By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

LONDON, UK — Mercer’s second annual “When Women Thrive” report has identified Latin America as the only region globally on track to reach gender workplace parity at the professional level by 2025.

According to the report, in Latin America, women account for 17 % of executives today, but current hiring, promotion and retention rates projects that that number will rise to 44% in 2025. Women’s representation at the professional level is 36%, rising to 49% by 2025.

The study also reports that Latin American women are twice as likely as men to be promoted from the senior manager level, and more likely to be promoted from every level.

Worldwide, women hold 28 % of profit and loss roles, breaking down to 47 % in Latin America, followed by 27 % in Asia and 25 % in Australia/New Zealand. Women only represent 22 % of profit and loss roles in the US and Canada and only 17% in Europe.

The study is based on a survey of 583 organizations in 42 countries (representing Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Americas), accounting for 3.2 million employees.

Pat Milligan, Mercer’s global leader of the “When Women Thrive” initiative called the under-representation of women in the workplace an “economic and social travesty.” Julia Howes, a Mercer principal involved with the project, said that although there has been focus on women at the top, the main issue is the lack of female talent pipelines.

Women are set to make up 40 % of the professional workforce by 2025. Most regions of the world “won’t even be close to gender equality” within the next 10 years.

For more information, please see:

Forbes – Women: Under Representation is an Economic and Social Travesty – 26 January 2016

Mercer – 2016 Global When Women Thrive Report – 26 January 2016

Business Standard – Failure to build talent pipeline threatens women’s workplace progress, says Mercer report – 27 January 2016

Irish Times – Latin America Expected to top women at work rankings – 27 January 2016 

Reuters – Latin America to top professional working women league by 2025 – Mercer – 27 January 2016

Voice of America – Study: Latin America to Lead with Number of Professional Working Women by 2025 – 27 January 2016

By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America 

NEW YORK, United States — The United Nations Security Council, led by the delegation of the United Kingdom, has approved a 12 month long mission to monitor the cease-fire between the Colombian government and FARC Rebels. The resolution was unanimously adopted, and had been requested by both parties.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon was reportedly “pleased by the strong commitment Council members had shown to the peaceful resolution of the armed conflict in Colombia.

Both parties have pledged safety for the members of the mission, who will be unarmed. The mission will include experts from Latin America and Caribbean States.

Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will present details of the mission within 30 days of a final agreement being signed. He will then report every 90 days on the progress of the mission.

After the initial 12 month period, the mission may be extended with the consent of the Colombian government and FARC leadership.

The move was welcomed by Colombian officials. “The Security Council’s decision means we are no longer going alone, but hand in hand with the U.N., with the entire world, toward the end of this war,” said Colombia President Juan Manual Santos.

The disarmament is tentatively scheduled to begin on March 23, though it is uncertain if a final agreement will be reached before that time. The parties have so far reached agreements in the areas of drug trafficking, land rights, and punishment for human rights violations.

Although the Colombian government has agreed to hold a public referendum to allow Colombians to vote for or against the final agreement, FARC representatives have expressed concern over this method.

The violence between government forces and FARC rebels in Colombia is said to be the longest running conflict in Latin America – lasting for over fifty years. Over 220,000 people have died and 5 million others displaced throughout the conflict.

 

For more information, please see:

New York Times – U.N. Can Seal the Peace in Colombia – 23 January 2016 

Reuters – UN Security Council creates mission to verify Colombia peace deal – 25 January 2016

TeleSur – UN Agrees to Supervise Colombia Peace Deal – 25 January 2016

The City Paper – UN Security Council votes to monitor Colombia in post-conflict – 25 January 2016 

UN News Centre – UN Security Council approves mission to monitor peace deal between Colombia and FARC – 25 January 2016

Washington Times – Colombia, FARC rebels nearing peace deal amid worries about aftermath – 25 January 2016

Jurist – UN Security Council approves peace mission in Colombia – 26 January 2016

Latin America News Dispatch – UN Agrees to Oversee Future Ceasefire Deal Between Colombia, FARC Rebels – 26 January 2016

The City Paper – Striking a peace deal with Colombia’s forests and fields – 26 January 2016

Latin American Herald Tribune – UN Approves Sending Mission to Colombia to Verify Cease-Fire – 27 January 2016

Latin Post – Colombia-FARC Peace Talks to End 50 Years of Conflict – 27 January 2016

By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASILIA, Brazil —  Officials report that infections of the Zika virus have been found in 20 Latin American countries. Zika was originally discovered in Uganda in 1947 and outbreaks have historically been contained to Africa, South East Asia and the Pacific Islands. The disease was first reported in Brazil in May 2015. Although scientists are not yet sure how the disease reached Brazil, it is possible that it travelled with visitors during the 2014 World Cup, or by French Polynesian competitors participating in a canoe race.

While Zika symptoms are usually mild, the concern with this outbreak is that the disease has been linked to a rising number of cases of children born with microcephaly, wherein a child is born with unusually small heads and brain damage. Brazilian health authorities have tracked 4,000 cases of microcephaly since October of 2015. This number is especially concerning considering that only 150 cases were reported during all of 2014.

Some governments in the region have responded to the outbreaks by warning women not to get pregnant, a move that has prompted criticism. Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica have so far asked women to put off pregnancies for periods of time as short as 8 months (Colombia) to until 2017 (El Salvador). Monica Roa, a member of Women’s Link Worldwide called the move “Incredibly naïve” in a “region where sexual violence is prevalent.”

