Law on Public Policies for Rural Women

In Paraguay, rural women have faced various obstacles to their social and economic development. For a long time, their roles as mothers and wives have been the most important for public institutions, which have only considered women from the domestic sphere. 

However, this situation has been gradually changing so that rural Paraguayan women are also considered in their valuable productive and social role. 

Therefore, the enactment of Law No. 5446/15 on Public Policies for Rural Women was a fundamental milestone for the country, opening an important path towards the affirmation of women as agricultural producers and agents of change in their homes and communities. 

Through this law, 15 institutions related to rural areas have adapted their plans and programmes to include actions for rural women. Since 2016, they have been working together in the Interinstitutional Committee for the Implementation of the Law (CIAL, by its acronym in Spanish).  The law has received a further boost with the adoption of its regulatory decree, which will facilitate its implementation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the most important issues for the country and for rural women, who have taken on the role of permanent caregivers and teachers for children who do not attend school because of the health situation. In addition, the need to mitigate the reduction in off-farm work has forced them to redouble their efforts to continue producing food. 

Faced with the need to provide answers to the population, the Paraguayan government has coordinated its work with the institutions that serve rural areas, in order to help family economy cope with the situation, while at the same time raising awareness and sensitising them, their families and public officials to the rights of rural women. As a result, the projects or programmes implemented have sought not only to strengthen their economic autonomy and the food security of their families, but also their leadership skills and self-esteem.

Hand in hand with the Law on Public Policies for Rural Women, Paraguay is working to articulate its programmes in rural areas, as a step towards a future with equal opportunities for men and women in the countryside.

One of these programmes is the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock's 50 000 Vegetable Garden Plan, which provides seed kits, inputs, technical assistance, training and monitoring of productive projects throughout the country. Rural women make up 61 percent of the users of this plan. 

For its part, the Ministry of Women's Affairs promotes the “Indigenous Women and the Use of Alternative Technologies” project, which helps rural households to introduce eco-stoves, technologies that reduce cooking smoke, cooking time and the use of firewood. The project also works to strengthen women's capacities in the areas of human rights, gender and interculturality. 

Besides, the Ministry of Social Development is developing two major cash transfer programmes: the Tekopora [Better Living] programme and the Tenondera [Moving Forward] programme. This is a strategy to combat intergenerational poverty, benefiting more than 170 000 families. Of these, 80 percent are rural women. Due to the pandemic, the programme increased transfers to families in June.

For its part, the Ministry of Finance has implemented the Pytyvo [Aid] programme to provide financial assistance to people who are not covered by any other social assistance or social security programme. 

In addition, the Office of the First Lady has supported food support programmes for nearly 197 000 people providing lunches, food kits and hygiene items. A national network of health volunteers was also launched, with more than 4 000 people in the sector responding positively.

All of this while developing other annual programmes: support for nearly 10 000 women who have received tools to start their own businesses through the Kuña Katypyry [Empowered Women] credit line; the Aikuua [I Know] income generation and training programme; and the Victoria Project, with provides free breast reconstruction for women who have had mastectomies due to cancer.

The implementation of coordinated programmes and actions, within the framework of the Law on Public Policies for Rural Women, has allowed the Paraguayan Government to identify some lessons learned in order to continue promoting the transformative power of women:

1. When projects have a gender perspective, women not only develop practical skills of productive entrepreneurship, but also acquire a fundamentally new attitude to life, discovering themselves and valuing themselves.
2. When women are empowered and know their rights, they are more aware and may be less vulnerable to gender-based violence.
3. Favourable public policies for rural women facilitate and pave the way for institutions to adapt their processes and mechanisms, thereby improving access to their institutional services.