Human Rights and Freedom in Chile

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

By Vexen Crabtree 2018

#chile #chile_human_rights #human_rights

Chile Republic of Chile [Country Profile Page]
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	35th best
Location	South America, The Americas
Population	18.7m₁
Life Expectancy	78.94yrs (2017)₂

Chile performs very well in ensuring human rights and freedom compared to most other countries. Chile does the second-best when it comes to its nominal commitment to Human Rights₃. It comes in the best 20 when it comes to speed of uptake of HR treaties₄. It does better than average in the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₅, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₆ (amongst the best in The Americas), commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₇ (amongst the best in The Americas), freethought₈, supporting press freedom₉, opposing gender inequality₁₀ and in LGBT equality₁₁. Chile doesn't do so well in other areas. Chile does worse than average when it comes to its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₁₂. Progress is always going to be difficult in a country where the richest 1% hold 24% of the country's entire income₁₃, but some things are changing. In 2017, the courts continued to prosecute those responsible for human rights violations during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship from 1973 to 1990₁₄. But there are still ongoing issues with the justice system including too much mistreatment and overcrowding₁₄. Inhumane restrictions on family planning services (including the end of the total ban on abortion) were lightened in 2017, including access for LGBT folk₁₄.

1. Chile's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Compared to The Americas (2020)₁₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₅
1	Canada	21.0
2	Uruguay	26.5
3	Costa Rica	36.5
4	Chile	39.9
5	Argentina	43.6
6	USA	47.3
7	Brazil	52.1
8	Bolivia	53.6
9	Peru	53.8
10	Mexico	56.4
11	Ecuador	57.9
12	Panama	59.7
13	Guatemala	62.8
	The Americas Avg	73.9
q=35.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₅
1	Sweden	9.0
2	Norway	14.5
3	Denmark	14.5
	...
22	Italy	37.1
23	Czechia	37.7
24	Ireland	38.3
25	Chile	39.9
26	Japan	41.9
27	Slovakia	42.5
28	Estonia	42.8
29	Portugal	42.8
	World Avg	87.9
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark₁₆. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are The Solomon Islands, Somalia and Tuvalu₁₆.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, 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 Europe₁₆, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Micronesia and Australasia₁₆.

For more, see:

"Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

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

“Impunity persisted for human rights violations committed during the mass protests of 2019. Authorities created some mechanisms to advance reparations for victims. Human rights defenders continued to be threatened and attacked. Proposed reforms regarding rights to health and sexual and reproductive rights remained pending legislative proceedings at the end of the year. Refugees and migrants continued to face significant obstacles to remaining in the country”
"The State of the World's Human Rights 2022/23" by Amnesty International (2023)₁₇

2. Human Rights & Tolerance

2.1. Human Rights Watch Comments

#human_rights

Human Rights Watch Comments Higher is better₇
Pos.		2017 Score₇
1=	UK	9
1=	France	9
1=	Germany	9
	...
32	Hungary	3
33	Gambia	2
34=	Liechtenstein	2
34=	Chile	2
36	Paraguay	1
37=	Costa Rica	1
37=	Norway	1
37=	Panama	1
	The Americas Avg	-0.8
	World Avg	-1.9
q=123.

(amongst the best in The Americas)Chile is positioned 33rd in the world in terms of commentary in Human Rights Watch reports.

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.

2.2. 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.

Chile ranks 2nd-best in the world, after Argentina, regarding its nominal commitment to Human Rights.

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.

2.3. HR Treaties Lag

#human_rights #international_law #micronesia #politics #small_islands

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better₄
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty₄
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
4	Colombia	3.68
5	Costa Rica	4.05
6	Mexico	4.08
7	Chile	4.12
8	Philippines	4.19
9	Bulgaria	4.24
10	Panama	4.26
11	Senegal	4.32
12	Namibia	4.36
	The Americas Avg	8.45
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Regarding speed of uptake of HR treaties, Chile comes 7th-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 (2020).

2.4. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom

#freedom #politics

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better₆
Pos.		2014 Rank₆
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
26	Taiwan	26
27	Slovakia	27
28	Italy	28
29	Chile	29
30	Romania	30
31	France	31
32	Japan	32
33	Cyprus	33
	The Americas Avg	72.4
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

(amongst the best in The Americas)Chile is 29th in the world regarding 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)₁₈

2.5. Press Freedom

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

Press Freedom Lower is better₉
Pos.		2013₉
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
56	Italy	2611
57	Hong Kong	2616
58	Senegal	2619
59	Chile	2624
60	Sierra Leone	2635
61	Mauritius	2647
62	Serbia	2659
63=	Croatia	2661
	The Americas Avg	2853
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

Chile comes 59th 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 Index₁₉

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".

