Leaders of Latin America and the Caribbean at the 49th General Assembly of the OAS: “We are facing a grave situation of human rights violations””

Leaders of Latin America and the Caribbean at the 49th General Assembly of the OAS: “We are facing a grave situation of human rights violations””

Over the course of the 49th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), held in Medellín, Colombia from June 25-28, the International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) held various events, particularly with participation by human rights, Afro-descendent, and LGBTI leaders from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Paraguay, Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, Bolivia, and the Dominican Republic.

These meeting and discussion spaces sought to reflect upon and study the social and political conditions facing human rights in Latin America. These conditions currently have a particular effect upon historically marginalized and invisible populations such as Afro-descendants and LGBTI persons, as do violations of fundamental rights through persecution and harassment by different governments in the region against rights defenders.

We reiterate our condemnation of the absence of Cuban activists who were denied exit from the country by migration authorities, this being a strategy of coercion and repression by the Cuban state to prevent civil society leaders from publicizing the human rights situation on the island.

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The Inter-American Form Against Discrimination was held on June 25. Afro-descendant and LGBTI activists from Latin America took part alongside the re-elected Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay, Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons of African Descent and Against Racial Discrimination and Rapporteur on the Rights of Women at the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights.

During their dialogue, activists described the social and political situation with regards to human rights in the region. The president of the Network of Afro-Latina, Afro-Caribbean, and Diaspora Women emphasized the need for women across the region to raise their voices to be heard, speak out, and participate as subjects of human rights. Likewise, the Brazilian activist Rodei Jericó de Géledes expressed the great challenges faced by the Afro-Brazilian population with regards to guarantees and recognition of their rights, especially Afro-Brazilians with diverse expressions of gender and sex, who suffer the highest percentage of homicides worldwide, with Afro-LGBTI people being the most frequent victims.

In a similar vein, the Colombian LGBTI rights activist and director of Caribe Afirmativo Wilson Castañeda indicated that although the Colombian peace process is unique in the world today by virtue of its reaffirmation of the rights of LGBTI conflict victims, Colombian LGBTI persons continue to be crushed by violence and hate crimes, fueled by hateful public discourses and state indifference to the victims. Castañeda told the audience that “peace is costing us our lives.” This dark side of the Colombian peace process includes the announcement by INDEPAZ that 837 social leaders have been killed, with 17 new alleged cases coming recently.

Commissioner Macaulay shared with the audience the importance of the Inter-American Convention Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Related Intolerance, making clear that the Commission has found that Afro-descendants in the Americas suffer from structural discrimination affecting all social rights to which they are entitled.

The representative of the National Conference of Afro-Colombian organizations, Hader Viveros, stated that Afro-descendants continue to be seen as objects rather than subjects, and thus continue to be victims of discrimination and non-recognition of their true needs. María Martínez de Moschta presented evidence to this point, signaling that over 117,000 people remain stateless in the Dominican Republic thanks to state decisions motivated by senseless racism.

Finally, Christian King, director of the organization Trans Siempre Amigas (TRANSA) in the Domincan Republic, and Cecilia Ramírez, director of the Black Peruvian Women’s Development Center (CEDEMUNEP), shared with the participants the importance of being present in international legal bodies such as the OAS General Assembly, highlighting the possibility of using these spaces to bring civil society demands to the fore and to make Latin American social movements’ social and political agendas visible in the struggle for human rights.

Read here the statement of the Afro-Descendant coalition at the OAS General Assembly.

49ª OAS General Assembly

The statement of the Afro-Descendant coalition was represented by Erlendy Cuero Bravo afro colombian activist of the National Association of Afro-Colombians Displaced (Asociación Nacional de Afrocolombianos Desplazados – AFRODES).

Discussion: “The Implementation of the Peace Accords: Social Innovation and Development in Afro-Colombian Territories”

Afro-Colombian leaders held the discussion “The Implementation of the Peace Accords: Social Innovation and Development in Afro-Colombian Territories” on June 25 during the General Assembly. Costa Rican Vice-president Epsy Campbell, Angela Salazar of the Colombian Truth Commission, and Margarette May Macaulay of the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights also participated.

Leading the discussion, Vice-president Campbell called upon leaders to continue struggling, building, and working for peace despite being faced with Colombia’s “labor pains” as the social and political conflict drags on. Commissioner Salazar stated that the role of the Afro-descendant population in the implementation process is challenged mostly by the lack of recognition for Black history and experiences in Colombia.

The conversation, which centered upon the systematic killing of social leaders, brought up the deaths of over 400 activists according to the national Ombudsman’s office. Recalling the recent case of María del Pilar Hurtado, all those present condemned this trend.

Audes Jiménez, Afro-Colombian leader and representative of the Network of Afro-Latina, Afro-Caribbean, and Diaspora Women, said, “While President Iván Duque is occupied with the immigration of Venezuelans into Colombia and his migration policies, a genocide against social leaders is underway in Colombia, and this must be in he attention of the General Assembly.” She added that in the Caribbean coastal region, killings, attacks, and persecution continue, especially against ethnic groups defending their land and territorial rights.

Francia Márquez, another Afro-Colombian leader, stated that Afro-Colombian people feel abandoned and ignored by the state, allowing Black, indigenous, and campesino communities in the country to be wiped out by violence as they work tirelessly to care for the Earth. “Peace requires us to think of alternative development“. In the name of ‘development,’ we are being killed, threatened, and treated as a military threat,” she said. 

