Library • Plan International - Girls' Rights Platform - Girls' rights are human rights: Positioning girls at the heart of the international agenda

Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 39

Paragraph text: Violence and discrimination often appear not as singular events but as part of a prolonged vicious circle. They are multiple and multiplied — inextricably linked emotionally, psychologically, physically and structurally. They intersect in a variety of ways, and most clearly where the victim is not only attacked or discriminated against for having a different sexual orientation and gender identity but also on grounds of race, ethnic origin, age, gender, or membership of a minority or indigenous community. The person might also be a child, a young girl, an intersex person, a refugee, an internally displaced person, a migrant worker, a person with a disability, and more. This intersectionality involves a conglomeration of incidents, actors, perpetrators, and victims — the latter being revictimized an infinite number of times, possibly in different phases of life. The situation becomes aggravated precisely because of the convoluted nature of the phenomenon, where crimes are replicated against the same victims and where impunity prevails subsequently, from the home to the school, to the community, to the nation State and to the international spectrum. In today’s cyber world and social media, incitement to hatred and violence driven by hate speech relating to sexual orientation and gender identity has an exponential reach, spinning the web of violations in real time and into the future.

Body: Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity

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Paragraph text: The discrimination is also intersectional. There might be tints of patriarchy impacting on women, which also impact negatively on lesbians and women who have sex with women. There might be traces of racism, which also impact negatively on refugees and migrants who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. There might be hints of extremism that impact negatively on those who wish to have their sexual orientation and gender identity respected culturally. Even where there are laws to protect people from discrimination, there might be weak implementation. This is further tested by issues such as access to justice and mechanisms and/or personnel that could provide some assistance and remedies, and the call for transparency and accountability. There is thus a need for effective anti-discrimination measures of a comprehensive kind — not only formal but also substantive, not only de jure but also de facto — in addition to the building of a community that is open to understanding and that respects sexual and gender diversity.

Body: Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity

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Paragraph text: As an example, the multiple, intersecting and aggravated forms of violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity are clearly visible in the refugee and migration context, especially where a person has to flee dangers or persecution. As the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) observes: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons of concern can suffer a wide range of discrimination and violence because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Displaced LGBTI persons may face continued or additional discrimination in the country in which they seek asylum or as internally displaced within their country of origin. Persecution may be legally condoned (some countries continue to criminalize same-sex relationships) and in many cases LGBTI persons are ostracized by communities and rejected by their families.

Body: Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity

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