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Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- Laws restricting information about sexual and reproductive health and which censor discussions of homosexuality in the classroom fuel stigma and discrimination of vulnerable minorities. For example, laws and policies that promote abstinence-only education reduce sexual education to images and stereotypes of heteronormativity, given their focus on procreation; some of these programmes even contain explicitly discriminatory content on gender and sexual orientation. In certain instances, teachers have been suspended or threatened with lawsuits for engaging in discussions on "inappropriate" sexual matters with their students when discussing sexual and reproductive health issues in the classroom. In other cases, pursuant to abstinence-only and anti-obscenity policies, school districts, courts and legislators have prohibited civil society organizations from meeting in public schools. Such laws and policies perpetuate false and negative stereotypes concerning sexuality, alienate students of different sexual orientations and prevent students from making fully informed decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health and criminalization of same-sex conduct and sexual orientation, sex-work and HIV transmission 2010, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- In jurisdictions in which their sexual conduct is criminalized, affected individuals are much more likely to be unable to gain access to effective health services, and preventive health measures that should be tailored to these communities are suppressed. The fear of judgement and punishment can deter those engaging in consensual same-sex conduct from seeking out and gaining access to health services. This is often a direct result of the attitudes of health-care professionals who are not trained to meet the needs of same-sex practising clients - not only in terms of sexual health, but also with regard to health care more generally. Often, health professionals may refuse to treat homosexual patients altogether, or respond with hostility when compelled to do so. Where patients may be guilty of a criminal offence, by engaging in consensual same-sex conduct, this has the potential to jeopardize the obligations of confidentiality that arise during the course of the doctor-patient relationship, as health professionals may be required by law to divulge details of patient interaction.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Certain forms of abuses in health-care settings that may cross a threshold of mistreatment that is tantamount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment 2013, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has concluded that homophobic ill-treatment on the part of health professionals is unacceptable and should be proscribed and denounced. There is an abundance of accounts and testimonies of persons being denied medical treatment, subjected to verbal abuse and public humiliation, psychiatric evaluation, a variety of forced procedures such as sterilization, State-sponsored forcible anal examinations for the prosecution of suspected homosexual activities, and invasive virginity examinations conducted by health-care providers, hormone therapy and genital-normalizing surgeries under the guise of so called "reparative therapies". These procedures are rarely medically necessary, can cause scarring, loss of sexual sensation, pain, incontinence and lifelong depression and have also been criticized as being unscientific, potentially harmful and contributing to stigma (A/HRC/14/20, para. 23). The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women expressed concern about lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women as "victims of abuses and mistreatment by health service providers" (A/HRC/19/41, para. 56).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Sports and healthy lifestyles as contributing factors to the right to health 2016, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- At the amateur level, sporting facilities and teams can be hostile spaces for transgender athletes, including non-binary people. Barriers include poorly designed changing rooms, requirements to wear clothing that might cause individual discomfort or hinder bodily movement, and restrictions on the use of sex-segregated bathrooms.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Sports and healthy lifestyles as contributing factors to the right to health 2016, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- States should identify groups that are currently excluded from sport and physical activity, and through participatory mechanisms, create an inclusive culture wherein lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people and other historically excluded groups and individuals can fully and safely participate in sport.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Measures to address the right to health should be holistic and integrated, go beyond the provision of health services and be underpinned by cross-departmental commitment. States should take account of and respond to the particular challenges faced by different groups, such as younger and older adolescents, males, females and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Previous mandate holders have also looked into the negative impact of the criminalization of consensual same-sex conduct, of sexual orientation and gender identity, of sex work and of HIV transmission (see A/HRC/14/20). Such work has shown that punitive policies and criminalization are not effective and act as a barrier to access health services, fuel social stigma and exclusion and lead to poor health outcomes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health and criminalization of same-sex conduct and sexual orientation, sex-work and HIV transmission 2010, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- A right-to-health approach requires that States decriminalize same-sex consensual conduct, as well as repeal laws that discriminate in respect of sexual orientation and gender identity, in order to meet core obligations of the right to health and create an environment enabling full enjoyment of the right.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health and criminalization of same-sex conduct and sexual orientation, sex-work and HIV transmission 2010, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Many reports indicate instances of violence directed at individuals based on same-sex conduct and gender identity. Violence can inhibit individuals from seeking access to health services out of fear of reprisals and secondary victimization resulting from identification as a victim of such an attack.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health and criminalization of same-sex conduct and sexual orientation, sex-work and HIV transmission 2010, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- In February 2010, Fiji passed a law decriminalizing consensual same-sex conduct, through the National Crimes Decree. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China also overturned a long-standing statute banning sodomy in 2005, and since 2007, consensual same-sex acts have also been legal in Nepal.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender perspectives on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment 2016, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Humiliating and invasive body searches may constitute torture or ill-treatment, particularly for transgender detainees. In States where homosexuality is criminalized, men suspected of same-sex conduct are subject to non-consensual anal examinations intended to obtain physical evidence of homosexuality, a practice that is medically worthless and amounts to torture or ill-treatment (CAT/C/CR/29/4).
