Human Rights and Freedom in Peru

https://www.humantruth.info/peru_human_rights_and_freedom.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2019

Peru Republic of Peru [Country Profile Page]
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	68th best
Location	South America, The Americas
Population	32.0m₁
Life Expectancy	72.38yrs (2017)₂

Peru does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Peru does the second-best for its nominal commitment to Human Rights₃. It does better than average in LGBT equality₄, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₅, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₆, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₇, freethought₈ and in its average Freedom in the World rating (but high for The Americas). But, things still need to improve in Peru. Peru does worse than average for its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₉ (amongst the worst in The Americas), opposing gender inequality₁₀, combatting modern slavery₁₁ and in supporting press freedom₁₂. "Efforts to prosecute grave human rights abuses committed during the 20-year armed conflict that ended in 2000 have had mixed results"₁₃.

1. Peru's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #peru #politics #prejudice #tolerance #venezuela

Compared to The Americas (2025)₁₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₄
1	Canada	14.9
2	Costa Rica	30.8
3	Uruguay	34.3
	...
16	St Lucia	69.9
17	Ecuador	70.6
18	Belize	71.3
19	Peru	72.7
20	Mexico	73.5
21	Suriname	76.1
22	Dominican Rep.	77.6
23	St Kitts & Nevis	79.1
24	Colombia	79.2
	The Americas Avg	71.80
q=35.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)₁₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₄
1	Sweden	5.9
2	Norway	8.0
3	Denmark	8.1
	...
67	Monaco	71.7
68	Mongolia	71.8
69	Ukraine	72.3
70	Peru	72.7
71	Mexico	73.5
72	Marshall Islands	75.0
73	Seychelles	75.4
74	Suriname	76.1
	World Avg	86.35
q=198.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark₁₅. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are N. Korea, Somalia and Eritrea₁₅.

25 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, combatting modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₅, whereas the worst are The Middle East, Africa and Asia₁₅.

For more, see:

" Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Amnesty International's 2023-23 summary on human rights in Peru stated:

“Authorities undermined freedom of expression and assembly. By the end of the year, at least 22 people had died; dozens more, including a number of police officials, had been injured, many of them by firearms, in the context of the unlawful repression of demonstrations. Authorities failed to meet the needs of communities affected by environmental pollution. Six human rights defenders were killed in regions affected by illegal logging and drug trafficking. The right to comprehensive sexuality education was put at risk. Women and girls, including Venezuelan refugees, continued to experience multiple forms of violence. Discrimination and attacks on LGBTI people persisted.”
"The State of the World's Human Rights 2022/23" by Amnesty International (2023)₁₆

“Efforts to prosecute grave human rights abuses committed during the 20-year armed conflict that ended in 2000 have had mixed results. Since May, new evidence became public implicating former President Ollanta Humala Tasso (2011-2016) in egregious human rights violations that security forces committed in the early 1990s. [...]
In 2016, the Interior Ministry announced an investigation into a group of 28 policemen, including a general, who had allegedly carried out at least 20 extrajudicial killings between 2009 and 2015, and falsely reported the victims as criminals killed in combat, in order to receive promotions and awards. At least 11 policemen were awaiting trial for these crimes at time of writing.”
"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₁₃

Along with 11 others, Peru signed the Lima Declaration in 2017, condemning "the assault on democratic order and the systematic violation of human rights in Venezuela"₁₇.

2. Human Rights & Tolerance Datasets

2.1. Press Freedom

#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK

“Journalists investigating the corruption of regional government officials, mayors,and business people are frequent targets of physical attack, threats, and criminal defamation suits.
In November 2016, according to media reports, gunmen broke into the Camaná radio station in the southern state of Arequipa where Hernán David Choquepata Ordoñez was hosting his regular show, and shot him dead while he was on the air.
In February 2017, unknown men attacked journalist Marco Bonifacio Sánchez in the northern state of Cajamarca. The Institute of Press and Society (IPYS) in Peru, a respected nongovernmental organization (NGO) that monitors press freedoms, reported that the men beat him, forced him to get into a vehicle, and tried to cut out his tongue.”
"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₁₃

Press Freedom Higher is better₁₂
Pos.		2025₁₂
1	Norway	92.31
2	Estonia	89.46
3	Netherlands	88.64
	...
126	Indonesia	44.13
127	Kuwait	44.06
128	Tunisia	43.48
129	Peru	42.88
130	Cameroon	42.75
131	Lebanon	42.62
132	Congo, DR	42.31
133	Oman	42.29
	The Americas Avg	55.99
	World Avg	54.65
q=179.

Peru is positioned 129th in the world when it comes to supporting press freedom.

The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index₁₈

It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".

