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| An Asháninka indigenous community in the Peruvian Amazon. |
The Context:
A Brief Overview of Peru
Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, including the Incas, whose empire was conquered by the Spanish conquistadores in 1533. Nearly three centuries of Spanish rule followed, ending with Peru's declaration of independence in 1821. Today, Peru is one of the most culturally, socially, and economically diverse countries in Latin America, with indigenous peoples making up 45 percent of the population.
After a period of military rule beginning in the 1960s, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, only to experience economic problems and a growing violent insurgency in the form of the Sendero Luminoso terrorist group. In 1990, Alberto Fujimori was elected president, ushering in a decade of widening inequalities and increasingly authoritarian rule. In the spring of 2000, following an economic slump, mounting corruption scandals, and increasing international pressure, Fujimori was ousted from power by the Peruvian Congress. Elections in the spring of 2001 ushered in Alejandro Toledo, Peru's current president.
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| Peruvian teens participate in a focus group on adolescent health and rights in Lima. |
Peru remains in a period of economic and political turmoil, with high rates of unemployment and more than 40 percent of Peruvians living below the poverty line. The struggling health system fails to reach many of Peru's rural indigenous communities, or its Afro-descendent populations, who face persistent and pervasive discrimination. Toledo's regime has also threatened to roll back women's sexual and reproductive rights, a trend that Peru's strong feminist movement is currently mobilizing to stop.
Peru at a glance
Government type: Constitutional Republic led by President Alejandro Toledo
Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages.
Ethnic groups: 45% Amerindian; 37% mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white); 15% white; 3% black, Japanese, Chinese, and other
Religious beliefs: Roman Catholic 90%
Total population: 27 million
Percent of the population under 15: 34%
Urban population: 72%
Life expectancy: 69 years
Focus on reproductive health
Total fertility rate (average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime): 2.9
Contraceptive prevalence rate among married women aged 14-49: 50% (modern methods); 68% (all methods)
Maternal mortality ratio (number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births): 240
In Peru abortion is legal to save the life of the woman and to protect the woman's physical and mental health.
Focus on young women
Single, sexually active females 15-19: 2.2%
Current married females ages 15-19: 12%
Women's average age at first marriage: 21
Females giving birth by age 20: 32%
Focus on HIV/AIDS
Percentage of the adult population living with HIV/AIDS: 0.042%
*Number of HIV-positive adults (aged 15-49): 80,000
*Number of HIV-positive women (aged 15-49): 27,000
Focus on gender
Percentage of female-headed households: 23%
Literacy rate for women (ages 15+): 85%
Literacy rate for men (ages 15+): 95%
Women as a percent of parliament: 18%
In 2000, 36% of women aged 15-64 were participating in the labor force, compared to 81% of men in the same age group.
Source: Population Reference Bureau, www.prb.org
*Source: UNAIDS, www.unaids.org
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