It was also clear that structural racism causes women to continue being killed and victimized: “we are furious because we are speaking about peace into an empty discourse, peace has still not arrived to our territories, and we have been the ones suffering deaths,” she added.

Nixón Ortíz, LGBTI activist and director of the Arco Irís Afro-Colombian Foundation of Tumaco, remarked that the lack of commitment from the Colombian state to implement the Peace Accords has led to foci of violence in Afro-descendent territories, which remain unprotected and unattended. “We want to say that we have been resisting with our bodies, songs, and dances. Our weapons are our traditions. But the lack of governance in the territories puts whole populations at risk,” he added.

Finally, Father Emigdio Custa Pino, Secretary General of the Nacional Conference of Afro-Colombian Organizations (CNOA), invited the audience to continue struggling, building, and resisting despite the deaths of leaders, to assume the responsibility of those no longer present, both for those present and those who are to come.

Discussion: “Where is Nicaragua Heading? Challenges to Human Rights in the Context of Crisis”

A Nicaraguan delegation traveled to Medellín to participate in the General Assembly and interact with the diplomatic missions in attendance. These civil society members, human rights defenders, and ex-political prisoners participated in the event “Where is Nicaragua Heading? Challenges to Human Rights in the Context of Crisis,” organized by Race and Equality alongside CEJIL.

The opening remarks went to the Vice-president of Costa Rica, Epsy Campbell, while the panel consisted of Marlin Sierra, executive director of the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH), Azahalea Solís, member of the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy, Lucía Pineda, head of 100% Noticias news and former political prisoner, Roberto Desogus, Nicaraguan lead for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Sofía Macher, member of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts on Nicaragua.

During the event, which went on for over two hours, the first three panelists described their experiences defending human rights and working in journalism in the case of Lucía Puneda, while the panelists representing international bodies described the ongoing work of monitoring from outside the country, as well as their commitment to returning once the authorities choose to authorize their missions.

The following day, Lucía Pineda participated in a breakfast with Colombian and international journalists from digital, print, and television outlets. Throughout her stay in Medellín, after having spent almost six months in prison for reporting through 100% Noticias, she was interviewed by various outlets interested in telling her story and making visible the demands of the Nicaraguan people.

The photo exhibition “Put Yourself in My Shoes” launches at the OAS

During the 49th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), human rights activists from several Latin American countries participated in the premier of a photography exhibition titled “Put Yourself in My Shoes.” The exhibit is the result of a collaboration between Race & Equality and Edgar Armando Plata, M.A. of Universidad del Norte (Colombia).

The exhibit illustrates the work of activists and rights defenders, exploring their fundamental role in defending and advancing human rights. It is on display at the Colombo Americano Institute of Medellín and will be open until August 2019.

Launch of the CIDH Report “Recognition of the Rights of LGBTI Persons” : Afro-LGBTI Perspectives from an Intersectional Lens

At the 49th General Assembly of the OAS, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) presented its recent report “Recognition of the Rights of LGBTI Persons,” a look at the state of rights for people with diverse sexual and gender expressions. Activists from Brazil, Nicaragua, Peru, and Colombia spoke of the grave situation of vulnerability and violation of fundamental rights that LGBTI persons continue to face throughout the region. The Afro-Peruvian trans woman activist Belén Zapata stated that hate crimes and violence against LGBTI people in Peru are not criminalized, with no laws penalizing these acts despite several documented cases. “We must not continue dying and having our killers out in the streets committing other crimes,” she said regarding the killings of trans people.

The Afro-Brazilian trans leader Alessandra Ramos state that LGBTI people in Brazil are faced with a grave situation of vulnerability and rights violations, particularly because the government of Jair Bolsonaro does not recognize people with diverse sexual orientations or gender experessions. She said that Brazil is the leading country in killings of trans people, with 163 trans victims of hate-crime killings last year. Faced with this situation, she expressed “We exist in order to resist, and we resist in order to continue existing.”

Finally, the Afro-LGBTI Network of Latin American and the Caribbean made a public statement with regards to human rights impacts, violations, and structural discrimination affecting Afro-LGBTI people in the region based upon their sexuality, race, and ethnicity.

Read here statement of the Afro LGBTI Network of Latin America and the Caribbean

Pride Day: The 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots

Washington, June 28th, 2019.  On June 28th, millions of people around the world commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. Stonewall is considered a historic event for the LGBTI movement in the world, and is named after an event that took place in a gay bar located in New York called Stonewall Inn.

At that time, many North-American states treated homosexual relationships as crimes, and in New York people were forced to wear clothes according to their biological sex. Bars could not even sell drinks to homosexuals or anyone who would challenge cisheterossexuality. Many police raids used to happen in which owners, employees and customers would be arrested.

On June 28th, 1969, police entered the Stonewall Inn bar and began arresting employees and customers. However, instead of simply submitting, on that day the people decided to resist. Customers started throwing coins at the policemen, resisting the very common police raids. Then the revolt intensified and even Molotov cocktails were thrown at the door.

This unexpected reaction of people who were tired of all the repression of that time began a series of protests in the following days. A year later, these people organized the first Pride March. However, by telling this story you can risk making some figures who led those episodes and who were extremely important for the history of the LGBTI movement invisible. This is the case of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson.