For more, see:

"Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

Averages by decade for Peru (for the ranks, lower is better):

Press Freedom	2000s Average	2010s Average
Peru:	25.73	69.11
World Rank:	102nd	⇡ 95th
World Avg:	27.44	65.91

2.2. Slavery in the 2020s

#burundi #eritrea #human_rights #indonesia #slavery

Slavery in the 2020s Lower is better₁₁
Pos.		Total Per 1000₁₁
1=	Switzerland	0.50
1=	Norway	0.50
3=	Germany	0.60
	...
102=	Qatar	6.80
103=	Honduras	7.00
103=	Serbia	7.00
105=	Peru	7.10
105=	Iran	7.10
105=	Djibouti	7.10
105=	Bangladesh	7.10
109	Bolivia	7.20
	The Americas Avg	5.84
	World Avg	7.15
q=160.

Regarding combatting modern slavery, Peru comes 105th in the world.

Modern slavery includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones, and poverty-stricken vulnerable.₁₉. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₀, Eritrea₂₀, Indonesia₂₁) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say in their 2023 report that 50 million people are living in modern slavery₂₀.

For more, see:

"The Historical Slave Trade and Modern Slavery" by Vexen Crabtree (2018).

Averages by decade for Peru (for the ranks, lower is better):

Slavery	2010s Average	2020s Average
Peru:	2.60	7.10
World Rank:	50th	⇣ 105th
World Avg:	6.54	7.15

2.3. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom

#freedom #politics

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better₇
Pos.		2014 Rank₇
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
50	Albania	50
51	Seychelles	51
52	Israel	52
53	Peru	53
54	Bosnia & Herzegovina	54
55=	Armenia	55
55=	Macedonia	55
55=	Suriname	55
	The Americas Avg	72.4
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Peru comes 53rd in the world when it comes to supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms.

The Human Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute is...

“... a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. It uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom in the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. [...]
The highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States. The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. [...]
Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significant higher per capita income ($37,147) [compared with] the least-free quartile [at] $8,700). The HFI finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy.”
"The Human Freedom Index" by The Fraser Institute (2016)₂₂

For more, see:

"Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.4. Freedom in the World

#freedom #human_rights #hungary #politics #USA

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
84=	Brazil	2.5
84=	Bhutan	2.5
86=	Liberia	3.0
86=	Peru	3.0
86=	Paraguay	3.0
86=	Malawi	3.0
86=	Moldova	3.0
86=	Montenegro	3.0
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

With regard to its average Freedom in the World rating, Peru ranks 86th in the world.

Freedom House's long-standing annual report has been running since the 1970s, collecting data on political rights (PR) and civil liberties (CL). Their reports rate countries as "Free", "Partially Free" or "Not Free", however the results here are based on their numerical values. Many countries score the best combination of scores (1 and 1), which is why the table of results show many places equally placed in 1st place. In the past two decades, some well-established democracies like the USA and Hungary have been falling. Whilst most of the world in general is improving rights and freedoms over time, the 2020s has seen some regression.

For more, see:

" Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Averages by decade for Peru (for the ranks, lower is better):

Freedom in the World	1970s Average	1980s Average	1990s Average	2000s Average	2010s Average
Peru:	5.3	2.6	4.4	2.6	2.5
World Rank:	99th	⇡ 49th	⇣ 125th	⇡ 88th	⇡ 83rd
World Avg:	4.3	4.2	3.6	3.4	3.4

2.5. Human Rights Watch Comments

#human_rights

Human Rights Watch Comments Higher is better₆
Pos.		2017 Score₆
1=	UK	9
1=	France	9
1=	Germany	9
	...
45=	Ivory Coast	-1
45=	Kosovo	-1
45=	Honduras	-1
45=	Peru	-1
49=	Mozambique	-2
49=	Brazil	-2
49=	Argentina	-2
49=	Georgia	-2
	The Americas Avg	-0.8
	World Avg	-1.9
q=123.

With respect to commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, Peru comes 43rd in the world.

Human Rights Watch comments concentrate mostly on negative issues, however, they also make positive comments for those countries that engage in human rights defence around the world, or who make improvements at home. By adding up positive and negative comments (including double-points for negatives that involve large scales and crimes against humanity), the Social and Moral Index turns HRW commentary into quantified values. Some countries may be unfairly penalized because HRW have not examined them, and, some countries "get away" with abuses if they manage to hide it, or if it goes unnoticed - a negative point has been given for those countries in which HRW specifically state that access to investigators has been barred. The points were limited to a minimum of -10 because there are some points at which things are so bad, with abuses affecting so many, it is difficult to be more specific about the depths of the issues.

For more, see:

"Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.6. Nominal Commitment to HR

#human_rights

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better₃
Pos.		2009 Treaties₃
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
2=	Ecuador	23
2=	Germany	23
2=	Mexico	23
2=	Peru	23
2=	Spain	23
2=	Slovenia	23
2=	Paraguay	23
2=	Serbia	23
2=	Sweden	23
	The Americas Avg	16.5
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Peru ranks 2nd-best in the world regarding its nominal commitment to Human Rights; only Argentina does better.

