Case study Government data as evidence of systematic discrimination in Guatemala In 2009, the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) and the Instituto Centroamericano de Estudios Fiscales published a report on the right to maternal health in Guatemala that showed proof of discrimination against indigenous women. Relying on data from the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme and national statistics bureaus, they cited demographic health surveys showing that Guatemala had among the worst and most unequal maternal mortality outcomes in Latin America. Indigenous women were three times more likely to die during childbirth or pregnancy than non-indigenous women, and over 50% of deaths could have been preventable with skilled care. Administrative statistics showed serious issues with the availability and quality of services. The poor implementation of policies related to All of these figures combined to build the strong conclusion that Guatemala was not doing all it reasonably could to improve maternal health, in effect discriminating against poorer, indigenous women. See full report here: http://www.cesr.org/section.php?id=33. Photo: Street Scene, Chajul, Quiché in Guatemala (2014) by Adam Jones on flickr (CC-BY-SA 2.0) inadequate resource investment in the health sector. Allocations to health had remained around 1% of GDP since the end of the war in 1996, lower than those of poorer Central American countries. Distribution of per capita health spending was also highly inequitable, with three times more money going to the capital than to Quiché, the poorest region. Low social spending was directly linked to the country’s low tax base, which was mostly generated through regressive indirect taxes that disproportionately target the poor while the country’s business sectors enjoyed tax privileges and incentives. 43