Overview of Human Rights in Guyana

The Republic of Guyana is a multiparty democracy with a unicameral National Assembly.  While the government works to respect the civil and human rights of its citizens, the record is not without blemishes.

Police abuse of detainees have been noted, as well as police participation  in unlawful or extra-judicial killings. The authorities have taken some steps to investigate these crimes, but no one has been arrested or charged.  For the most part, the police force acts with impunity. Security forces also infringe upon citizens’ right to privacy and rarely serve a warrant to search houses and other property.

Societal discrimination against indigenous Amerindians often goes unchecked.  As well, there are strong tensions between Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese.

Trafficking in persons and child labor continue to be problems.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

103rd out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.