Silenced Voices: Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson

Sylvia Rivera was one of the emblematic figures in the revolts started at the Stonewall Inn, and is recognized as one of the activists who were in the front line of the riots, being essential to the agitation and mobilization of the protesters.

Sylvia was born in 1951 in New York. She was poor, Latina and a sex worker. Her parents were two immigrants from Puerto Rico and Venezuela, and she suffered abuses by the police all her life. She was abandoned by her father in the first years of her life and her mother committed suicide when Sylvia was only 3 years old. She started living on the streets when she was 11 years old.

Sylvia was a close friend of Marsha P. Johnson: black, transgender, poor and a sex worker. Born in New Jersey in 1945, she arrived in New York at the end of the 60s. Although very little is known about her childhood, it is known that Marsha was a great political activist: she would shout in the streets, mobilize marches, give interviews and just like Sylvia, she would be constantly criminalized.

Both Rivera and Johnson were at the front line of the Stonewall resistance processes, but they were more than that. A year after the Rebellion, Johnson and Rivera founded the organization Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), which provided shelter, food and clothing for some 50 trans people living on the street in conditions of poverty. Marsha and Sylvia supported this project with the money from their own sex work. However, in an interview in 1989, Rivera says that when she and Marsha asked for help from other organizations in the community made up of teachers and lawyers (white and upper middle class) that could help with some resources, those people turned their backs. There was nobody to help them.

In fact, as the LBGTI movement would grow, mostly gay men, usually white, would assume leadership and ostracize trans people like Johnson and Rivera, because they believed that figures like them, with all their unusual clothes, on the one hand, could bring them more disrespect to the community and, on the other hand, would make difficult the argument that there was no difference between gays, lesbians and heterosexuals.

The apex of the tension was in the March of 1973, when Rivera was booed while she reminded that, were it not for the drag queens, there would be no gay liberation movement and that they were the front line of the resistance.

For an intersectional pride

The story of the involvement of people like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera in the Stonewall Riots highlights how the LGBTI community cannot be seen in a homogeneous way, as if all experiences were the same and, above all, as if rights reach the LGBTI population in the same way once achieved.  They don’t. More than that, this story explores the limits of alliances inside the LGBTI community, which cannot use trans people only as a bridge to conquer rights or status.

Besides that, Marsha and Sylvia embody intersectionality in their lives, evidencing the importance of considering several social markers to think about the processes of constructing identities, such as race, class, nationality, ethnicity, identity and expression gender, sexual orientation, among other axes of oppression.

Johnson and Rivera give us the opportunity to reflect that, rather than just including, for example, references to gender in race debates and vice versa, intersectionality should be a tool to make a commitment to experiences, knowledge, struggles and agendas policies that emerge from the resistance to the various axes of domination and oppression. This is even for evident for those who are in the lower spheres of recognition of humanity – as was the case of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera and continues to be the case of so many black and Latin trans persons, who continue to figure as the victims of many human rights violations.

In these 50 years of the Stonewall Riots, Race and Equality wants to renew our commitment to the resistance of people whose lives are marked by oppression based on their race, identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, class or nationality, and we take this opportunity to invite the entire LGBTI community to engage in a struggle for equality that does not close its eyes to those who do not enjoy white, gender, male and class privileges or any conditions that allow them to experiment a humanity that is not experienced by all. The struggle for equality cannot leave behind those who need it the most.

Cuban government prohibits five activists from traveling to Colombia to participate in the OAS General Assembly

The International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) condemns the decision by Cuban authorities to refuse to allow five activists and human rights defenders to leave the country and take part in the organization’s activities during the 49th General Assembly of the Organization of the American States, which is entitled “Innovating to strengthen hemispheric multilateralism” and takes place in Medellín, Colombia June 25-28.

On the morning of Monday, June 24, Maricel Napoles and Ileana Colas, activists from the organization Mujeres Esperanza in Santiago, were informed by migration authorities that they had been “regulated;” when questioned by the activists, an official claimed that migration agents “do not make or repeal the rules, that it must have been some minister,” and that they “could travel that same day if the problem is resolved.”

For his part, Juan Antonio Madrazo, activist and director of the organization Comité Ciudadanos por la Integración Racial was met at home by an army officer who called himself “Alejandro” and informed Madrazo that he could not travel, stating that he “must stay in his home, and that there would be no traveling to Colombia for the General Assembly for him, nor for others.” This is the third time that the activist and human rights defender has been blocked from leaving Cuba to attend one of Race and Equality’s activities this year.

Meanwhile, the activist Jimmy Roque from the organization Guardabosques and the LGTBI organization Proyecto Arcoíris was informed at the airport by migration authorities that he was not allowed to leave the country because he was currently “regulated.” It is notable that Roque was also detained for 24 hours on May 11th of this year to prevent him from participating in Cuba’s unofficial LGBTI Pride parade. This is the second time that he has been prohibited from leaving the country.

Finally, the activist Madelyn Rodríguez, member of the Consejería Jurídica e Instrucción Cívica in Pinar Del Río, having already passed through airport security, was informed at the migration checkpoint that she was regulated and that “she could not travel, at least not today.” Upon being questioned, the migration official indicated that the airport staff “only carried out decisions and therefore did not know why Rodríguez was restricted.” However, the staff also stated that it was due to the General Assembly that she could not exit.

