The Ministry of Women or Ministry of Women's Affairs (MWA) is a Paraguayan state ministry established in 2012. The current Minister of Women is Celina Esther Lezcano, who succeeded Nilda Romero in March 2021.

History of the Ministry

In 1993 the Paraguayan state created a Secretariat for Women's Affairs within the Office of the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

. This secretariat was raised to the status of a Ministry of Women's Affairs by Act No. 4675, in 2012. In 2013 the Ministry took action to address high rates of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

, promoting a national 24-hour telephone hotline for victims and operating a shelter in

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...

for female victims of

sex trafficking Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It has been called a form of modern slavery because of the way victims are forced into sexual acts non-consensually, in a form of sexual slavery. Perpetrators of the ...

or domestic violence. The Ministry is participating in the National Commission on Climate Change, which is preparing a National Gender Strategy on Climate Change to advance

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

in relation to the

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

. In 2018 Presidential Decree no. 936 established a National Equality Plan, setting out 2018-2024 plans for the Ministry of Women to work towards

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

in partnership with

UN Women The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity working for gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women advocates for the rights of women and girls, and focu ...

List of Ministers of Women

Secretaries for Women's Affairs (1993–2013)

* Cristina Muñoz (1993–??) * Nilda Cabrera (1997–1998) * Haydee Carnagnola de Aquino (1998–1999) * María José Argaña de Mateu (2003–2008) * Gloria Rubin (2008–2013)

Ministers of Women (2013 to present)

Ana María Baiardi Ana María Baiardi Quesnel (born Asunción, Paraguay; 17 July 1965) is a Paraguayan diplomat and politician. From 2018 to 2022, she served as the ambassador of Paraguay in Peru. Biography Baiardi studied Systems Analysis at the Universidad Cat ...

(14 August 2013 – 15 August 2018) * Nilda Romero (15 August 2018 – 6 March 2021) * Celina Esther Lezcano (9 March 2021 – present)

References

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External links

Official website

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Government of Paraguay 2012 establishments in Paraguay Women in Paraguay Women's rights in Paraguay