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Eliminating discrimination against women in political and public life with a focus on political transition 2013, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- Women's rights advocates engage actively in different normative regimes, including religious communities and indigenous or customary groups. They do so, among others, by initiating hermeneutic projects within their respective religions. In their cultural communities, women express their opinions on politics also through the arts, including writings, music and plays, and their works have been attacked, criminalized and condemned by State and non-State actors. In certain contexts, economically independent women playing leadership roles are stigmatized and attacked as witches. Lesbian, bisexual and transgender women who defend their human rights are vulnerable to attacks on their civil rights and personhood where there is a climate of intolerance arising from their perceived challenge to established norms of gender identity, gender roles and sexuality.
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Eliminating discrimination against women in the area of health and safety, with a focus on the instrumentalization of women's bodies 2016, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- In many settings, especially where same-sex consensual sexual behaviour is prohibited, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons are deterred from seeking health services out of fear of being arrested and prosecuted. Even in countries where same-sex sexual orientation is not criminalized, lesbians are often discriminated against and mistreated by medical providers, which deters them from seeking health services. In some settings, they are subjected to coercive, inhumane and degrading practices such as "corrective" or punitive rape. Transgender persons are often subjected in law and practice to compulsory medical interventions without being given an opportunity for informed decision-making and choice. Their gender identity is pathologized in many countries and they are often subjected to mental and physical examinations and treatments and forced to undergo "conversion therapies". Transgender persons' biological needs, such as transition-related medical services, screening for cervical cancer, termination of pregnancy and contraception, are often refused by service providers.
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Eliminating discrimination against women in cultural and family life, with a focus on the family as a cultural space 2015, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Women who do not conform to the gender stereotypes that predominate in some cultures and those who openly contest them, including within their own cultural or religious communities, are particularly vulnerable to discrimination, violence and criminalization. They include, among others, single women, widows, female heads of family, lesbians, bisexual and transgender women, sex workers and women human rights defenders. The Working Group emphasizes that the obligation of States to protect cultural diversity applies to diversity within cultures as well as between them.
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity 2011, para. 1
- Paragraph text
- Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to commission a study, to be finalized by December 2011, documenting discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, in all regions of the world, and how international human rights law can be used to end violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (Mandate) 2016, para. 3a
- Paragraph text
- [Decides to appoint, for a period of three years, an Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, with the following mandate:] To assess the implementation of existing international human rights instruments with regard to ways to overcome violence and discrimination against persons on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity, while identifying both best practices and gaps;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (Mandate) 2016, para. 3d
- Paragraph text
- [Decides to appoint, for a period of three years, an Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, with the following mandate:] To work in cooperation with States in order to foster the implementation of measures that contribute to the protection of all persons against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity 2011, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- Also decides that the panel will also discuss the appropriate follow-up to the recommendations of the study commissioned by the High Commissioner;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity 2011, para. 2
- Paragraph text
- Decides to convene a panel discussion during the nineteenth session of the Human Rights Council, informed by the facts contained in the study commissioned by the High Commissioner and to have constructive, informed and transparent dialogue on the issue of discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity 2014, para. 1
- Paragraph text
- Takes note with appreciation of the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights entitled “Discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity” (A/HRC/19/41) and of the panel discussion held at the nineteenth session of the Human Rights Council;
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- Young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender are particularly vulnerable to bullying and cyberbullying. As noted in a report of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), although relatively few countries have collected data on homophobic bullying, evidence from all regions of the world suggests that the scale of the problem is significant, with over half of all lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender students in a wide range of countries reporting such incidents. Drawing on important research, the report confirms the need for prevention efforts that address both bullying and cyberbullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender young people.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Continuum of violence against women from the home to the transnational sphere: the challenges of effective redress 2011, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur is concerned at widespread discrimination and violence suffered by women as a result of their sexual orientation and gender identity. The visit to Kyrgyzstan indicated a high level of societal homophobia, discrimination and violence against lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Interlocutors shared accounts of incidents of such violence, including brutal gang rapes, "curative" rapes and family violence owing to their sexual identity and gender identity. One study indicated that 23 per cent of lesbian and bisexual women have had forced sexual contacts and 56 per cent have had their families try to force them to change their sexual identity or orientation. A similar pattern was found during the visit to El Salvador, where murders had increased towards homosexuals, bisexuals, transgender and intersex communities from 4 in 2003 to at least 12 in 2009. Accounts of widespread discrimination and violence, including gang rapes and family violence, were shared with the Special Rapporteur.