International
Youth Day (IYD) provides the opportunity to recognize the power of all youth,
including those often left behind with unmet needs. The theme for IYD 2020 as
prescribed by the United Nations, “Youth Engagement for Global Action,”
highlights the importance of placing young people at the center of social
justice and advocacy, especially when human rights and dignity of people are
threatened and restricted.
For over
17 years, SASOD Guyana has been defending and promoting the rights of
vulnerable groups in Guyana, including LGBTQ+ persons and marginalized youth
who are subject to discrimination, violence, and persecution, for simply being
who they are.
Together
with local and regional partners, SASOD Guyana fought tirelessly to bring an
end to the archaic law against cross-dressing, which was struck down by the
Caribbean Court of Justice, almost 2 years ago. We have trained hundreds of
police officers on issues related to gender and sexuality, and how to interact
with LGBTQ+ youth. Notably, SASOD Guyana continuously documents abuses and
offers pro-bono legal services to young women, girls, marginalized youth, and
LGBTQ+ persons, as they seek to pursue justice against violators of their human
rights. But we all must do more for, with and by them.
Amidst
the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation of poverty, unemployment, and violence
faced by youth further inhibits their potential to lead healthy and promising
lives.
While the
recently installed PPP/C Government has included some young people in its
Cabinet, its sincerity to addressing issues affecting youth will be measured by
its actions.
In the
spirit of IYD 2020, SASOD Guyana calls on the new PPP/C Government to implement
these top 5 actions for marginalized youth in its first year in office:
1.
Repeal sections 351 to 353 of the Criminal Law
(Offences) Act which criminalize same-sex intimacy between consenting, adult
men in private.
2.
Include sexual orientation, gender identity and
gender expression as prohibited grounds for discrimination in the Prevention of
Discrimination Act (Section 4).
3.
Introduce Comprehensive Sexuality Education all
schools in Guyana to provide young people with the tools they need to make more
informed decisions to either delay their sexual debut or prevent teenage
pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, if they choose to be sexually
active. Comprehensive sexuality education would also inform students about
diverse sexualities and genders, and reduce targeted bullying of LGBTQ+
students in Guyana’s public schools.
4.
Provide access to housing for LGBTQ+ people,
especially children, who have been temporarily displaced or rendered homeless
due to bias violence.
5.
Provide comprehensive and accessible
entrepreneurial training programmes for vulnerable groups, especially LGBTQ+ youth,
and make capital accessible to start up small businesses through grants and
low-interest lending schemes.
SASOD
Guyana asserts that these top 5 actions, coupled with supportive programmes,
will move the needle for marginalized youth and advance equality for all young
people.
