Human rights in Uruguay
Open-knowledge reference entry
The Republic of Uruguay is located in South America, between Argentina, Brazil and the South Atlantic Ocean, with a population of 3,332,972. Uruguay gained independence and sovereignty from Spain in 1828 and has full control over its internal and external affairs. From 1973 to 1985 Uruguay was governed by a civil-military dictatorship which committed numerous human rights abuses.
Uruguay is generally committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and ranks as the most rights conscious nation in South America. However areas of concern remain, including inhumane prison facilities, access to justice for crimes committed as a result of the dictatorship and discrimination towards women.
Legal framework
International obligations
Uruguay has signed and ratified most of the international human rights treaties without reservations, including:
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
Convention against Torture (CAT)
Uruguay has also ratified both Optional Protocols to the ICCPR. Uruguay has one general reservation/declaration with regard to article 38, paragraphs 2-3 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which deals with youth involvement in armed conflict.
Uruguay is subject to the Universal Periodic Review process as it is a member state of the United Nations. It has completed two rounds of the Universal Periodic Review, the latest in 2013. Uruguay has recognised the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights as a member of the Organisation of American States.
On 18 March 2005 Uruguay extended a “standing invitation” to all visits from the UN Special Procedures.
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This entry incorporates text from “Human rights in Uruguay” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.