Representatives from 15 Caricom states are currently participating in a workshop to advance the process towards filing complaints about discrimination against persons based on sexual orientation to the Inter-American Commis-sion on Human Rights (IACHR).
The workshop, which is organized by the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) in collaboration with Global Rights and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission’s Latin America and Caribbean Office and Open Society Institute, began yesterday at the Cheddi Jagan Research Institute. The workshop is examining specifically violence and discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender persons.
Joel Simpson, co-Chair of SASOD, said that the plan is to apply to the IACHR to hold a special thematic hearing on the situation in the Caribbean later this year. Underscoring the importance of the forum, Simpson said that the workshop would also serve to broaden the network of activists in the region and present a forum for the sharing of knowledge and experiences.
Meanwhile, a press release from the organizers pointed to a three-fold objective for the session. “To raise awareness and increase the capacity of activists in the region to ensure that they can interact with and respond to ongoing activities within the OAS system” as well as “to collect information about human rights violations in various countries of the Caribbean for presentation before the OAS organs and the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights.” Another objective is “to develop a network of activists on the ground and in a larger number of Caribbean countries who have the capacity to engage with their governments on issues of human rights abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity”.
Dr Victor Madrigal, OAS IACHR Principal Specialist, said that the struggle for equality “is a fundamental human issue.” “The struggle for equality is, but it is not only a gay, or lesbian or women’s or children’s issue. It is the fundamental human issue,” he said. According to him, the struggle for this equality was something that his organization was concerned and continually made representation on these grounds.
Stefano Fabeni, Director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Initiative (LGBTI) at Global Rights, stated that while the Caribbean was making some progress on issues at the OAS, it was very hard to move the Caricom bloc to the desired position on this matter.
“It has been very hard to move the Caricom bloc as [they] position themselves within the Organization of American States to make sure that their positions shift,” he said. He noted that laws criminalizing homosexuality and cross-dressing were still in force in several countries in the region.