"Catapult" the Annual Report of the International Amnesty for Latin America

The economic crisis holds a time bomb on human rights

Anastasia Karapatsiá

The international financial crisis has contributed to the violation of human rights according to Amnesty International. In its annual report for 2009 mentions that the "downhill" in the international economy has received attention from the ongoing human rights violations and has also created new problems in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Although recent years have seen an improvement in the area of human rights by measures which have been taken by the governments of Latin America, lots of groups watch daily their rights be violated in the region.

Indigenous communities

Indigenous communities in Central and South America have been disproportionately affected by poverty in the world. The development projects which aim at the improvement of the their lives, not only they don’t have contributed to the improvement of the quality of life but often are accompanied by harassment and any form of violence towards them.

Abuse in Haiti and Nicaragua

Women and girls belong to the group that faces daily violence and sexual abuse, particularly in Haiti and Nicaragua. The stigma of abuse leads many women and girls to silence, while the laws in some Latin American countries not only fail to protect girls from been raped but prohibit abortions when the pregnancy is a result of rape.

Scandals and drug gangs in Brazil and Guatemala

The measures taken to tackle drugs and violence by groups of gangs in the area do not have contributed so far to minimize them, according to the 2009 annual report of Amnesty International. The situation has deteriorated, especially in certain areas, such as Brazil and Guatemala, where the police are involved in many scandals and collaborations with drug cartel gangs and violence.