SASOD’s Managing Director, Joel Simspon |
Speaking
at the media briefing were SASOD’s Managing Director, Joel Simspon, and
Advocacy and Communication’s Officer, Schemel Patrick, and the UNAIDS
Country Coordinator, Dr. Martin Odiit.
In
his opening remarks, Simpson provided a brief background on how the
CESCR works. He noted that the Guyana signed ICESCR in 1968 and ratified
it in 1977. Simpson lamented that Guyana had failed to meet its treaty
obligation to report to CESCR every 5 years and charged the APNU+AFC
Government to improve the abysmal treaty-body reporting record of the
previous administration.
Patrick
provided a summation of the Guyana review process which she attended in
Geneva, Switzerland. Prior to country reviews, civil society
organisations were encouraged to submit shadow reports which served to
notify the Committee about issues of human rights violations in their
particular countries. There was an informal meeting on the morning of
September 28, which saw civil society organisations from four countries
being reviewed in the current session – Guyana included – meeting with
the Committee. Each civil society representative was allowed to make a
short presentation and then the committee had an opportunity to ask
questions. Patrick made a short statement summarizing the key
recommendations from the submitted Stakeholder Report on the Protection
of Rights of LGBTI Persons in Guyana and responded to questions from the
Committee regarding Guyana’s anti-LGBTI discriminatory laws and
policies.
She
noted that the Guyana review took place on the afternoon of Monday,
September 28 and the morning of Tuesday, September 29. The State Party
presented its opening statement after which committee members asked
questions based on the provisions of the ICESCR and also based on the
Report that was submitted by the Government in 2012, which combines the
second, third and fourth periodic reports, covering an 18-year period
from 1995 to 2012.The state delegation comprised of Hon. Rapheal
Trotman, M.P, Minister of Governance, Teresa Gaime, Technical Officer,
Department of Governance, and Bevon McDonald, First Secretary, Embassy
of Guyana in Brussels, Belgium.
Advocacy and Communications Officer, Schemel Patrick
Patrick
stated that the SASOD’s Stakeholder Report aims to inform the
Committee of areas where Guyana is failing to meet its obligations under
ICESCR to respect and protect the human rights of all people,
especially LGBTI individuals. It concludes with recommendations of
matters that SASOD urges the Committee to include in its Concluding
Observations to the Government of Guyana.
The
report makes particular reference to Guyana’s failure to comply with
Articles 6, 7, 11, 12 and 13 of the ICESCR in a number of areas;
specifically, failure to enact and implement non-discrimination
legislation to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual
orientation and/or gender identity in employment, housing, healthcare
and education; ; lack of policies to prevent bullying and harassment of
LGBTI students in the education system and effective mechanisms to seek
redress; deficiency of sexuality education in schools that is
comprehensive and inclusive of different sexualities and gender
identities; and failure to repeal laws criminalizing consensual sex
between male adults in private and laws criminalizing cross-dressing.
Patrick
noted that SASOD has urged the Committee to make the following
recommendations to the Government of Guyana in its concluding
observations: enact legislation prohibiting discrimination on the basis
of sexual orientation and gender identity in all areas of public life,
including employment, housing, health care and education; include sexual
orientation and gender identity within the list of prohibited grounds
protected in the Prevention of Discrimination Act 1997; improve the
training of healthcare professionals to increase their understanding of
and sensitivity to the specific health needs of LGBTI people; improve
mental health care for LGBTI Guyanese especially because of the added
mental health burdens they suffer due to homophobia and transphobia;
develop policies and implement effective mechanisms to address
bullying, harassment and discrimination against LGBTI students in
schools; develop and implement a training programme for school teachers
and counselors to improve their knowledge about sexual orientation and
gender identity in order to deliver comprehensive sexuality education in
schools; develop comprehensive sexuality education curricula inclusive
of diverse sexualities and genders and addressing issues affecting LGBTI
youth; and repeal the laws criminalizing same-sex intimacy and
cross-gender dressing.
In
his remarks, UNAIDS Country Coordinator, Dr. Martin Odiit reiterated
that preservation and protection of human rights is a fundamental pillar
of the United Nations. Dr. Oudiit spoke to Article 12 of ICESCR which
recognizes the right of everyone to enjoy the highest attainable
standard of physical and mental health. He stated that laws should not
increase stigma to LGBTI people. Discriminatory laws drive LGBTI persons
underground, and thereby prevent them from accessing services. Dr.
Odiit emphasized that human rights should be at the center of the AIDS
response as we strive to meet the UN “Getting to Zero” goals of “zero
new infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and zero discrimination.” Dr.
Odiit highlighted that though a lot has been done there are still major
gaps to be addressed. He noted that there needs to be greater
involvement of key populations and a legal assessment of the barriers to
the HIV response.
UNAIDS Country Coordinator, Dr. Martin Odiit
After
the presentations, participants at the media briefing asked questions
and shared comments. Issues raised included the prevalence of workplace
discrimination and the need for a comprehensive workplace discrimination
policy, the need for constitutional reform to include sexual
orientation and gender identity as grounds for discrimination, and the
importance of delivering comprehensive sexually education in schools to
reduce teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and
homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools.
Section of the attendees
To read the entire report click here.
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