Peru's human rights protection plan overlooks LGBTI community.

AutorJana, Elsa Chanduvi

Peru's 2014-2016 National Human Rights Plan, approved July 5, has been harshly criticized for not including measures to protect vulnerable sectors such as the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community and domestic workers.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Daniel Figallo maintained the plan incorporates many special-interest initiatives and prioritizes a series of actions for developing and implementing maternal and mental-health projects to allow better access to health services, education, and basic services for children, women, indigenous people, Afro-Peruvians, and persons with HIV or tuberculosis, particularly those living in rural mountainous or jungle areas.

"It is a tool for political and social control that the executive is establishing so that all 18 ministries may include a fundamental human rights focus when developing their action plans," said Jose Avila, vice minister of human rights and judicial access.

Several public and private groups, government and nongovernmental agencies, members of the Consejo Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDH), as well as professionals and the general public participated in some 21 regional hearings to work on the Plan Nacional de Derechos Humanos (PNDH). The hearings included discussions related to specific human rights issues to be used as a baseline at PNDH meetings in line with each region's cultural, historical, and geographical reality.

Promoting a culture of human rights

This is the second time Peru has created a PNDH. The first one, lasting from 2006 to 2010, focused its guidelines and activities on adopting legal reforms as well as measures to consolidate democratic institutions. The new plan includes four strategic guidelines: promoting a culture of human rights in Peru; designing and strengthening public policy to promote and protect civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights; designing and implementing policies to protect vulnerable groups; and strengthening the domestic legal system by implementing international instruments to promote and protect human rights.

"The prioritization of public policies contributes to the development of our democracy," a PNDH document states. "The importance of public policies permits resources to be channeled to those who most need them, helping to generate citizenship. That's why implementing this PNDH will connect various central agencies with local and regional governments based on our country's...

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