How the Peruvian Agrarian Reform Affected the Human Rights of Peasants

Abstract

The colonial land tenure in Perú affected the previously existing communal system of land tenure in several ways. This new system of ownership and forced agricultural labor changed over time. However, the semi-slave condition of the indigenous peasants of Perú remained the same until the late 1960s. The Agrarian Reform started in 1969 and had an unprecedented impact on the living conditions of peasants. This article claims that the life of peasants in latifundia before the Reform had been extremely precarious due to an inexistent set of fundamental human rights. Based on an analysis of articles, interviews, testimonies, and case studies this research explores the socio-economic and political circumstances under which the Peruvian Agrarian Reform was started. Moreover, it provides instances of the positive repercussions that the Agrarian Reform has had in Perú in the realm of human rights practice.