Rape and Domestic Violence: The law prohibits rape, including spousal rape; both of which are punishable by up to 15 years’ imprisonment. Authorities enforced the law effectively, but there were no rape cases reported during the year.
The law penalizes domestic violence with a sentence of up to three years for physical or psychological violence. The government enforced the law effectively, and there was no police or judicial reluctance to act. According to the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Family, there were 185 reports of physical abuse against women during the year, a decrease from 2010 when 192 were reported in the first six months. Of the 185 cases to which the State Secretariat for Equality and Welfare of the Ministry of Health attended, 35 percent of the women were Portuguese nationals and 30 percent Spanish. About 50 percent of the cases resulted in conviction or punishment.
Victims of domestic violence could also request help from the Andorran International Women’s Association (AIWA) and the Andorran Women’s Association, but victims rarely filed a complaint with police due to fear of reprisal. In December 2010 the government opened its first shelter for women. Four families have been accommodated in the shelter, while an additional five families chose to stay in a hotel that the government put at their disposal. In addition, the government and AIWA placed abused women and their children in the private apartments of families who agreed to provide them with shelter. The government also operated a hotline and provided medical and psychological services to victims of domestic violence. Caritas, a religious nongovernmental organization (NGO), worked closely with the government and AIWA on social problems.
Sexual Harassment: The law prohibits sexual harassment under the provisions for other sexual aggressions, punishable by three months’ to three years’ imprisonment.
Reproductive Rights: Couples and individuals have the right to decide freely the number of children they wish to have. There was easy access to contraception and skilled attendance during childbirth. Women and men were treated equally for sexually transmitted infections.
Discrimination: The law prohibits discrimination against women privately or professionally; however, the USDA, an NGO working for women’s rights, and trade union representatives, reported cases of gender discrimination especially related to unequal salaries for the same work. Caritas estimated that women earned 26 percent less than men for comparable work. The government made an effort to combat pay discrimination in general, and it applied pay equality within the government. There are no limitations on women’s participation in the labor market, and the government encouraged women to participate in politics.