These activists and human rights defenders had been invited by Race and Equality to participate in the Inter-American Forum against Discrimination, a space of dialogue and reflection within the General Assembly featuring Epsy Campbell, the vice-president of Costa Rica, and Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Afro-descendent Persons & Against Racial Discrimination and on the Rights of Women. Furthermore, the activists planned to take part in dialogues with OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro and with the region’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

Although the Cuban government is suspended from the OAS, independent civil society can participate in the organization’s activities. Such participation is a legitimate exercise of their rights.

Race and Equality recently finalized an analysis of Cuba’s justice system, finding that the Cuban government utilizes “regulations” on human rights activity to prevent rights defenders from leaving the country, with the goal of preventing them from reporting rights violations in international arenas.

In keeping with Race and Equality’s commitment to the defense and promotion of human rights, we will continue supporting Cuba’s independent civil society in demanding their rights and continue calling for the Cuban government’s compliance with its human rights obligations.

International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.

While commemorating the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, we remember the unmet obligation of all countries, especially those in Latin America and the Caribbean, to support persons with diverse sexual identities and gender expressions, as well as to acknowledge and protect their rights. Respect for these rights must be the base for creating public policies and programs that create diverse, peaceful, and just societies.

Although there has been considerable progress in the recognition of LGBTI rights for people around the globe, violence that endangers the physical and moral integrity of those who express diverse sexual orientations or gender identities is still prevalent. A general lack of concern and complicity on the part of the general population perpetuates and makes it impossible to overcome structural violence against LGBTI people. In addition, the lack of access to health, education and work services of these individuals reproduces dynamics of poverty, discrimination and violence.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, acts of hate and discrimination are often based in religious beliefs or principles. These dogmas frequently restrict identity to binary gender norms that do not recognize diverse expressions, and prevent this population from asserting their rights in social and political spheres.

The Experience of LGBTI People in Latin America 

The outlook for LGBTI people in Latin America and the Caribbean for 2019 continues to be discouraging. They are facing the threat of losing advancements that were already fought for and won because of efforts of fundamentalist groups that are continuously spreading misinformation and stigma against LGBTI individuals.

Similarly, it is concerning that intolerance continues to be one of the main motives behind murders committed against LGBTI people, which are often carried out with excessive cruelty. Statistics on these crimes are mostly collected and analyzed by civil society, while States show a lack of interest in collecting this information or in adequately documenting and investigating these crimes.

Brazil, for example, is a country with one of the highest rates of murders of trans persons, according to a report presented by Brazil’s National Association of Travesties and Transsexuals (ANTRA) and the Brazilian Trans Education Institute (IBTE). The report documents that in 2018 alone, a total of 163 trans individuals were violently murdered because of their sexuality and gender expression. According to ANTRA’s president Keila Simpson, these cases occurred during an election period and were motivated by anti-LGBTI speeches given by some of the Brazilian presidential candidates. This situation continues to deeply concern civil society organizations that are working on the defense of LGBTI rights, especially in the context of the current Bolsonaro regime in Brazil. This regime has emphatically refused to denounce or even acknowledge the existence of the concerning violations of LGBTI people’s rights.

Likewise, in the Dominican Republic, the situation for LGBTI people is alarming because of the lack of public policies that promote social acceptance. Civil society organizations have reported many cases of violence against these individuals, but they are not taken into account by state institutions or mass media. According to the last annual report made by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, this situation results in greater discrimination against LGBTI people, who also face discrimination based on nationality, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, etc.

The Dominican State’s refusal to acknowledge the rights of LGBTI rights allows for social acceptance of violence and aggression towards these individuals. Even state authorities often do not see this violence as a problem, as described in a report published by Amnesty International and TRANSSA Trans Siempre Amigas on abuse, violence, and police harassment against trans women sex workers. These women are victims of constant acts of violence perpetuated by police agents who are motivated because of prejudices around their gender identity.

During this significant day, it is important to consider the difficulties that people with diverse sexual identities and gender expressions have in accessing justice. Particularly, laws and government programs in most of the countries of the region have partially or completely ignored the specific ways the LGBTI population’s rights are violated. State responses to these violations must be designed for the specific needs of this population. For example, according the Victims Registry (Registro Único de Víctimas – RUV), created as a part of the Colombian peace process, 3.368 victims of the armed conflict are reported and recognized as LGBTI. Most of them are reported as victims of forced displacement, threats, homicides, and crimes against sexual freedom and integrity. However, one person may have been victim of multiple crimes. Colombia must use these statistics to create programs to address the specific needs of the LGBTI population, who have been victimized in multiple ways.   

Challenges for inclusion

To decrease the poverty and marginalization experienced by LGBTI individuals, shared prosperity for all social groups must be promoted. States have a duty to work toward this, given that one of the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to “not leave anyone behind.” Additionally, the five areas for the protection of LGBTI people prioritized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) are: 1) economic wellness; 2) personal safety and elimination of violence; 3) education; 4) healthcare; and 5) political and civic participation.

There are still many challenges in the region for protecting the rights of LGBTI people. One of these challenges is the lack of data about the LGBTI population and their needs. If States have no information on LGBTI people, they cannot design programs that will have the needed impact. This lack of data also impedes the development of progressive policies that can achieve the SDGs and the goals of the UNDP.