Brazilian officials have expressed further concern that cases of the virus may be connected to Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare condition where a person’s immune system attacks their nervous system. Those affected often suffer from paralysis and need life support. The syndrome is usually so rare that it isn’t required to be reported to Brazil’s Health Ministry. However, in the past year, there have been hundreds of cases Guillain-Barré in northeast Brazil, the area most affected by the Zika virus.

The Center for Disease Control is considering Guillain-Barré a serious risk, however they caution that “reports must be treated as anecdotal because little pertinent supporting diagnostic information is available.” The C.D.C and Brazil will be conducting a study to evaluate the connection between Zika and the syndrome.

According to the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization, there is an “increase of congenital anomalies, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and other neurological and autoimmune syndromes in areas where Zika virus is circulating.”

 

For more information, please see:

BBC – The alarming threat of Zika virus – 21 January 2016

New York Times – Zika Virus May be Linked to Surge in Rare Syndrome in Brazil – 21 January 2016

PRI – Brazil fears new danger from Zika virus: Paralysis – 21 January 2016

Voice of America – Brazil Defects Linked to Zika Virus Still Rising in Brazil – 21 January 2016

Washington Post – U.S., Brazilian officials probing possible link between Zika virus, rare paralysis condition – 21 January 2016

Latin American Dispatch – Zika Virus Prompts Brazil and El Salvador to Warn Pregnant Women – 22 January 2016

NBC – Zika Virus Spreads to 20 Latin American Countries – 22 January 2016

Vox – As Zika virus spreads, women in Latin America are told to delay pregnancies – 22 January 2016

BBC – Zika virus triggers pregnancy delay calls – 23 January 2016

 

By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia has changed its laws to require harsher sentences for perpetrators of acid attacks. As many as 100 acid attacks are thought to occur in Colombia each year.

The law, signed by President Juan Manuel Santos in a ceremony on 18 January, imposes a minimum of 12 years imprisonment for anyone using a chemical agent to cause physical harm. An attack that doesn’t cause any bodily harm still carries a 5 year sentence. If the victim suffers permanent disfigurement, the sentence may be up to 50 years. Prior to this change, a loophole in Colombia’s laws classified acid attacks as “personal injuries” rather than “intentional violent crimes.”

The new law was named after victim and high profile campaigner Natalia Ponce de Leon, who also appeared at the ceremony. She was targeted by a neighbor, who threw a liter of sulphuric acid on her face and body in 2014. She has received 15 reconstruction operations. Ms. Ponce de Leon’s appearance at the ceremony was the first time she has appeared in public without a face mask to protect her delicate skin.

The Institute of Legal Medicine reports 926 acid attacks in Colombia between 2004 and 2014, although it is likely that that number represents all of the victims. Because the previous sentence for perpetrators was so light, and rarely imposed at all, many suffering these attacks have never come forward.

The victims of these attacks are overwhelmingly women (87 percent of victims), while the perpetrators are usually men (90 percent). “Usually it is someone from the victim’s inner circle, a husband or the father of her children, who cannot accept being turned down or left,” according to Gina Potes, who is thought to be Colombia’s first acid attack victim (having been attacked in 1996). Most of the cases of attacks against men occurred during a mugging.

 

For more information, please see:

The City Paper – New law brings harsher penalties for acid attacks in Colombia – 18 January 2016

BBC – Colombia’s President Santos enacts tougher law on acid attacks – 19 January 2016

Express – Brave acid attack victim shows her face for the first time since the horrific assault – 20 January 2016

Global Post – Colombia finally cracks down on a horrific wave of acid attacks against women – 20 January 2016

By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s National Assembly has proposed an Amnesty Law which would provide reprieve and release political prisoners. The move is the Assembly’s first following the swearing-in of Venezuela’s first non-Socialist majority Assembly in fifteen years. The prioritization of pursuing amnesty for Venezuela’s political prisoners was one of the democratic coalition’s main campaigning points.

The proposed legislation has been met with both praise and skepticism. While the National Assembly is eager to free a number of Opposition prisoners, there is concern that the drafted Amnesty Law will not be effective.

The Venezuelan Penal Forum (FPV) has introduced two alternatives for the Assembly to choose from. First, the Assembly can enact and Amnesty Law, which would require approval from Socialist President Nicolas Maduro. The second option is the issuance of a Legislative Decree, which does not need the go-ahead from Maduro.

A further issue is the role of the judiciary – under Venezuelan law, only a court may ultimately order the releases. Some fear that a judge may refuse to comply, as there has long been concerns regarding governmental influence in the judiciary in Venezuela.

Maduro’s government has staunchly opposed the proposed legislation, calling it “absurd.” Former National Assembly Speaker Diosdado Cabello (who lost his position in the last election cycle) expressed concern that the law could provide amnesty for gang leaders and other criminals. The executive director of the FPV, Alfredo Romero, says that such fears are unfounded, as the proposed legislation includes safeguards against such events.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC – Venezuela: Opposition-controlled National Assembly sworn in – 5 January 2016

Vice News – There was a Lot of Yelling During the First Session of Venezuela’s New Congress – 5 January 2016

PanAm Post – Experts Warn Amnesty Law May Fail to Free Venezuela’s Political Prisoners – 11 January 2016 

TeleSur – Venezuelan Right Discusses Amnesty for Coup, Violence Plotters – 11 January 2016

Presna Latina – Opposition Project on Amnesty Condemned in Venezuela – 12 January 2016