…provide more opportunities for marginalised youth
Local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) advocacy body, Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) has issued a call to the recently elected People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government to repeal the nation’s anti-LGBTQ laws as well as provide more opportunities for growth for marginalised youth.
Head of SASOD Joel Simpson
SASOD made the call on International Youth Day (IYD) on Wednesday. IYD provides the opportunity to recognise 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 centre 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 marginalised youth who are subject to discrimination, violence, and persecution, for simply being who they are.
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, according to SASOD.
The organisation noted that 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. Hence, it identified five key areas in which the PPP/C can commence work so as to address the issues marginalised youth face.
SASOD explained that most importantly, the new Government should commence work to repeal Sections 351 to 353 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act which criminalises same-sex intimacy between consenting, adult men in private. Additionally, it should also include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as prohibited grounds for discrimination in the Prevention of Discrimination Act (Section 4).
The advocacy body also called for the Ministry of Education to introduce, in its curriculum, Comprehensive Sexuality Education in 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.
Moreover, SASOD advised that Government should also look at providing increased access to housing for LGBTQ+ people, especially children, who have been temporarily displaced or rendered homeless due to bias violence. In addition, the body added that comprehensive and accessible entrepreneurial training programmes for vulnerable groups, especially LGBTQ+ youth, and making capital accessible to start up small businesses through grants and low-interest lending schemes should be looked at.
SASOD Guyana asserted that those top 5 actions, coupled with supportive programmes, will move the needle for marginalised youth and advance equality for all young people.
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 two years ago.
They 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, marginalised 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.