LGBTI people are victims of intersectional forms of violence that interact with prejudices about their sexual orientation or their gender identity. For example, the violence against an Afro-descendent trans woman who lives in a rural area must be thought from an intersectional perspective that considers these different aspects of identity. This intersectionality is lived by many LGBTI individuals and is not contemplated by States when planning strategies to guarantee their rights. In consequence, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, and intersexual individuals are revictimized because their reality is not adequately analyzed.

Regional governments should start implementing intersectional policies that recognize the multiple oppressive experiences lived by each person. These policies must recognize that individuals do not fall under one category, but experience the world in ways influenced by their many different identities, including race, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity. In most cases, these identities interact and are experienced intersectionally. Having separate policies for different population categories continues to isolate people and produces more barriers to access to rights.

Secondly, there must be recognition of the particularly vulnerable populations that require immediate and clear protection from the State. Homicidal violence and violence perpetuated by State armed agents against trans people in general, and Afro LGBTI people in particular, shows the need for a prompt solution. The structural discrimination against this population requires a significant intervention from the States and should be prioritized in the region in order to substantially decrease those cases of violence and abuse.

Finally, the current context shows an increase in the popularity of religious fanaticism, which endangers not only the safety and integrity of LGBTI individuals, but also the development of democratic and secular States. Religious fanaticist ideas are boomerangs that tend to hit their own promoters. Tactics of moral blame, sexual repression, or criminalization of people based on religious beliefs promote social instability and lead to a radicalization of opinions and actions. The defense of a secular State is more important than ever when specific religious groups are trying to violently impose their beliefs on others.

Statement 

The Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race & Equality) joins its voice to thousands of organizations working for the protection of LGBTI people’s rights so that “Justice and Protection for Everyone” can be a commitment assumed by the States and a reality for all individuals. In making this commitment, policies and actions have to be made to protect those that have historically been more vulnerable and oppressed by those who have abused their power.

Race & Equality is aware of the importance of listening to the voices of LGBTI people and calls on States to promote education and dialogue so that inequality, discrimination, and marginalization can be eradicated. Likewise, we urge the international community to continue making statements to promote the protection of LGBTI individuals, especially in this moment of crisis for human rights throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

Race and Equality Recognizing the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Message from Carlos Quesada – Executive Director Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights

Today, March 21st, we again commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In observing what is happening in the world and in our continent, I can only think about how discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and intolerance are gaining ground. They are highly present in the media, in politics, in our societies and in our daily lives. Fighting for the elimination of all forms of discrimination, xenophobia, homophobia, and intolerance is one of the fundamental pillars to promote social cohesion, the right to live, and diversity.

I want to call attention to the fact that in our continent, only three countries have ratified the Inter-American Convention Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Related Intolerance: Costa Rica, Uruguay, and Antigua and Barbuda. It is imperative that the rest of the States in the region truly assume the commitment to combat, punish, and eliminate this scourge that eats away at our societies. We urge States to sign and ratify this important Inter-American instrument, especially as a part of the Action Plans they should develop during the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015 – 2024).

We cannot allow Afro-descendants in the Americas to continue being the most marginalized populations and the most affected by the structural racism that is reflected in few state investments, high rates of illiteracy, under-representation in decision-making bodies, and under-representation within the system of administration of justice. Young Afro-descendants continue to be victims of racial profiling and police brutality. Afro-descendant women continue to have little access to health and education, which perpetuates high levels of poverty.

States are preparing to begin a new census round (2020) where we hope not only to have quanitifiable data on how many Afro-descendants there are, but also on the socioeconomic conditions of these populations. States must use this data to make a better use of their resources and invest in the most impoverished areas, which coincide with the areas in which Afro-descendants live.

In this second decade of the 21st century, it has become clear that Afro-descendants, thanks to their resilience, expect more than good intentions: they expect real structural changes. More Afro-descendant academics, politicians, professionals, and businesspeople have demonstrated not only the contributions they have made to their countries, but also that they are part of, have built, and will continue to build the identities of the countries where they live, from Canada to Argentina. This is true whether they are called black, African-Americans, Afro-latinos, palenqueros, raizales, o pretos!

From Race and Equality, we will continue to make visible, combat, and denounce the scourge of racial discrimination and other related forms of intolerance together with our partners in the hemisphere, who with their experience and struggle have made progress at both the national and international level.

“We will continue helping people with disabilities despite all obstacles.”

On March 26 and 27, Cuba will be reviewed by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as a State Party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In the spirit of the upcoming review, we present this interview with Juan del Pilar Goberna Hernández, founder of the Red de Cultura Inclusiva.

The Red de Cultura Inclusiva [Network of Inclusive Culture] is an independent organization that has provided assistance since 2016 to persons with motor, visual, and auditory disabilities in Cuba as a resource for people with disabilities living in a totalitarian context.

One of the drivers of this network is Juan del Pilar Goberna Hernández, a man who completely lost his vision six years ago and decided to dedicate all of his energy to fighting against the innumerable barriers of all kinds faced by persons with disabilities in Cuba.  This human rights activist was prevented from becoming a member of the Asociación Nacional del Ciego [National Association of the Blind] (ANCI) due to his expression of political ideas that run contrary to the Castro regime.

Why was the Network of Inclusive Culture founded, and what are its objectives? 

When I lost my eyesight in 2012, my family and I began to realize the difficulties these people have, how this and other disabilities change you and your family’s lives completely.  We also saw the huge amount of ignorance people have regarding disabilities, as they don’t even know that an international convention exists to protect their rights.