- 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
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- An especially problematic, if well-intentioned, case was the decision in February 2014 to delay a $90 million health project loan to Uganda after the country adopted a draconian anti-homosexuality act. The Bank suggested that it had acted only to ensure that the health project would not be adversely affected by the act. However, the President of the Bank explained that he had acted because he was not convinced that the loan would not lead to discrimination or even endangerment of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to mental health 2017, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- It is important to recognize the complex role that a diagnosis of mental disorder plays in people’s lives. While many people find diagnostic categories beneficial in allowing them to access services and better understand their mental health, others find them unhelpful and stigmatizing. Mental health diagnoses have been misused to pathologize identities and other diversities, including tendencies to medicalize human misery. The pathologization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons reduces their identities to diseases, which compounds stigma and discrimination.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Certain forms of abuses in health-care settings that may cross a threshold of mistreatment that is tantamount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment 2013, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- In a 2011 report (A/HRC/19/41), the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights examined discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity in health-care settings. She observed that a pattern of human rights violations emerged that demanded a response. With the adoption in June 2011 of resolution 17/19, the Human Rights Council formally expressed its "grave concern" regarding violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
- 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
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Review of the standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners 2013, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- Both the Special Rapporteur and other human rights mechanisms have expressed concern about reports of sexual abuse and physical violence against homosexual and transgender prisoners (see A/HRC/19/41, paras. 34 and 36, and CAT/C/CRI/CO/2, para. 18). The Special Rapporteur has also examined the special needs of drug users in detention and penitentiary centres and the practice of denying opiate substitution treatment as a way of eliciting confessions by inducing painful withdrawal symptoms. This is a particular form of ill-treatment and possibly torture (A/HRC/22/53, para. 73).
- 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
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Elements of a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders 2014, para. 104
- Paragraph text
- Defenders working on the right of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender persons are subjected to stigmatization and attacks by, inter alia, community and faith leaders or groups and the media. The Special Rapporteur has raised the difficult situation of this group in various communications and during country visits. She has also recommended that authorities remove legal provisions that hinder and stigmatize these defenders' work, and provide them with adequate protection and public support.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Sports and healthy lifestyles as contributing factors to the right to health 2016, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- Participation in professional sport is often deliberately or effectively denied to transgender people, and people of non-binary gender. There remains uncertainty regarding "classification" by sports bodies of persons as male or female within sex-segregated sport - for those undergoing gender transition through clinical treatment and for those who are not - as well as concerns with regard to the arbitrary nature of such classifications. The barriers that this presents to participation are unwarranted and unfair.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Sports and healthy lifestyles as contributing factors to the right to health 2016, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Numerous issues arise in respect of persons who are lesbian, gay or bisexual in the context of sport. In a recent six-country survey, 80 per cent of respondents reported having witnessed or experienced homophobia in sport, and nearly 20 per cent of gay men reported having been assaulted during sports activities. In certain jurisdictions, lesbian athletes have been harassed and subjected to violence, including "corrective rape", on the basis of their sexual orientation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health and criminalization of same-sex conduct and sexual orientation, sex-work and HIV transmission 2010, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Conversely, an article proposed for inclusion in the penal code of Rwanda that would have carried penalties ranging from 5 to 10 years' imprisonment for any person who "practices, encourages or sensitizes people of the same sex, to sexual relation or any sexual practice" was recently rejected. The Minister of Justice of Rwanda, Tharcisse Karugarama, stated that "… sexual orientation is a private matter and each individual has his or her own orientation - this is not a State matter at all".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender perspectives on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment 2016, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Upon interception or rescue, migrants and refugees tend to be criminalized and detained in substandard and overcrowded conditions amounting to torture or ill-treatment. Unsanitary conditions and inadequate medical care, including lack of access to reproductive care, affect women in particular. Many facilities fail to separate female and male prisoners, leading to heightened risks of sexual violence from other detainees or guards (A/HRC/20/24). Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender migrants are also vulnerable to abuse on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
- 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
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 53p
- Paragraph text
- A non-governmental organization source from the United Kingdom recalled the advent of the same-sex marriage law in the country and the Equality Act. However, the mission of the latter is incomplete; the source stated that the use of the term “gender reassignment” in the Act was proving problematic, and that many people thought trans identity implied a binary surgical transition, which the Act’s definition also implies. Transgender persons’ vulnerability to discrimination and right to equality does not and should not, depend on medical transition;
