Argentina: Shadow Report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

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Argentina: Shadow Report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
06/29/2010

This shadow report was prepared by Cero en Conducta and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), with contributions from Gustavo Díaz Fernández (Biblioteca Crisálida, Tucumán Province); Mary Robles (Asociación de Travestis, Transexuales y Transgénero de Argentina, ATTTA, Salta Province branch); Luisa Paz (ATTTA, Santiago del Estero branch) and Alejandra Lisi (D-Generadas – mujeres en construcción, Santiago del Estero). It was submitted for consideration in the 46th Session of the CEDAW Committee within the review of Argentina's compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

IGLHRC sponsored the translation of the report from Spanish into English and the participation of an activist representing the Cero en Conducta in the CEDAW review session in New York.

Please see the CEDAW website for more information »

This CEDAW civil society report describes the macro and micro political, social and cultural contexts and exposes the situation of vulnerability faced by LBTTTI people in general. It is focused on the particular vulnerability of travesti, transgender, and transsexual persons in terms of their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights in the north western region of Argentina (NOA).

This report highlights legislative provisions, as well as government policies and practices that violate CEDAW provisions, including:

Misdemeanour codes and police practices that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity;

Systemic and unaddressed violence – including sexual violence - against LBTTTI women and girls by police and by teachers in schools

Prejudiced and stereotyped depiction of transgender people in the media;

Absence of procedures for transgender people to change their identification to reflect their gender identity, limiting their civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights.

The report concludes with recommendations for government actions to respect, protect and promote the rights of LBTTTI people in NOA including:

Repeal provisions from provincial misdemeanour and contravention codes that discriminate against people on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity on their face or in their application.

Effectively investigate and prosecute those responsible for sexual violence against young women, including young transwomen, in schools.

Adopt at all levels of government anti-discriminatory legislation guaranteeing equal rights for all people regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression combining it with public policies for the recognition and effective enjoyment of such equality.

Develop a procedure or adopt a law that will allow people to easily change their gender and name on legal documents to ensure that all people’s equality before the law and their freedom of movement—as well as their other human rights and fundamental freedoms—will be respected regardless of their gender identity.

Download the report in English or Spanish (PDF).

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