The Network was created in order to spread knowledge regarding these people’s rights, visualize their problems, and provide counsel in any way we can.  We are an entirely civic non-profit organization; we don’t wish to go against the government, but its intolerant stance prevents us from doing our work.

To date, what work has the Network done and what has been its scope and impact?

We have hosted dialogue roundtables and workshops with persons with disabilities and persons who wish to join the Network to help these types of people.  We monitor cases that don’t enjoy governmental protection or in which such protection has been very weak.  We prioritize human rights activists, due to the extreme vulnerability to which they are subject from the double discrimination they face.

In addition, we have created a database of many of the structural barriers that exist in the country.  We collect cases of persons with disabilities whose stories are published by the official media.  Our Network has reached provinces such as Holguín, Granma, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, and Matanzas.  We would travel and meet even more people but for a lack of available funds.

Although the impact of our work is reflected very slowly in the daily life of society, it was very rewarding when we learned that in Holguín, for example, last year 150 structural barriers were eliminated, and a greater number of publicity spots [aired] on television about how one should treat persons with disabilities.  The television program ‘Cuando una mujer’ [When A Woman] also has included cases of persons with some sort of physical limitation.

How has the regime’s repression toward the Network manifested itself?

On several occasions, when we learn of a case and visit the person, State Security visits them afterward and spreads fear in the person or makes them false promises that they will help them.  These people get scared and cut off contact with us.  Both my wife, Acelia Carvajal, and myself have been detained by State Security and they have threatened us in many ways and clearly tell us they will not allow us to do our work.

Other members of the Network, like Daniurka González, have also been interrogated by State Secrutity on several occasions.  When we host activities, we feel the political police are watching us.

The repression has increased since we attended the 164th Extraordinary Session of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on Persons with Disabilities in Mexico in September of last year (2018), where we made documented presentations on two cases of children with child cerebral paralysis who have been completely abandoned, out of a total of eight cases we had compiled.

During that event, we focused on several rights that are violated, such as the rights to association and assembly, as well as the discrimination suffered by people with disabilities for political reasons, for not agreeing with the government.

All of that upsets the regime, and that is why they have prohibited my wife from leaving the country, thereby ensuring we cannot continue to make presentations in international fora on the neglect and indifference shown by State institutions toward many, many people with disabilities in Cuba, and even moreso if they are political opponents.

What final message would you like to transmit regarding your civic work?

We would simply like to coexist alongside the associations created by the government for people with some type of disability, as well as help not only those people but also their relatives.  Our work is purely civic and humanitarian.  We have told the authorities time and again: all we wish is for is compliance with the established rights of persons with disabilities, which today are a dead letter.  And thus shall we continue, despite the obstacles.

International Women’s Day: WE ARE WOMEN IN THE STRUGGLE AND ALL OF US ARE DIVERSE!

On March 8, 2019, in commemoration of International Women’s Day, the International Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race & Equality) remembers and stands with the struggle of all women throughout the world for recognition and guarantees of their rights.

Despite the many efforts and clear progress made in the area of rights to improve the state of women in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially as regards the closure of gender gaps, and guarantee women’s real and effective access to health, education, employment, and political and economic participation, the huge challenge remains of overcoming the inequities that persist in virtually all spheres, particularly  when dealing with women who are racialized, ethnic, rural, or have diverse gender identities.

According to the data provided by Michelle Bachelet, the current United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in an article entitled The State of Women in Latin America: 25 Years of Light and Shadows, 9,300 women die every year from causes related to pregnancy and their deficient gynecological-obstetric practices.  For every 100 men who live in poverty, 118 women live in a similar state, a figure that accounts for a systematic increase in poverty among women in the region since 1997 and up to the present day.

Despite the fact that women’s participation in the labor market has made notable strides, women continue to be a minority presence, marked by a series of “micro-aggressions” related to gender parity, the reason for which, according to CEPAL, women’s participation in the labor market has stalled at around 53%, and the 78.1% of women who work are in sectors defined by CEPAL as having low productivity, entailing worse remuneration, low social security coverage, and less contact with technology and innovation.

As regards women’s political participation, the challenge remains to increasing the presence of women in spaces of power to thereby transform the patriarchal structures that make it impossible for women to have a presence in governments, the management of public and private businesses, and in the development of laws.  “As long as we are not allowed to be decision-makers [or] participate in spaces of power, the possibility of leveling the playing field and building our societies under equal conditions will be a utopia,” notes the chief.  

In the area of gender-based violence, Latin America and the Caribbean continue to present the highest rate of assaults against women, ranked 14 among the 25 countries with the highest indices of femicide in the world.  Approximately 2,100 women are assassinated every year (six per day and 175 every month) for the simple fact of being women, according to what Bachelet indicated.

The foregoing provides a quick glance at the state of women’s rights in the region; nonetheless, a series of factors that run contrary to them have cross-cut the recognition of women’s diversity and the particularity of their conditions vis-à-vis the enforceability of rights; that is, rural women, Afro-descendant women, and those with diverse sexual and gender identities additionally confront other types of violence that we should make visible on this day.

According to the CEPAL report Afro-Descendant Women in Latin America and the Caribbean: Debts of Equality, the ‘visibilization’ of the historic presence of Afro-descendant women demands recognition of their concrete experience as women who live within a historical, social, and cultural context of slave-owning and racist societies.  Contexts, therefore, that deepen the inequities faced by Afro-descendant women as compared with other social groups, due to their ‘invisibilization’ as subjects of differentiated policies with particular impacts and thus, worrisome indices of poverty, little possibility to access healthcare, education, employment, and participation in decision-making spaces much lower that that of the rest of the population, further undermined by racist and discriminatory logic that is a product of the historical legacy manifested in the ways in which Afro-descendant peoples develop in society.