There are many international agreements on human rights, and, many mechanisms by which countries can be brought to account for their actions. Together, these have been the biggest historical movement in the fight against oppression and inhumanity. Or, putting it another way: these are rejected mostly by those who wish to oppress inhumanely. None of them are perfect and many people object to various components and wordings, but, no-one has come up with, and enforced, better methods of controlling the occasional desires that states and peoples have of causing angst for other states and peoples in a violent, unjust or inhumane way. Points are awarded for the number of human rights agreements ratified by the country, plus the acceptance of the petition mechanisms for disputes. The maximum possible score in 2009 was 24.

For more, see:

"Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.7. HR Treaties Lag

#human_rights #international_law #micronesia #politics #small_islands

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better₂₃
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty₂₃
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
12	Namibia	4.36
13	Egypt	4.52
14	Spain	4.60
15	Peru	4.64
16	Sweden	4.88
17	Ukraine	4.94
18	Mali	4.97
19	Norway	5.05
	The Americas Avg	8.45
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

When it comes to speed of uptake of HR treaties, Peru is positioned 15th-best in the world.

Human Rights (HR) Treaties Lag is a count of how long it took each country to sign each of 11 key HR treaties. From the date of the first signatory of each treaty, all other countries have one point added to their score for each day they delayed in signing. Results are presented as average time in years to sign each one. The lower a country's score, the more enthusiastically it has taken on international Human Rights Treaties - which are, of course, minimal standards of good governance. The slowest are the countries of Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia and Polynesia all lagged by over 12 years per treaty. The best regions are The Americas, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

For more, see:

" Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

3. Gender Equality Datasets

The 1950s saw a late rush of 43 countries, including Peru and many developing nations, move to cease preventing women from voting. Peru has made some steps towards ending gender inequality but much more needs to be done.

“Gender-based violence is a significant problem in Peru. More than 382 women were victims of “femicides” (the killing of a woman in certain contexts, including domestic violence and gender-based discrimination) or attempted “femicide” in 2016, according to official statistics. Courts in Peru convicted 54 people for “femicide” between January 2015 and March 2016.
In August 2017, thousands demonstrated in Lima and other cities as part of the massive movement to call on authorities to do more to curb gender-based violence. Women and girls in Peru have the right to access abortions only in cases of risk to their health.”
"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₁₃

See:

"Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

3.1. Gender Inequality

#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #women

Gender Inequality Lower is better₁₀
Pos.		2022₁₀
1	Denmark	0.01
2	Norway	0.01
3	Switzerland	0.02
	...
84	Mexico	0.36
85	El Salvador	0.37
86	Mauritius	0.37
87	Peru	0.37
88	Ecuador	0.37
89	Sri Lanka	0.37
90	Lebanon	0.38
91	Vietnam	0.38
	The Americas Avg	0.36
	World Avg	0.34
q=166.

Peru ranks 87th in the world in terms of opposing gender inequality.

The UN Human Development Reports include statistics on gender equality which take into account things like maternal mortality, access to political power (seats in parliament) and differences between male and female education rates. Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchalism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

For more, see:

"Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

Averages by decade for Peru (for the ranks, lower is better):

Gender Inequality	1990s Average	2000s Average	2010s Average
Peru:	0.56	0.44	0.40
World Rank:	76th	⇣ 79th	⇣ 85th
World Avg:	0.44	0.41	0.37

3.2. Gender Biases

#gender #gender_equality #prejudice #women

Gender Biases Lower is better₅
Pos.		2022 %₅
1	Sweden	31.8₂₄
2	New Zealand	34.4₂₅
3	Australia	37.0₂₅
	...
31	Brazil	86.3₂₅
32	Romania	86.6₂₅
33	Trinidad & Tobago	87.4₂₄
34	Peru	89.1₂₅
35	Guatemala	89.6₂₅
36	S. Korea	89.9₂₅
37	Mexico	90.2₂₅
38	Belarus	90.4₂₄
	The Americas Avg	82.90
	World Avg	83.93
q=88.

Peru is positioned 34th in the world in terms of the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators).

The Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) looks at gender biases across seven criteria; the % given here is for the total people who are biased across any of those criteria. By subtracting the value from 100%, you can see that those who do well on this index, you are seeing a count of those who do not appear to be biased against women in any of the criteria, and so, doing well on this index is a very positive sign for any country.

The data was included in UN (2022) with full results in Annex table AS6.7.1; their data stems for ranges between 2005 and 2022, depending on the country in question.

