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The Global Gender Equality Constitutional Database is a repository of gender equality related provisions in 194 constitutions from around the world. The Database was updated in partnership with the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and with support from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and the Government of Japan. Experience its wealth and depth of information by starting your search now.
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- EnglishAll people are born free and equal before the law, receive the same protection and treatment from institutions, authorities, and other people and enjoy the same rights liberties and opportunities, without any discrimination for reasons of gender, color, age, disability, nationality, family ties, language, religions, political or philosophical opinion, social or personal condition. Consequently:
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3. The State should promote judicial and administrative conditions so that equality may be real and effective and shall adopt methods to prevent and combat discrimination, marginalization, vulnerability and exclusion;
4. Women and men are equal before the law. Any act that has the objective or result of diminishing or annulling the recognition, enjoyment or exercise of fundamental rights of woman and men in conditions of equality is prohibited.
5. The State should promote and guarantee the equal participation of women and men in candidate lists to the offices of popular election for the instances of guidance and decision in the public sphere, in the administration of justice, and in the State-controlled bodies. (Art. 39) - SpanishTodas las personas nacen libres e iguales ante la ley, reciben la misma protección y trato de las instituciones, autoridades y demás personas y gozan de los mismos derechos, libertades y oportunidades, sin ninguna discriminación por razones de género, color, edad, discapacidad, nacionalidad, vínculos familiares, lengua, religión, opinión política o filosófica, condición social o personal. En consecuencia:
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3) El Estado debe promover las condiciones jurídicas y administrativas para que la igualdad sea real y efectiva y adoptará medidas para prevenir y combatir la discriminación, la marginalidad, la vulnerabilidad y la exclusión;
4) La mujer y el hombre son iguales ante la ley. Se prohíbe cualquier acto que tenga como objetivo o resultado menoscabar o anular el reconocimiento, goce o ejercicio en condiciones de igualdad de los derechos fundamentales de mujeres y hombres. Se promoverán las medidas necesarias para garantizar la erradicación de las desigualdades y la discriminación de género;
5) El Estado debe promover y garantizar la participación equilibrada de mujeres y hombres en las candidaturas a los cargos de elección popular para las instancias de dirección y decisión en el ámbito público, en la administración de justicia y en los organismos de control del Estado. (Art. 39)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English(1) Subject to the provisions of subsections (4), (5) and (7) of this section, no law shall make any provision that is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect.
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(3) In this section, the expression “discriminatory” means affording different treatment to different persons attributable wholly or mainly to their respective descriptions by sex, race, place of origin, political opinions, color or creed whereby persons of one such description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another such descriptions are not made subject or are recorded privileges of advantages which are not accorded to persons of another such description.
(4) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to any law do far as that law makes provision-
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d. whereby persons of any such description as is mentioned in subsection (3) of this section may be subjected to any disability or restriction or may be accorded any privilege or advantage that, having regard to its nature and to special circumstances pertaining to those persons or to persons of any other such description, is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.
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Affirmative Action (Broadly)
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For the election of the 200 deputies [masculine] and deputies [feminine], according to the principle of proportional representation and the System of Regional Lists, five plurinomial electoral circumscriptions will be constituted in the country conformed in accordance with the principle of parity, and headed alternately between women and men each elective period. The Law will determine the form of establishing the territorial demarcation of these circumscriptions. (Art. 53) - Spanish
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Para la elección de los 200 diputados y diputadas según el principio de representación proporcional y el Sistema de Listas Regionales, se constituirán cinco circunscripciones electorales plurinominales en el país conformadas de acuerdo con el principio de paridad, y encabezadas alternadamente entre mujeres y hombres cada periodo electivo. La Ley determinará la forma de establecer la demarcación territorial de estas circunscripciones. (Art. 53)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
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(3) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may make provision -
(a) …
(v) for the extraction from the lists and declaration of names of the candidates who have been elected, and for such provision for extraction to take into account the proportion that women form of the electorate;
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(b) …
(iii) for the minimum number or proportion of female candidates on a party’s list and in all party’s lists taken together;
(iv) for the minimum number or proportion of female candidates on a party’s lists for geographical constituencies taken individually or together;
(v) for the maximum percentage or the number of geographical constituencies a party can contest in which its lists contain no female candidate.
… (Art. 160)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English(1) Subject to the provisions of subsections (4), (5) and (7) of this section, no law shall make any provision that is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect.