Something similar occurs with lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex women who throughout history have confronted physical and symbolic violence incorporated into the social group that makes it impossible for their sexual and gender identities to be recognized and thus, have their fundamental rights guaranteed.

According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA), persons who self-identify as having an identity that differs from cisgender (socially concordant with the sex assigned at birth) or are socially recognized [as such], suffer from innumerable human rights violations.  In particular, in Latin America women are the recipients of a series of violent acts on the part of male chauvinists who stigmatize and/or pigeonhole them in roles in which they are not allowed to freely express themselves and recognize their identity.  It is thus that on average, the life expectancy of trans women is no greater than 30 years; their participation in the labor market lags behind, a high percentage of them work in the informal sector or as sexual workers, and they confront violent and complex processes for accessing health [and] education services and participating in spaces of decision-making and power.

We at Race & Equality call on all of the States of Latin America and the Caribbean to continue working to ensure guarantees and recognition of women’s rights.  Unquestionably, empowered women break the cycles of violence and poverty, decisive factors in making progress in consolidating societies that are more equitable and democratic.  To ensure that result, it is essential to continue working to break historically rooted patriarchal schemas, especially as they relate to women’s participation in decision-making spaces.

We urge the States to not lose sight of plurality and diversity in the construction of what it means to be a woman, in which it is essential to undertake affirmative actions that recognize Afro-descendant [and] rural women and women with diverse sexual and gender identities, in this way breaking the barriers that historically have systematically prevented the inclusion and participation of this group of women in social life and ensured that their future generations were subject to the same vicious cycle of inequality, racism, and discrimination.

LGBTI human rights promoted in Miami’s Ward 4

Washington, DC, February 19, 2019 – Over the course of three days, tens of leaders, defenders, and activists from the LGBTI community on the American continent met in the 4Ward Miami event organized by 4Ward America to share their experiences [and] knowledge and search for opportunities to connect through different activities.

More than 30 speakers participated in the event, held February 16-18, who spoke about the state of LGBTI persons in their respective countries vis-à-vis various topics.  Public officials also participated, such as Fabrice Houdart, a United Nations Human Rights Officer; Susan Harper, Consul General of Canada in Miami; and Congressman David Richardson, a Florida Representative in the United States House of Representatives.

The International Institute of Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race & Equality), in addition to being the official sponsor of the event, was a participant, represented by its LGBTI Programs Officer for Latin America, Mauricio Noguera, and several partner organizations: Cristián King, Executive Director of Organización de Transexuales, Travestis y Transgéneros de la Republica Dominicana [Organization of Transsexuals, Transvestites, and Transgender Persons of the Dominican Republic] (TRANSSA); Bruna Benevides, Secretary of the Articulación Política de la Asociación Nacional de Transexuales de Brasil [Political Coordinating Body of the National Association of Transsexuals of Brazil] (ANTRA); and Luna Sharlotte Humerez, President of Organización de Transexuales, Travestis y Transgénero Femeninas de Bolivia [Organization of Transsexuals, Transvestites, and Transgender Females of Bolivia] (OTRAF).

Noguera expounded upon the current state of LGBIT rights in Latin America; Humerez and Benavides spoke on the state of LGBTI women in the Americas, specifically in their countries of origin and in particular spheres, such as indigenous trans women; and King presented on the current state of the LGBTI population with HIV and AIDS in the region, wherein he placed particular emphasis on explaining a law on the topic that is applied in the Dominican Republic.

“It was relevant for our partner organizations to be able to be heard in this type of international forum, to be able to bring information on their countries and present it in this space.  In addition, it was relevant for all of us to come together to dialogue, analyze common problems, establish alliances, and share concerns,” noted Noguera.

Thanks to the support of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the United States Department of State, Race & Equality was able to sponsor the event and facilitate the attendance of the aforementioned international invitees.

The Symposium on LGBTI Human Rights also addressed issues such as environmental sustainability, healthcare, immigration, and sports, all of which were focused on the measure to which they intersect with the various degrees of security, equity, and freedom experienced by LGBTI persons.

November 20 – International Day of Transsexual Memory

“I am convinced that the engine of change is love.  The love we were denied
is our impetus to change the world.  All of the blows and slights
I suffered cannot compare with the infinite
love that surrounds me at this time.”
– Lohana Berkins (1965-2016), transvestite activist

On the International Day of Transsexual Memory, the International Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights honors the memory of transsexuals who have lost their lives as a result of acts of intolerance, hate, and discrimination due to their gender identity in Latin America and the Caribbean.  November 20 is also a day to celebrate the lives of transsexuals who, despite social exclusion, limits on exercising their rights, and the absence of social policies that address their basic needs, continue their fight to defend their rights and construct networks of social transformation starting from their local milieus.

Discrimination, violence, segregation against transsexuals, and diverse gender-based segregation constitute a structural aspect of society; therefore, throughout history, their rights have been subject to a vicious cycle of violence, degradation, and oppression that has made it harder for them to enjoy the guarantees of a decent and complete life.

