Caribbean countries are urged to ensure the safety of LBGT people

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United Nations: A group of United Nations and international human rights experts calls on countries, including those in the Caribbean, to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and gender diverse (LGBT) persons fleeing persecution are protected against violence and treated with dignity.

In a message to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) on Tuesday, the group said they were urging states to tackle the root causes of forced displacement around the planet.

“Persecution from State and non-State actors, as well as socio-economic exclusion fuelled by stigma, discrimination, armed conflict, natural disasters, and climate change force many persons of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) to flee their homes in search of a safe environment where they can live authentically and fully exercise their rights.

“Among the 84 million people who are currently forcibly displaced worldwide, LGBT persons are among the most vulnerable and marginalized,” the group said, noting that although there is not yet accurate data on the number of LGBT forcibly displaced persons globally, many reside in countries that do not provide strong human rights protections, or that actively discriminate at the structural and institutional level based on SOGI.

“The number of LGBT people in forced displacement is likely to increase in coming years due to factors such as adverse climate impacts and intensifying socio-economic fragility,” the group said, adding that the structural vulnerabilities that LGBT persons face are intensified by their situation as migrants, asylum seekers, refugees or internally displaced persons.

“They may be fleeing persecution linked specifically to their SOGI or other additional factors, such as ethnicity, nationality, political opinions, faith, or these combined. These intersectional forms of social stigma and institutionalized exclusion leave LGBT persons without adequate access to protection and justice from the patterns of violence that compelled them to seek safety in the first place and that are often reproduced in displacement settings.”

The group said that over two-thirds of the world’s forcibly displaced people had not crossed a national border searching for safety.

“LGBT persons who are internally displaced in countries that criminalize consensual same-sex relations, and diverse gender identities are rarely systematically acknowledged and addressed by institutions that support internally displaced persons, most typically in fragile or conflict-affected areas. “They may not have recourse to assistance and support services – including access to adequate health care services, offered by organizations whose mandates focus primarily on supporting asylum seekers arriving from other countries.”

The group said with the number of forcibly displaced persons continuing to rise, states, businesses, and humanitarian and civil society organizations must invest in developing human rights-based policies and programs that take into complete account the intersectional dimensions of forced displacement and sexual orientation and gender identity, fostering more vital collaboration and coordination among all actors responsible for the protection of displaced LGBT individuals.

“Some of the immediate issues that need to be addressed are: establishing programs that take into consideration the specific needs of displaced LGBT persons across all stages of their journey; improving reception conditions including for groups with special needs, like older persons and persons with disabilities, and ensuring safe accommodation and adequate access to health care services; ensuring sufficient access to protection, asylum, and refugee status determination; facilitating durable solutions of their choice, including options for resettlement; and building a comprehensive evidence-based ethical data collection, management and reporting.

“Furthermore, all efforts must be made to involve them in designing, implementing, and monitoring programs and policies that target them and ultimately seek their protection, ensuring their enjoyment of their fundamental rights and assistance,” the group added.

1 COMMENT

  1. Whilst England’s powerful and influential Whitehall Ministers and the U.S Whitehouse demand Asian, African and Caribbean nations embrace and celebrate LGBTQIAP+ tourist and their sexual creed. Indeed, England’s Whitehall and the U.S. Whitehouse even link “aid” and World Bank loans with accepting the LGBTQIAP+ sexual creed and Tourists to Asia; Africa and the Caribbean. England’s Whitehall and the U.S Whitehouse offer no money; assistance or healthcare for the children and youth who are targeted by western LGBTQIAP+ and heterosexual sex-tourists.

    England has a Children’s Commissioner. A Director for Children in every region. Social workers for children. A Police Constabulary that protects children from sexual abuse. A children’s minister and a comprehensive Health care system.
    Most of the Asian; African and Caribbean nations who are being coerced into accepting LGBTQIAP+ sex-tourist do not have any of these institutional protection for children. They do not have a comprehensive health care service.
    When the boy and girl children receive anal damage; Std and pregnancies after being beguiled into sexual encounters with foreign tourists, Whitehall and the White house has made no provision for the children and youth who will be targeted by sex obsessed western tourists.

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