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(3) In this section, the expression “discriminatory” means affording different treatment to different persons attributable wholly or mainly to their respective descriptions by sex, race, place of origin, political opinions, colour or creed whereby persons of one such description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another such description are not made subject or are accorded privileges or advantages which are not accorded to persons of another such description.
(4) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to any law so far as that law makes provision-
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(d) whereby persons of any such description as is mentioned in subsection (3) of this section may be subjected to any disability or restriction or may be accorded any privilege or advantage that, having regard to its nature and to special circumstances pertaining to those persons or to persons of any other such description, is reasonably justifiable.
… (Sec. 16)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- EnglishThe State shall promote equality with respect to the representation of women and men in publicly appointed or elected office, in its executive and decision-making institutions, and political parties and movements. As for candidacies in multi-person elections, their participation shall be respected by rotation of power and sequencing.
The State shall adopt affirmative action measures to guarantee the participation of discriminated sectors. (Art. 65) - SpanishEl Estado promoverá la representación paritaria de mujeres y hombres en los cargos de nominación o designación de la función pública, en sus instancias de dirección y decisión, y en los partidos y movimientos políticos. En las candidaturas a las elecciones pluripersonales se respetará su participación alternada y secuencial.
El Estado adoptará medidas de acción afirmativa para garantizar la participación de los sectores discriminados. (Art. 65)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English(1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
(2) Subsection (1) does not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups including those that are disadvantaged because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability. (Constitution Act 1982, Sec. 15) - French(1) La loi ne fait acception de personne et s’applique également à tous, et tous ont droit à la même protection et au même bénéfice de la loi, indépendamment de toute discrimination, notamment des discriminations fondées sur la race, l’origine nationale ou ethnique, la couleur, la religion, le sexe, l’âge ou les déficiences mentales ou physiques.
(2) Le paragraphe (1) n’a pas pour effet d’interdire les lois, programmes ou activités destinés à améliorer la situation d’individus ou de groupes défavorisés, notamment du fait de leur race, de leur origine nationale ou ethnique, de leur couleur, de leur religion, de leur sexe, de leur âge ou de leurs déficiences mentales ou physiques. (Loi constitutionnelle de 1982, Sec. 15)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
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The State recognizes the economic, social, cultural, political, and environmental dimension of the peasantry, as well as any other dimensions that may be acknowledged. It will ensure the protection, respect, and guarantee of their individual and collective rights, with the aim of achieving material equality from a gender, age, and territorial perspective. ...
Peasants [campesinos], both men and women, are free and equal to all other populations,
… (Art. 64) - Spanish
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El Estado reconoce la dimensión económica, social, cultural, política y ambiental del campesinado, así como aquellas que le sean reconocidas y velará por la protección, respeto y garantía de sus derechos individuales y colectivos, con el objetivo de lograr la igualdad material desde un enfoque de género, etario y territorial, ...
Los campesinos y las campesinas son libres e iguales a todas las demás poblaciones
... (Art. 64)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- EnglishThe citizens, without distinction of gender [sexo], have the right to participate in public matters, directly or through their representatives, in the form determined by this Constitution and the laws.
The access of women to public functions shall be promoted. (Art. 117) - SpanishLos ciudadanos, sin distinción de sexo, tienen el derecho a participar en los asuntos públicos, directamente o por medio de sus representantes, en la forma que determine esta Constitución y las leyes.
Se promoverá el acceso de la mujer a las funciones públicas. (Art. 117)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
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For the case of the functionaries elected by popular vote through closed lists proposed by the political parties under the principle of proportionality, Deputies before the National Assembly, Deputies to the Central American Parliament, Municipal Concejales [Aldermen], Regional Concejales, the lists of candidates must be composed of fifty percent of men and fifty percent of women, ordered in equitable form and presented [in] alternate form; the same ratio of gender must be maintained between proprietary members [proprietarios] and substitutes when they exist [donde los hubiere].
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Para el caso de los funcionarios electos mediante el voto popular por listas cerradas propuestas por los partidos políticos bajo el principio de la proporcionalidad, Diputados ante la Asamblea Nacional, Diputados al Parlamento Centroamericano, Concejales Municipales, Consejales Regionales, las listas de candidatos deberán estar integrados por un cincuenta por ciento de hombres y un cincuenta por ciento de mujeres, ordenados de forma equitativa y presentados de forma alterna; igual relación de género deberán mantener entre propietarios y suplentes donde los hubiere.
… (Art. 131)