Asked by: Baroness Hooper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking, in terms of financial aid and technical assistance, to help reduce violence, to protect the rights of women, and to prevent human rights abuses, in El Salvador.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The British Government strongly supports the promotion of women’s rights and the prevention of human rights abuses in El Salvador. We regularly raise human rights issues with the Salvadoran government. We publicly urged El Salvador to review its laws regarding abortion during it's Universal Periodic Review in 2014. We have recommended improvements to the treatment of women who have had abortions or miscarriages and continue to raise this issue with the Government of El Salvador.
Our Embassy works closely with UN Agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on projects aimed at protecting human rights and reducing violence. We funded a workshop for women from violent or at risk neighbourhoods, run by local NGO Vital Voices. Participants learned entrepreneurial skills to help obtain economic independence and escape their violent environments. We have also funded a UN Children's Emergency Fund project to protect children in El Salvador from sexual violence and online exploitation under the Home Office WeProtect programme. In February, we funded police training in internal investigation which focussed on limiting malpractice including human rights violations.
We would welcome a visit to El Salvador by members of interested All-Party Parliamentary Groups to see and discuss these and other issues at first hand.
Asked by: Baroness Hooper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Venezuela regarding human rights violations there, including the imprisonment of the opposition leader, the recent detention of the Mayor of Caracas and the shooting of student demonstrators.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We remain very concerned about the deteriorating situation in Venezuela, particularly the death of a 14 year old protester on 24 February. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), set out this position personally with the Venezuelan Ambassador during a meeting held on 12 March, at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We are also concerned about recent Venezuelan government action against opposition politicians. The UK strongly supported the EU press statement of 24 February regarding the arrest of opposition leader Antonio Ledezma. It is vital that political freedoms are guaranteed in Venezuela.