4th November 2025

Submission to the OAS Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities

End sexual violence Latin America and the Caribbean

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Prepared jointly by Equality Now, Disability Rights International (DRI), Caribe Afirmativo, and Colectivo de Vida Independiente, this submission was presented to the OAS Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (CEDDIS) under the fourth monitoring cycle of the Inter-American Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (CIADDIS) and the Program of Action for the Decade of the Americas for the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (PAD).

It focuses on access to justice in cases of sexual violence against girls, adolescents, and women with disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean. The submission analyses the regional context, identifies key legal and institutional barriers, reviews inter-American and international human rights standards, and offers concrete recommendations for States Parties to strengthen protection and ensure effective access to justice.

This work builds on Equality Now’s ongoing efforts to promote access to justice and reform laws addressing sexual violence, complementing earlier publications such as Failure to Protect, and deepens collaboration with regional partners advancing the rights of girls, adolescents, and women with disabilities.

What’s included in the submission?

  • Regional analysis of sexual violence against girls, adolescents, and women with disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
  • Overview of international and inter-American standards on legal capacity, consent, accessibility, and procedural accommodations.
  • Identification of systemic barriers, including institutionalisation, stereotyping, denial of legal capacity, and lack of accessibility in justice systems.
  • Compilation of good practices and promising initiatives in Argentina, Colombia, and other countries.
  • Action-oriented recommendations for States Parties to harmonise national laws, guarantee accessibility, and adopt intersectional approaches to justice.

Who’s this submission for?

Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (CEDDIS) of the Organization of American States (OAS)

Key recommendations

  • Reform criminal laws to define rape based on the absence of consent, rather than the use of force, in line with international human rights standards
  • Recognise the full legal capacity of persons with disabilities and guarantee informed consent in all judicial and administrative processes.
  • Ensure accessible, inclusive, and non-discriminatory judicial proceedings with procedural adjustments, assistive supports, and trained personnel.
  • Adopt intersectional approaches that account for factors such as gender, age, disability, race, and other forms of discrimination.
  • Strengthen national data systems with disaggregated statistics on sexual violence by gender, age, and disability.
  • Guarantee the meaningful participation of women and girls with disabilities and their representative organisations in policymaking and monitoring processes.

About

4 November 2025

14 pages

Languages

ES

Classification

Submissions
End sexual violence
Latin America and the Caribbean

More information

For more information, contact programs@equalitynow.org.

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