3.3. Year Women Can Vote

#christianity #gender_equality #human_rights #politics #women

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
101=	Ghana	1954
102=	Nicaragua	1955
102=	Ethiopia	1955
102=	Peru	1955
102=	Eritrea	1955
102=	Honduras	1955
102=	Cambodia	1955
108=	Mali	1956
	The Americas Avg	1947
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Peru comes 102nd in the world with regard to the year from which women could participate in democracy.

Women now have equal rights in the vast majority of countries across the world. Although academic literature oftens talks of when a country "grants women the right to vote", this enforces a backwards way of thinking. Women always had the right to vote, however, they were frequently denied that right. The opposition to women's ability to vote in equality with man was most consistently and powerfully opposed by the Catholic Church, other Christian organisations, Islamic authorities and some other religious and secular traditionalists.

For more, see:

"Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

4. Prejudice Datasets

4.1. Anti-Semite Opinions

#antisemitism #christianity #germany #indonesia #jordan #judaism #laos #morocco #netherlands #pakistan #philippines #religion #religious_violence #saudi_arabia #spain #sweden #turkey #UK #vietnam

Anti-Semite Opinions Lower is better₉
Pos.		2014 %₉
1	Laos	0
2	Philippines	3
3	Sweden	4
	...
67=	Ukraine	38
67=	S. Africa	38
67=	Belarus	38
67=	Peru	38
71=	Colombia	41
71=	Hungary	41
71=	Dominican Rep.	41
74	Serbia	42
	The Americas Avg	29.7
	World Avg	36.8
q=101.

Amongst the highest in The Americas in terms of its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, Peru ranks 68th in the world.

Anti-Semitism is the word given to irrational racism against Jews. It's not the same as anti-Judaism (arguments against the religion) nor the same as anti-Zionism (arguments against Israel). In history, influential Christian theologians concocted the arguments against Jews that led, very early on, to widespread Christian action against Jews₂₆_,₂₇_,₂₈_,₂₉. As Christianity rose to power in the West and presided over the Dark Ages, there were repeated violent outbursts against Jews of the most horrible kind. Entire Crusades were aimed at them and the feared Spanish Inquisition paid Jews particular attention. The horror of the holocaust instigated by German Nazis in the 1940s was followed (finally) by the era of European human rights and a movement against racism in general.

The places that are the least anti-Semitical are a few countries of south-east Asia (Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam) and some of the secular liberal democracies of Europe (Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK). The worst countries for antisemitism are Islamic states of the Middle East₃₀, which are undergoing their own Dark Age. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey see the most oppressive and violent actions towards Jews₃₁_,₃₂. Jews in Muslim countries face a host of restrictions and "ceaseless humiliation and regular pogroms"₃₃. In 2004 the European Union Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia reported on violent anti-Jew crimes in the EU and found that that largest group of perpetrators were young Muslim males₃₄.

For more, see:

"Anti-Semitism" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

4.2. LGBT Equality

#equality #homosexuality #human_rights #ICCPR #intolerance #peru #sexuality #tolerance

"Same-sex couples in Peru are not allowed to marry or engage in civil unions. In [2017] a group of lawmakers introduced a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. It remained pending in Congress at time of writing"₁₃ and faces stiff opposition from the Catholic Church in Peru as elsewhere.

LGBT Equality Higher is better₄
Pos.		2017 Score₄
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
24	Ireland	53
25=	Ecuador	50
25=	Australia	50
25=	Peru	50
28	Hungary	49
29	Israel	48
30=	Estonia	45
30=	Honduras	45
	The Americas Avg	26.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Peru comes 25th in the world regarding LGBT equality.

Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence₃₅. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country across the world, often against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right, protected by privacy laws₃₆. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries₃₅. The Social & Moral LGBT Equality Index was created to compare countries and regions, granting points to each country for a variety of factors including how long gay sex has been criminalized and the extent of LGBT legal rights. Graded negative points are given for criminality of homosexuality, unequal ages of consent, legal punishments and for not signing international accords on LGBT tolerance. The signs in many developed countries are positive, and things are gradually improving. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region (Scandinavia in particular being exemplary). The Middle East and then Africa are the least morally developed, where cultural bias goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.

For more, see:

"LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

4.3. Freedom of Thought

#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment

Freedom of Thought Lower is better₈
Pos.		2021₈
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
68=	Slovakia	2.8
68=	Estonia	2.8
68=	Lithuania	2.8
68=	Peru	2.8
68=	Ireland	2.8
68=	Haiti	2.8
68=	Portugal	2.8
68=	Georgia	2.8
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

With regard to freethought, Peru is positioned 65th in the world.

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights₃₇. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish₃₈. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era₃₉ of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted₄₀. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief₄₁. The best countries at doing so are Belgium, The Netherlands and Taiwan₈_,₄₂ and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia₈_,₄₃.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed₄₄. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief₃₈, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion₄₅ and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"₄₆ and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.

For more, see:

"Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion" by Vexen Crabtree (2022).