A/HRC/22/4
idea that no one was above the law. The pillars of memory, truth and justice were deeply
rooted in Argentine society. Since 2005, 923 people had been prosecuted, 331 people
convicted, and there were 17 ongoing trials, with 5 more scheduled. This has allowed
Argentina to advance a broader human rights agenda that can be summarized as a fight for
real equality.
9.
In this context, the democratization of information and communication had been
essential. A new law on audiovisual media services posits freedom of expression as a social
right. The State intervenes to regulate and restrict the monopolistic concentration of the
media while ensuring access to the public sphere and freedom of expression for all social
sectors. Three years after the enactment of thelaw, 50 universities had a TV signal; there
were 1,150 municipal radio stations; 130 radio stations for schools; 20 radio licences for
indigenous peoples; and 50 cable licences for cooperatives. In the same spirit, the Congress
enacted the repeal of the criminal libel and slander on the grounds of public interest,
eliminating any possibility of prosecuting those who expressed their views about public
affairs.
10.
It would not be possible to advance towards the democratization of rights and real
equality without active policies implemented by the State. As a result, poverty had been
sharply reduced from 54 per cent of the population in 2003, to 6.5 per cent for 2012; while
indigence had diminished from 27 to 2 per cent.
11.
The Government had promoted the recovery of labour rights and encouraged
collective bargaining. The State had recognized the historic debt generated by decades of
neglect towards the most vulnerable sectors of the population. This had been made
operative through a retirement-mobility procedure. Pensions had been extended to 2.5
million people, through an unprecedented fiscal effort.
12.
Regarding human trafficking, the State was coordinating strategies to combat this
transnational crime. For instance, since the establishment of the Ministry of Security in
December 2010, the federal forces rescued 889 victims.
13.
As regards the protection of the rights of children and adolescents, Argentina had
also advanced. Law 061 established that children were full subjects of rights. Additionally,
the Government had adopted other standards such as education funding, prohibition of child
labour and equal legal age of marriage.
14.
For the first time, investment in education represents 6.2 per cent of GDP. More than
1,400 new schools had been built and 2 million computers had been distributed.
15.
The active policies to promote rights were being complemented by a paradigm shift
in accessing justice that included other forms of non-judicial justice; 38 Access to Justice
centres had been established, especially in lower-income areas.
16.
The delegation reported that, after the first-cycle UPR review, the Act on Integral
Protection Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women was
adopted and regulated by a presidential decree after an extensive consultation process. This
legislation addressed the issue of gender-based violence in a comprehensive manner and
provided a broad response to the problem according to the standards of the Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the
Convention of Belém do Pará. Currently the Congress was discussing the incorporation of
the crime of femicide into the Criminal Code.
17.
The delegation mentioned the equal marriage and gender-identity laws as a
fundamental step towards equality and the extension of the collective rights of those groups
that had been historically discriminated against on the ground of sexual orientation. The
Equal Marriage Act allowed marriage between same sex adults and the possibility of
4
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents