An historic UN panel discussion took place in Geneva yesterday, hosted by South Africa and Brazil. A brief summary of what occurred is available here.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon spoke at the outset, via video link. He was followed by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, speaking in person.
We see a pattern of violence and discrimination directed at people just because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
This is a monumental tragedy for those affected – and a stain on our collective conscience. It is also a violation of international law.
--Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Other outtakes from the Secretary-General.
I learned to speak out because lives are at stake.
To those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender let me say: you are not alone!
Video of the full 3+ hour meeting is
available here.
The panel discussion was prompted by the release of the report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity (pdf). Navi Pillay, the UN's High Commissioner on Human Rights spoke extensively about the report. Text is available here.
But wherever we have figures, they consistently show startlingly high levels of violence and brutality. This is corroborated by reports of many hundreds of individual incidents brought to the attention of special procedures. We have reports of gay men attacked by assailants shouting homophobic insults, left for dead in the street.
Lesbians subjected to gang rape, sometimes characterised as so-called “corrective rape”.
Transgender persons sexually assaulted and stoned to death, their bodies so disfigured as to be rendered virtually unrecognisable. And we have information on abuse carried out in police and prison cells – including cases of a lesbian couple beaten by police officers and sexually assaulted, and a transgender woman, placed in an all-male prison and raped more than 100 times, sometimes with the complicity of prison officials.
--Navi Pillay
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) members
walked out at the beginning of the session. This was addressed in Commissioner Pillay's speech:
As always, people are entitled to their opinion. They are free to disapprove of same-sex relationships, for example. They have an absolute right to believe – and to follow in their own lives – whatever religious teachings they choose.
But that is as far as it goes. The balance between tradition and culture, on the one hand, and universal human rights, on the other, must be struck in favour of rights.
The hosts were given privilege of the concluding remarks:
ABDUL MINTY, Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa, acting as moderator of the panel, said there should be no discrimination and no violence against people based on their gender identity or sexual orientation. Speakers had referenced the Ubuntu spirit of South Africa, which was essentially: I am because you are. It conveyed the message that everyone was linked by their common humanity, and everyone had an obligation to protect each other according to the fundamental principles of human rights.
MARIA NAZARETH FARANI AZEVEDO, Permanent Representative of Brazil, asked whether it was acceptable to discriminate against someone based on colour. She would reply no and believed most would agree with her. Was it acceptable to force someone to live on the margins of society, without work, healthcare, education and other benefits because of skin colour, nationality or religious beliefs? She would reply no and believed most of the Council would say no as well. Therefore, was it acceptable to discriminate or humiliate someone based on sexual orientation? Again, Ms. Azevedo would reply no, and she hoped all would agree with her. Today was not an exceptional or landmark panel. It was business as usual. Government and civil society were united and inspired by the same desire to promote and protect human rights, and while there could be differences in the approach, the basic principles were the same.