AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2016/17

cases that did reach the courts did not result
in convictions.
RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL,
TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE
In May, the National Assembly approved the
declaration of 17 May as the “Day against
Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia”.
In August, the Ministry of Interior and
Justice and the Public Prosecutor’s Office
agreed that transgender people could freely
express their gender identity on the
photograph on their identification documents.
However, there were no advances in
legislation to guarantee equal rights,
including to provide for the possibility for an
individual to adjust their name, gender and
other details in official documentation to
correspond to their gender identity, or to
criminalize hate crimes based on sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression.
SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Access to contraceptives, including
emergency contraception, was increasingly
limited due to shortages of medicine.
Abortion continued to be criminalized in all
cases except when the life of the woman or
girl was at risk.
According to a report by the UN
Population Fund, the maternal mortality rate
in the country was 95 per 100,000 live births,
significantly higher than the regional average
of 68 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Contraceptive usage stood at 70% for
traditional methods and 64% for modern
methods, with regional averages at 73% and
67% respectively.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS
The legal provisions to guarantee and
regulate consultation with Indigenous
Peoples over matters affecting their
livelihoods were not complied with. There
were reports of criminalization of Indigenous
and environmental rights defenders. Concern
was raised over the impact on Indigenous
land and environment of large-scale mining
projects in the southern region of Venezuela
known as the Mining Arc. Approval for the
implementation of the projects was granted
without consulting with and seeking the free,
prior and informed consent of Indigenous
communities in the area.
RIGHT TO HEALTH – LACK OF FOOD
AND MEDICINE
The economic and social crisis in the country
continued to worsen. In light of the lack of
official statistics, private and independent
agencies such as the Workers’ Centre for
Documentation and Analysis (CENDA)
reported an inflation of 552% for food
products from November 2015 to October
2016, which made it extremely difficult for
the population to purchase food even when
they were able to find it. According to the
Venezuelan Health Observatory, 12.1% of the
population ate only twice a day or less. The
Bengoa Foundation for Food and Nutrition
estimated that 25% of children were
malnourished.
Studies on living conditions carried out by
three major universities revealed that 73% of
homes in the country suffered from income
poverty in 2015, while official data from the
National Institute of Statistics put that figure
at 33.1%.
The government’s refusal to allow
international aid efforts to address the
humanitarian crisis and provide medicine
exacerbated the critical health situation. The
poor state of public health services led to an
increase in preventable and treatable
diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.
NGOs such as the Coalition of Organizations
for the Right to Life and Health and
professional associations calculated that
there was a shortage of 75% of high-cost
drugs and 90% of essential drugs.
1. Venezuela: Establish the whereabouts of missing miners (AMR
53/3602/2016)
2. Venezuela: Human rights defender threatened: Humberto Prado
Sifontes (AMR 53/3952/2016)
3. Venezuela: Human rights defenders assaulted (AMR 53/4223/2016)
4. Venezuela: Arrested and prosecuted by military tribunal (AMR
53/5029/2016)
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