Pan Africa ILGA welcomes UN Body ruling Criminalization of Same-Sex Acts

Pan Africa ILGA welcomes UN Human Rights Committee ruling condemning the criminalisation of consensual, same-sex intimacy between women

Johannesburg, Thursday March 24th, 2022: Pan Africa ILGA has joined women rights activists across the world in welcoming a judgement by a United Nations (UN) Women Rights Committee which have ruled that criminalisation of same-sex intimacy between women is a human rights violation.

The decision made and published yesterday, March 23rd, 2022 by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) found that Sri Lanka has breached the rights of Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, the Founder and Executive Director of Equal Ground, an organisation defending the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community in Sri Lanka.

“This landmark decision by CEDAW will remain one of the most historical judgments to be made by the UN in modern times. This will inspire many women in Africa and beyond who are at the forefront of fighting for women’s rights to step up and bring human rights violations against women to book.” said Nate Brown, the Executive Director of Pan Africa ILGA.

Pan Africa ILGA has over the years taken note of State Sponsored Homophobia Reports by partners such as ILGA World and Human Rights Watch that have documented and analysed similar scenarios in countries such as Senegal, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia and more. Such reports have shown how these attacks attempt to create an environment of intolerance in which governments want to eliminate the basic principles of human rights, allowing individuals to abuse others with impunity.

“I want all lesbian, bisexual, queer and gender diverse groups across Africa and beyond to be inspired by this historic shift. Many countries in low developing countries criminalise same sex relationships which has in most cases, led to discrimination and sometimes death of sexual minority groups. Let this decision be a reminder that the world agrees to non descrimination.” said Nate Brown

“Ms. Flamer-Caldera like very many advocates within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities across Africa, have been subjected to torture over the years. This moment in time remains one of the key avenues we can use to put our governments in check since most ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women” Star Rugori, the Pan Africa ILGA Board Co-Chair mentioned.

“Like many LGBTIQ+ advocates and activists around the world, I enthusiastically welcome this decision. Criminalisation of same sex relationships is barbaric and has no place in the modern world. We should be moving towards eliminating all forms of discrimination against vulnerable communities including women.” Barbra Wangare, the PAI Board Co-Chair also added.

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Note to editors

• Please click here to read the full decision of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

About Pan Africa ILGA

Pan Africa ILGA (PAI) is the African region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA). It gathers approximately 150 organisations throughout the region working for human rights and equality for LGBTIQ+ people in Africa.

For more details

Please contact us via comms@panafricailga.org or visit our website www.panafricailga.org