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration for women 2013, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- The rights and needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons are violated worldwide, with many prison systems subjecting them to increased discrimination and not affording them equal standards of health care and protection from sexual violence, humiliation, intolerance and abuse. Studies have consistently shown that those with a non-heterosexual orientation, or whose gender expression does not fall into exact categories of female and male, are vulnerable to targeted abuse both by staff and by other prisoners. In many prison systems complaints by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex prisoners about sexual abuse and rape are less likely to receive a response from prison administrations, leading to impunity and continued abuse.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- The Committee against Torture has stated that the definition of torture includes the principle of non-discrimination on any grounds, including gender, sexual orientation and transgender identity. Thus, States are obliged to protect certain minority or marginalized individuals or populations especially at risk of torture, and should ensure such protection by fully prosecuting and punishing all acts of violence and abuse and ensuring implementation of other positive measures of prevention and protection. The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 17/19, requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to present a study documenting discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration for women 2013, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- With respect to women's prisons, and lesbians specifically, the expectation of many guards is that the prisoners should behave in a passive and submissive manner, with the assumption that since non-feminine behaviour landed them in prison, incarceration should "restore them to it". Those prisoners whom guards view as masculine or "butch" are subjected to increased levels of threats, harassment and physical abuse. In other cases, guards may respond with confrontation or retaliation when they interpret a female prisoner's masculinity as insubordinate and challenging to their authority. Due to strict requirements relating to dress, hair length, style and appearance, prisoners that are non-gender-conforming are subject to "forced feminization".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration for women 2013, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- As lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex prisoners in many jurisdictions have exceptionally limited contact with their families and partners, the sense of isolation in prison is intensified, impacting their mental health and prospects for social reintegration. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex prisoners frequently are not afforded adequate access to health care, including specific physical and mental-health treatment. They also are more likely to be the victims of disrespectful health care generally. In Guatemala, prisoners have been subjected to medical testing without their consent, including for HIV.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration for women 2013, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- Transgender prisoners, specifically, face unique and particularly harsh circumstances in prison systems, including issues of classification for their prison placement, the possibility of administrative segregation, barriers to the accessibility of hormone treatment, and higher instances of abuse and discriminatory treatment. Generally, transgender people who have had genital surgery are classified and housed according to their reassigned sex, but those who have not are usually classified according to their birth sex for purposes of prison housing, regardless of how long they have lived as a member of the other gender and regardless of how much medical treatment they have undergone. In Guatemala, one transgender woman stated that she was raped more that 80 times in one year. Separation of transgender women may result in greater protection, but this in turn results in exclusion from recreation, educational and occupational opportunities and rights of association.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration for women 2013, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- In many countries, women's political activism has given rise to arrests and detentions. A recent report on the Islamic Republic of Iran refers to interviews with former women prisoners of conscience who were arrested for a number of reasons, including political affiliation, which can include affiliation with political opposition, women's rights activists, student bodies, NGOs, members or defenders of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community or defenders of the rights of religious minorities; individual activities related to journalism, the media, blogging and human rights advocacy; participation in demonstrations or other forms of activism; religious crimes, including affiliation with unrecognized minorities; and violations pertaining to laws linked to dress codes (hijab).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- In the 45-year-old civil war in Colombia, women community leaders and women fighting for their rights are the main targets of gender-related killings. These women are especially vulnerable if they promote land rights and the rights of the most marginalized groups, such as indigenous people, ethnic and religious minorities, trade unionists, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. The Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions has confirmed that defenders of women's rights are significant targets of unlawful killings by both Colombian State forces and illegal armed groups. The gender-specific intimidation of women defenders includes the targeting of their children and families, as a way to manipulate their roles as mothers, thereby exerting additional pressure on them to stop their human rights work.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- Gender-based killing due to sexual orientation and gender identity is a phenomenon that has been recently, albeit insufficiently, documented. Although limited statistics are available, civil society reports suggest that violence, motivated by hatred and prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity, is a daily reality for many. It is "characterized by levels of serious physical violence that in some cases exceed those present in other types of hate crimes". Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, intersex and queer persons (LGBTIQ), and also activists working in this sector, are targeted because they do not conform to stereotypes of gender sexuality and/or identity, thus becoming victims of homophobic crimes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration for women 2013, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- It has been reported that in some prisons, guards will blatantly allow abuse and rape to occur, and also facilitate abuse by placing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons in less safe conditions than the majority population. Additionally, those prisoners are sometimes deliberately placed in cells with known sexual predators, and lesbian women are commonly placed in cells with men if they refuse the sexual advances of prison staff. Transgender prisoners face sexual abuse and rape, especially when they are placed in accommodations according to their birth gender, particularly when male-to-female transgender prisoners are placed with men. Also, certain prisons have staff-run prostitution rings that force all transgender prisoners to participate.