2.6. Slavery

#burundi #eritrea #france #human_rights #indonesia #slavery

Slavery Lower is better₂₀
Pos.		2018 % Victims₂₀
1	Japan	0.03
2=	Canada	0.05
2=	Taiwan	0.05
4	Australia	0.06
5=	New Zealand	0.06
6	Chile	0.08
7=	Mauritius	0.10
7=	Uruguay	0.10
9	Costa Rica	0.13
10=	USA	0.13
10=	Argentina	0.13
12	Hong Kong	0.14
	The Americas Avg	0.25
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

(amongst the lowest in The Americas)Chile comes 6th-best in the world in terms of eliminating modern slavery.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₂₁. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₂₂. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₂₃. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₄.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₅. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₂₆. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'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 the vulnerable.₂₇. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₈, Eritrea₂₈, Indonesia₂₉) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₃₀.

For more, see:

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

3. Gender Equality

Chile has made some steps towards ending gender inequality but much more needs to be done.

See:

"Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree

"Twenty-eight years after the Chilean dictatorship imposed a total abortion ban, and after a difficult process... the government in September 2017 enacted a law decriminalizing abortion if the life of the pregnant woman is at risk, the fetus is unviable, or the pregnancy is due to rape"₁₄. This brings routine access to family planning to the bare minimum, and does not reach a healthy and fair level of access for women.

3.1. Gender Inequality

#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #women

Gender Inequality Lower is better₁₀
Pos.		2015₁₀
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
62	Cuba	0.30
63	Costa Rica	0.31
64	Maldives	0.31
65	Chile	0.32
66	Tajikistan	0.32
67	Trinidad & Tobago	0.32
68	Azerbaijan	0.33
69	Turkey	0.33
	The Americas Avg	0.39
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

In terms of opposing gender inequality, Chile ranks 65th in the world.

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).

3.2. Gender Biases

#gender #gender_equality #prejudice #women

Gender Biases Lower is better₅
Pos.		2022 %₅
1	Sweden	31.8₃₁
2	New Zealand	34.4₃₂
3	Australia	37.0₃₂
	...
23	Bulgaria	78.2₃₃
24	Estonia	78.3₃₁
25	Uruguay	78.6₃₁
26	Chile	79.9₃₂
27	Hong Kong	80.8₃₂
28	Poland	81.4₃₁
29	Cyprus	81.8₃₂
30	Ukraine	86.1₃₂
	The Americas Avg	82.90
	World Avg	83.93
q=88.

Chile is 26th 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.		0 Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
76=	Suriname	1948
76=	Seychelles	1948
78	Costa Rica	1949
79=	Chile	1949
79=	China	1949
79=	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1949
82	Barbados	1950
83=	India	1950
	The Americas Avg	1947
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

With regard to the year from which women could participate in democracy, Chile ranks 78th in the world.

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

4.1. Anti-Semite Opinions

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

Anti-Semite Opinions Lower is better₁₂
Pos.		2014 %₁₂
1	Laos	0
2	Philippines	3
3	Sweden	4
	...
62=	Lithuania	36
62=	Guatemala	36
64	France	37
65=	Chile	37
65=	Azerbaijan	37
67	Ukraine	38
68=	S. Africa	38
68=	Belarus	38
	The Americas Avg	29.7
	World Avg	36.8
q=101.

Chile is positioned 65th in the world in terms of its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice.

Anti-Semitism is the world given to irrational racism against Jews. It is not the same as anti-Judaism (involving 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 Jews₃₄_,₃₅_,₃₆_,₃₇. As Christianity rose to power in the West and presided over the Dark Ages, there were widespread violent outbursts against Jews of the most persistent and horrible kind. The Crusades were frequently 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 East₃₈, which are undergoing their own Dark Age. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey see the most oppressive and violent actions towards Jews₃₉_,₄₀. Jews in Muslim countries face a host of restrictions and "ceaseless humiliation and regular pogroms"₄₁. 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 males₄₂.

For more, see:

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

4.2. LGBT Equality

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

"In August 2017, President Bachelet introduced a bill to Congress that would legalize same-sex marriage and grant same-sex couples the right to access assisted reproduction techniques and adoption" and in the same year the ability to recognize gender identity was also being progressed₁₄.

LGBT Equality Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		2017 Score₁₁
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
64=	Venezuela	30
64=	Lithuania	30
66	Taiwan	25
67=	Chile	25
67=	Ukraine	25
67=	Mongolia	25
67=	Liechtenstein	25
67=	Macedonia	25
	The Americas Avg	26.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Chile ranks 66th 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 violence₄₃. 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 laws₄₄. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries₄₃. 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=	Netherlands	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
	...
51	Niger	2.5
52=	Senegal	2.5
52=	Central African Rep.	2.5
52=	Chile	2.5
52=	Colombia	2.5
52=	San Marino	2.5
52=	Mali	2.5
52=	Costa Rica	2.5
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

In terms of freethought, Chile comes 44th in the world.

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights₄₅. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish₄₆. 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 era₄₇ of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted₄₈. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief₄₉. The best countries at doing so are Taiwan, Belgium and The Netherlands₈_,₅₀ and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia₈_,₅₁.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed₅₂. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief₄₆, 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 religion₅₃ and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"₅₄ 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).