Human Rights

Ecuador is a constitutional republic with a population of almost 14.6 milloin.In September 2008, voters approved a referendum on a new constitution, which was effective that same year on October.On April 26, voters reelected Rafael Correa to a four-year presidential term. The president commission established to investigate human rights violations commited under the government of Leon Febres Cordero (1984-88). In other periods was expected to issue a final report.The Ecumenical Human Rights Commission (CEDHU) reported that mob violence against suspected criminals continued at the level of the preceding year. Such violence occurred particularly in indigenous communities and poor neighborhoods of major cities.
Human Rights

     The new constitution acknowledges sexual and reproductive rights. The free Maternity Care Law protect the rights of all women and also calls for free prenatal care, family planning services, and cancer screening. According to the statistics 69 percent of women had skilled attendants present during childbirth. Over 70 percent women used concentraptives, with a 5 percent "unmet need" for family planning.Despite legal protection of women's rights in politics, the home, and employment, societal discrimination against women was pervasive, particularly with respect to educational and economic opportunities for older women and for those in the lower economic strata.According to the government, for example, women received approximately 65 percent of the pay received by men for equal work. Women's advocates alleged that culture and tradition inhibited achievement of full equality for women.