Around the world, transsexuals are subject to mockery, blackmail, physical and sexual assault, and assassination due to their diverse identities.  In addition, they are denied the opportunity to decent employment, medical care in keeping with their needs, and to be seen as subjects worthy of respect and recognition in society.  The stigma to which transsexuals are subject leads to the ‘invisibilization’ of their realities and experiences, as well as ignorance regarding the multiple challenges, barriers, and human rights violations they face.  It is thus that in the majority of countries, data on violence against transsexuals and gender-diverse persons are not systematically produced; therefore, it becomes impossible to calculate the exact number of cases.

Race & Equality observes with concern how the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean continue to have the highest rates of homicides of transsexuals due to motives of prejudice and discrimination, as well as the rationale of machismo and fundamentalist ideas that ignore the diversity, freedom, and autonomy of individuals to identify and define themselves.

Notwithstanding these adverse contexts of violence, we see throughout Latin America experiences of solidarity and leadership that transcend the margins of social exclusion and make known the social demands of transsexuals.  Transsexual leaders are the ones who have been able to impact local public policies, build support networks that have evinced the violence they experience, and above all, generate creative responses for social change from spaces of exclusion.

Race & Equality, within the framework of this commemoration, calls on the States in the region to expand spaces for social dialogue with organizations of transsexuals [and] strengthen the mechanisms for investigating the violence of which this population has been the victim, so as to overcome impunity and jointly define with transsexual leaders social policies of transformation that truly impact their most immediate needs.  We are convinced that transsexuals should continue to be remembered for their transformative acts, rather than for the unpunished violence by which they are eliminated.

October 26: International Intersex Awareness Day

Within the framework of International Intersex Awareness Day, the International Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race & Equality) calls for an end to the discrimination, exclusion, torture, patholization, unnecessary medicalization, and ‘invisibilization’ of intersex persons and their families in the region.  In this sense, Race & Equality reminds [people] that intersex persons are those whose sexual anatomy does not physically adjust to culturally-defined standards for the ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’ body.  Having said that, what does that actually mean?  We set forth some questions and answers below so as to best approach this issue:

Is intersexuality the same as hermaphroditism?

No.  Although in the cultural imagination hermaphroditism is associated with the figure in Greek literature that has external sexual characteristics associated with the presence of a penis, a vulva, and breasts, in fact in botany and zoology hermaphroditism refers to the reproductive capacity of a plant or animal that can even self-inseminate.  When we refer to people, there is consensus in the scientific community that it is more appropriate to refer to intersexuality.  Some activists, such as Mauro Cabral, prefer to refer to themselves as intersex persons, thereby lending political value to this discussion beyond medical-legal discussions.

 Is intersexuality the same as transgenderism?

 No.  Although both concepts can converge, it is important to have a clear understanding that:

  1. Intersexuality is a biological characteristic that is associated with persons’ genetic and corporeal development (what we traditionally have called ‘sex’) and can be externally visible in the body of a person from the moment of his/her birth.
  2. Transgenderism is more associated with how a person constructs him/herself over the course of his/her life and how he/she presents him/herself to society (what we refer to as ‘gender identity’), although this process can include corporeal interventions to bring the body more into agreement with the [person’s] gender identity.

If intersexuality is biological and innate to a person, why is it necessary to have an intersex day?

  1. It is important to keep in mind that despite the fact that intersexuality if a biological reality, many people are not aware of this fact and by extension, of the existence of intersex persons.
  2. The denial of this biological reality in the educational arena (it is not taught from a young age) is also reflected in the legal sphere, which only recognizes ‘two biological sexes,’ even though the reality is much broader than that; this produces important consequences in the lives of intersex persons.
  3. The origin of this day dates back to 1996 when intersex activists protested in front of the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Boston against the genital mutilations and hormonal treatments performed on intersex persons at an early age without their informed consent.

Are intersex persons the victims of human rights violations?

Yes.  Intersex persons have been the victims of multiple violations reflected in various spheres of their lives:

  1. Their existence is denied in the legal and medical arenas, given that in many countries only two sexes are legally recognized: male and female. Nonetheless, this is changing with the recognition of gender neutrality.
  2. As a result of the foregoing, surgical procedures are imposed on intersex persons from a very early age. Current protocols are applied to them, even though that means carrying out unnecessary surgical interventions with the intention of ‘normalizing’ their genitals, without the person first giving his/her informed consent.  It should be noted that these interventions give rise to irreversible consequences in the emotional, physical, and sexual life of those individuals, including sterilization and genital mutilation, without them being medically necessary in the great majority of the cases.
  3. Human rights protection entities – such as the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission – have documents grave violations of intersex persons’ human rights, above all with relation to discrimination, ‘invisibilization,’ the lack of official information, medical treatments they tend to receive since birth and throughout the course of their lives, barriers to accessing their medical charts, and even difficulty with obtaining recognition of their legal status in public identity registries.
  4. According to the testimonies of diverse intersex persons, the nature of the interventions oftentimes gives rise to the need for multiple surgeries at different times in their lives, producing chronic pain, possible health problems, and the need to carry out extremely invasive routine procedures comparable to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or torture.

For all of these reasons, Race & Equality condemns the patholization and childhood genital mutilation practices endured by some intersex persons, and calls on the States in the region to assume their international obligations without further delay to protect human rights and comprehensively recognize, guarantee, and protect, with no patholization and in consultation with intersex persons, their human rights.

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