make a more sustained effort to train police
and other law enforcement staff in providing equal protection
to women victims of abuse and in applying punitive measures. [65] � In September 2000, a 14-week domestic
violence intervention training program for police officers
and social workers was held in Georgetown as part of a larger
effort in the Caribbean region.� Speakers at the training
have emphasized that a sustained and long-term effort is needed
to train enforcement officials in order to curb the problem
and to change attitudes of officials and to begin changing
societal attitudes. [66]
ACTIONS
BY OTHER UN HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISMS
PERTAINING
TO WOMEN�S HUMAN RIGHTS:
Concluding
observations of the Human Rights Committee: Guyana. 25 April
2000. CCPR/C/79/Add.121.
�Positive
aspects
�
The
enactment of the Domestic Violence Act in 1996 and its extension
to protection of children.
Concerns
and Recommendations
�
the
low level of participation by women in the workforce and in
the conduct of public affairs; lack of information on the
application and effect of the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1997
or the Equal Rights Act of 1990; an apparent conflict between
article 29 of the Constitution, which mandates equal rights
for women and men, and article 149 (3) (b), which excludes
from the prohibition on discrimination laws dealing with marriage,
divorce, and inheritance.� Take positive measures to ensure
equality of opportunity for women in all fields and to ensure
that the principles of equality and non-discrimination on
all grounds and in all areas of activity are fully implemented
in the new Constitution.
�
The
Domestic Violence Act of 1996 appears to have been applied
in very few cases and at the lack of information relating
to its impact in reducing the level of violence against women;
police and other law enforcement personnel should be trained
to understand the importance of ensuring that women who are
victims of violence are accorded equal protection and that
preventive and punitive measures are enforced.
Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination : Guyana. 21 August 1997� A/52/18,paras.484-486.
No
recommendations concerning women were issued by this Committee.
Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
Against Women: Guyana. 31 May 1995. A/50/38, paras. 616-626.
Principal
subjects of concern
�
That
the provisions of the Convention were not integrated into
the Constitution of Guyana and that some laws still needed
to be amended in order to comply fully with the Convention.
�
The
lack of family planning services and the numbers of illegal
abortions because of it.
�
That
women were still underrepresented in many of the political,
administrative and economic higher decision-making echelons,
thereby depriving society of women's knowledge and experience.
Suggestions
and recommendations
�
Include
more concrete data on measures implemented on obstacles encountered
and provide the Committee with more statistics to illustrate
change.
�
Provide
more information on violence against women and measures to
combat it.
�
Pursue
a comprehensive approach of legal reform relating to the family;
it also encourages the Government to seek further assistance
from international agencies or on a bilateral level to improve
women's material situation in Guyana: should be assigned to
enhancing women's economic situation.