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Violence against women with disabilities 2012, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Lesbians and other sexual minorities who identify as female and who have disabilities confront social barriers, isolation, exclusion and violence due to both sexual minority status and disability. Lesbians with psychosocial disabilities have been largely excluded or overlooked in research and treatment, despite their usage of mental health-care and other psychosocial services. They sometimes experience a "cultural contradiction" imposed by society since lesbianism is viewed as a sexual identity, while women with disabilities are often stereotyped as asexual.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Adequacy of the international legal framework on violence against women 2017, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- Civil society organizations called for more support for women’s organizations on the ground, underlining that women human rights defenders faced daily threats and harassment, and needed greater protection. At the same time, more regulations addressing violence against particular groups of women, such as women belonging to minority groups; migrants; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons; elderly women; women with disabilities; and widows, were also supported.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- In the case of South Africa, the recent murders of Black lesbian women demonstrates the multiple and intersecting factors that have led to an escalation in homophobic attacks, despite progressive constitutional provisions preventing discrimination on the basis of, among others, race, gender and sexual orientation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- The Human Rights Council has expressed its concern about the increasing violence and killings of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and the impunity surrounding these crimes. More recently, the Council passed a groundbreaking resolution on human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Gender perspectives on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment 2016, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender detainees report higher rates of sexual, physical and psychological violence in detention than on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity than the general prison population (CAT/C/CRI/CO/2). Violence against these persons in custodial settings, whether by police, other law enforcement authorities, prison staff or other prisoners, is prevalent (A/HRC/29/23). Fear of reprisals and a lack of trust in the complaints mechanisms frequently prevent lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in custody from reporting abuses. Their placement in solitary confinement or administrative segregation for their own "protection" can constitute an infringement on the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment. Authorities have a responsibility to take reasonable measures to prevent and combat violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender detainees by other detainees.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Children deprived of their liberty from the perspective of the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment 2015, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- Girls deprived of their liberty are at a heightened risk of sexual violence, sexual exploitation and underage pregnancies while in detention. The risk of sexual abuse is greater when male guards supervise girls in detention. Girls deprived of their liberty have different needs not only to those of adults but also of boys. Girls in detention are often not only children but also carers, either as mothers or as siblings, and have specific health, hygiene and sanitary needs. Across the globe, girls are rarely kept separately from women in pretrial and post-conviction settings (see A/HRC/16/52/Add.3, para. 54). Similarly, the Special Rapporteur notes that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children are at a heightened risk.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Gender perspectives on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment 2016, para. 70f
- Paragraph text
- [With regard to women, girls, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in detention, the Special Rapporteur calls on all States to:] Provide for non-custodial means of protection, such as shelters and other community-based alternatives, and guarantee that the placement of women in detention centres for protection - only where necessary and expressly requested by the woman in question - will be temporary, subject to supervision and competent authorities and never continued against their will;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Gender perspectives on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment 2016, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Women, girls, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons are at particular risk of torture and ill-treatment when deprived of liberty, both within criminal justice systems and other, non-penal settings. Structural and systemic shortcomings within criminal justice systems have a particularly negative impact on marginalized groups. Measures to protect and promote the rights and address the specific needs of female and lesbian, gay, bisexual and, transgender prisoners are required and cannot not be regarded as discriminatory.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Gender perspectives on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment 2016, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons who are deprived of their liberty are at particular risk of torture and ill-treatment, both within the criminal justice system and in other contexts such as immigration detention, medical establishments and drug rehabilitation centres. Criminal justice systems tend to overlook and neglect their specific needs at all levels. Transgender persons tend to be placed automatically in male or female prisons or wards without regard to their gender identity or expression.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Gender perspectives on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment 2016, para. 70d
- Paragraph text
- [With regard to women, girls, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in detention, the Special Rapporteur calls on all States to:] Review laws, criminal procedures and judicial practices to ensure that they take full account of women's backgrounds, including histories of prior abuse, mental health problems and substance abuse, and parental and other caretaker responsibilities in the allocation of sentences and sentence planning;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph