COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
57TH SESSION, NEW YORK
STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE LESBIAN, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER CAUCUS
Delivered by Noelene Nabulivou,
Diverse Voices and Action for Equality, Fiji
Distinguished delegates and friends, my name is Noelene Nabulivou. I share with you a statement endorsed by 89 organisations from 48 countries, including my organisation, Diverse Voices and Action for Equality, in Fiji.
Around the world, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people and others with diverse sexual orientation and gender identities are targets of brutal physical and psychological violence. We are subject to harassment, assault and other violence; often under the guise of so-called ‘honour’, ‘tradition’, ‘nations’ and ‘families’.
This violence remains invisible and unaddressed and the perpetrators, whether members of families and communities, police or other state or non-state actors, too often go unpunished.
The impunity must be ended, and the invisibility must be challenged, including here at the CSW.
Even where there are laws to protect against this violence, data from various regions shows that sexism, misogyny, homophobia and transphobia continue, with patterns of abuse including brutal extrajudicial killings; sexual assault; violence in families and communities; bullying; harassment, and various other forms of violence.
But data collection is still a challenge: lesbians still often do not report violence because of distrust of the very systems and people that should protect them, and because of fear of reprisals, or threats to confidentiality.
In addition, activists are targeted for defense of rights related to sexual orientation and gender identity. Offices are raided; there is harassment of staff and volunteers; legal registration of organisations can be denied, and many defenders are arrested, suffer violations, and are otherwise harassed.
For decades, LGBT and women’s groups have been demanding that this violence and discrimination be prevented, punished and denounced. Within the UN system, there is now an undeniable trend toward addressing all forms of violence related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
As far back as 1997, the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women noted that women who live outside heterosexuality are at heightened risk. Other UN Special Rapporteurs have also reported on acts of violence and discrimination, in all regions of the world that are committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. The Secretary General has also repeatedly raised his voice on this issue.
Over the past 20 years, six United Nations treaty bodies including the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, The Committee Against Torture, and the Committee on the Elimination on all Forms of Violence against Women, have addressed violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation.
In 2011, the Human Rights Council approved a Resolution on Violence and Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, which led to a detailed report from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; there have also been General Assembly resolutions on extrajudicial executions that note these concerns, as well as regional resolutions from the Organization of American States and the Council of Europe.
It is worth noting that the Holy See has stated its concern about violence against homosexual persons in the General Assembly in 2009.
The violence and discrimination must stop. The silence of the Commission on the Status of Women and other UN multilateral tracks on these issues must also end now. Therefore, we call on all governments here at CSW57 to commit to ending all violence and discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and to clearly reflect this commitment in the Agreed Conclusions.
It is time for us all, to act. Thank you Chair, and friends.
This statement is endorsed by the following 89 organisations from 48 countries:
ACCEPT Association, Romania
Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD), Canada
Adhikaar, India
Advocates for Youth, USA
Amnesty International, UK
ARC International, Canada and Switzerland
Australian Lesbian Health Coalition, Australia
Balance Promoción para el Desarrollo y Juventud, Mexico
Bishkek Feminist Collective SQ, Kyrgyzstan
Central Asian Gender and Sexuality Advocacy Network, Kyrgyzstan
Centre for Secular Space, UK
Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP), Malawi
Closet de Sor Juana, Mexico
COC Netherlands, The Netherlands
Common Language, China
Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), Philippines
DIVERLEX, Diversidad e Igualdad a Través de la Ley, Venezuela
Diverse Voices and Action for Equality, Fiji
Drodrolagi Movement, Fiji
EduDivers, The Netherlands
European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups, UK
Euroregional Center for Public Initiatives (ECPI), Romania
Feminist Alliance Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Justice (RESURJ), Brazil, Mexico, Lebanon, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, India, UK, Poland
Fundacion Arcoiris por el respeto a la diversidad sexual, Mexico
Fundación Triángulo. Por la Igualdad Social de Lesbianas, Gais, Bisexuales y Trans, Spain
Gay Japan News, Japan
GAYa NUSANTARA, Indonesia
Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), Zimbabwe
Global Action for Trans* Equality (GATE), USA, Argentina, Thailand
Global Alliance for LGBT Education (GALE), The Netherlands
Global Justice Institute, USA
HERe NI, Northern Ireland
House of Our Pride (HOOP), Swaziland
House Of Rainbow Fellowship, Ghana, Nigeria, UK and Lesotho
IDAHO Committee, France
International Gay and Lesbian Association (ILGA), Belgium
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), USA
International Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Youth and Student Organization (IGLYO), Belgium
International Planned Parenthood Federation, USA
Ipas, USA
Iranian Queer Organization, Canada
Justice for Sisters, Malaysia
Knowledge and Rights with Young people through Safer Spaces (KRYSS), Malaysia
Kris Prasad of Drodrolagi Movement, Fiji
Labrys, Kyrgyzstan
LADLAD LGBT Partylist, Philippines
Lesbians Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO), Botswana
LLH, Norway
Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM), Malta
Mama Cash, The Netherlands
Matrix Guild of Victoria, Australia
Men for Health and Gender Justice Organisation, Botswana
Metropolitan Community Churches, USA
Metrosexual Health Limited, UK
Mouvement Francais pour le Planning Familial, France
National LGBTI Health Alliance, Australia
North Coast Lesbian Alliance of NSW, Australia
OUT Well-being, South Africa
Out-Right Namibia (ORN), Namibia
Pan Africa ILGA (PAI), USA
Partnership Law Japan, Japan
Promoting Rights and Equality in a Societal Milieu (PRISM), Philippines
PROMSEX – Centro de Promoción y Defensa de los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos, Peru
Rainbow Rights Project Inc., Philippines
Red Peruana TLGB, Peru
Research Institute Without Walls (RIWW), USA
RFSL, Sweden
Rights for Change, The Netherlands
Safra Project, UK
Seksualiti Merdeka, Malaysia
Seta, Finland
Shirkat Gah Women’s Resource Centre, Pakistan
Swaziland Positive Living (SWAPOL), Swaziland
Talking About Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues (TARSHI), India
The Fellowship of Reconciliation, USA
The Global Labour Institute, Switzerland
Trans Support Initiative, Uganda
TransBantu Association of Zambia, Zambia
Transgender and Intersex Africa, South Africa
Transgender Europe (TGEU), Austria
UK Lesbian & Gay Immigration Group, UK
UNISON National LGBT Committee, UK
United and Strong Inc., Saint Lucia
United Belize Advocacy Movement, Belize
Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights (UAF), USA
Victorian Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby, Australia
Women Living Under Muslim Laws Solidarity Network, UK
Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), Philippines
Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (YCSRR), Canada
Credits to Cynthia Rothscild on the photo and Nori Spauwen on the video
You can view the video of Noelene’s speech by clicking HERE.