UN improves on LGBTI rights, despite ignoring many violations

UN improves on LGBTI rights, despite ignoring many violations

THE United Nations Human Rights Committee has increased its attention on LGBTI issues worldwide despite a “patchy” record on the subject, according to a new report.

A review of the committee’s actions over the past decade in Human Rights Law Review showed an increase in the recommendations made for countries to reduce violations of LGBTI people’s rights.

In 2003 the committee recommended four out of 15 countries address LGBTI rights violations, with the number climbing to 12 out of 15 in 2013.

However, the review also showed the committee had ignored LGBTI rights violations in many of the 139 countries reviewed over the ten-year period.

“31 of these 139 countries still criminalise homosexuality, but recommendations to reform criminal laws to remove these odious offences were made in respect of only 13 countries,” said the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law’s Associate Professor Paula Gerber, the Australian lead researcher.

“Meaning over half got away with their ongoing criminalisation of homosexuality, a clear violation of basic human rights.”

Gerber said increasing the role of non-government organisations in reporting LGBTI rights violations to the UN was vital for overcoming possibly-selective reporting of abuses by governments.

“Governments cannot always be relied upon to present a true and correct account of LGBTI rights,” she argued.

“Putin’s regime is hardly going to admit that gay men are being routinely attacked by mobs due to a sharp increase in homophobia in Russia following the enactment of the anti-gay propaganda laws.”

 

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One response to “UN improves on LGBTI rights, despite ignoring many violations”

  1. I have always said there needs to be a UN Convention on the legal rights of LGBTI people!

    If women, Africans, the religious and other minorities are currently protected by UN Conventions – then the people who are LGBTI should also have a UN Convention as well!