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities 2017, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Girls and young women with disabilities belonging to groups that have been historically disadvantaged or discriminated against, such as indigenous peoples, religious and ethnic minorities, poor or rural populations, migrants and refugees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, experience multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination in the exercise of their sexual and reproductive health and rights. For example, indigenous girls and women with disabilities face a higher risk of experiencing early marriage, sexual violence and unwanted pregnancy. Girls with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual disabilities, also encounter significant barriers to asserting their sexual orientation because parents and guardians often deny and supress their views.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to mental health 2017, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- Mental health services must be respectful of medical ethics and human rights, as well as culturally appropriate, sensitive to gender and life-cycle requirements and designed to respect confidentiality and empower individuals to control their health and well-being. They must respect the principles of medical ethics and human rights (including “first, do no harm”), choice, control, autonomy, will, preference and dignity. Overreliance on pharmacological interventions, coercive approaches and in-patient treatment is inconsistent with the principle of doing no harm, as well as with human rights. Human rights capacity-building should be routinely provided to mental health professionals. Services must be culturally appropriate and acceptable to persons with intellectual, cognitive or psychosocial disabilities and with autism, adolescents, women, older persons, indigenous persons, minorities, refugees and migrants, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. Many within those populations are needlessly medicalized and suffer from coercive practices, based on inappropriate and harmful gender stereotypes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- LGBTQI+
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- The work of WHO, particularly in the area of sexual health, has already been referred to above, as has the work of UNHCR on refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons, particularly in relation to the intersectionality issue. UNHCR has been facing new challenges in regard to recent outflows from the war-related situations in Middle East to Europe and other regions, and it has done key work to raise the profile of sexual orientation and gender identity issues. Meanwhile, UN-Women has been highlighting the rights of lesbians and bisexual, transgender and intersex women and girls; thus has included the mapping of country situations and support for follow-up to the recommendations of human rights treaty bodies and the universal periodic review. For instance, there is an awareness-raising programme on action to end violence against women in Malawi, which includes references to lesbian, bisexual and transgender women. Complementing this, the International Labour Organization is infusing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issue strongly into its decent work programme, while the World Bank has helped to examine the cost of homophobia as well as to generate data on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender exclusion. The World Bank has now a focal point on sexual orientation and gender identity and this provides an important opportunity to address violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, especially with low-income countries. A range of other United Nations agencies and programmes, enhanced by United Nations country teams, are progressively integrating the issue of sexual orientation and gender identity into country programming.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- UNFPA concentrates on the issue of sexual and reproductive rights and their relationship with health, including for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, through four areas: policy formulation, capacity development, information and knowledge and delivery of services. It has developed a stigma index tool to help expose stigma, and has enabled access to condom and lubricant programming based on the principles of non-stigmatization and non-coercion. It has reached out to vulnerable groups to reduce HIV-related stigma, and it has called for the reform of punitive laws that drive people underground, in relation to same-sex relations, sex work and drugs-related situations.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- UNDP has a large number of programmes worldwide on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex issues, and the outreach is both to the pillars of the State (the executive, legislative and judicial branches) and to pillars of the community, such as national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations and human rights defenders, including platforms for dialogue with local governments. Pursuant to the Sustainable Development Goals, UNDP is working on a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex inclusion index to help generate more data, which will also contribute to policy formulation and programming. Some of the activities are on strengthening HIV responses for men who have sex with men and transgender people, and access to health care, while others are more directly on the legal and social environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and civil society in a number of countries.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- What are some of the root causes? While more empirical research is needed on the issue, behind the violence and discrimination there is an environment of negative elements: multiple factors, with longitudinal and intergenerational implications. From the health angle, the message from the following citation rings true: Violence against people from key populations has been shown to be a risk factor for HIV acquisition. Such violence is common. It can take various forms — physical, sexual or psychological. Violence is fuelled by the imbalance in the power dynamics of gender and by prejudice and discrimination against persons perceived to depart from conventional gender and sexuality norms and identities. Also, multiple structural factors influence vulnerability to violence, including discriminatory or harsh laws and policing practices and cultural and social norms that legitimate stigma and discrimination. Homophobic violence, too, is increasing in some countries, as more policies and laws have banned same-sex activity and made it a criminal offence. This is likely to increase HIV risk.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- The cross-cutting scenario of violence and discrimination is described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as follows: Many people in the world are stigmatized and discriminated against because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Among other disparities, lesbian, gay and transgender people are significantly more likely than the general population to be targeted for violence and harassment, to contract HIV, and to be at risk for mental health concerns such as depression and suicide. In settings where same-sex consensual sexual behaviour is against the law, people may be deterred from seeking health services out of fear of being arrested and prosecuted.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph