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The Real Challenge
The homophobic nature of Guyanese society, SASOD contends, makes it incumbent upon the state to create conditions in which SASOD can operate without fear of intimidation, the burden of stigma, or the oppression of discrimination. “This is the real challenge we face as the process unfolds,” SASOD said in a statement to mark the observance of World Human Rights Day 2012, observed yesterday.
Accordingly, SASOD says, “The appointment of a special select parliamentary committee to hold public consultations on these and other key human rights challenges and corporal and capital punishment presents a golden opportunity to emancipate Guyana from these colonial practices.”
Affirming that this wanton violation of human rights must stop, SASOD declared: “Human rights are not a privilege; each and every one of us is entitled to them as human beings. We must all be treated fairly (and) our rights must be protected, respected and fulfilled. Equal rights for all Guyanese must become a reality, and it is our human duty to speak out until it does.”
SASOD affirms that, on this historic day, it stands with all who suffer violations of their human rights; and echoes the theme for this year, set by the United Nations (UN) Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights, which is: “Inclusion and the right to participate in public life.”
The theme aims to highlight the rights of all people to be included in the decision-making processes and to participate in public life.
In the statement, SASOD alluded to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s Human Rights Day message, in which he stated: “Everyone has the right to be heard and to shape the decisions that affect their community”.
SASOD reminded that this right is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is fully integrated in international law, especially in Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).”
Not only has Guyana signed and ratified the ICCPR, SASOD said, but it is directly into the Guyana Constitution under Article 154A, and therefore is part and parcel of the ‘supreme law of the land.’
Archaic laws
Noting that every human being is entitled to be treated fairly and equally, SASOD said that in 21st-century Guyana, archaic laws still exist which criminalize same-sex intimacy and cross-dressing, while perpetuating many forms of discrimination and social stigma against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Guyanese.
SASOD concedes that the appointment of a special select parliamentary committee to hold public consultations on these and other key human rights challenges and corporal and capital punishment presents a golden opportunity to emancipate Guyana from these colonial practices.
Inclusivity and equality
“But inclusivity and equality must be our guiding principles as the nation embarks on this process. If we are serious about our commitment to human rights for all Guyanese, public consultations should not be a euphemism for a popularity poll. As Article 13 of the Constitution of Guyana makes clear, ‘The principal objective of the political system of the state is to establish an inclusionary democracy by providing increasing opportunities for the participation of citizens and their organisations in the management and decision-making processes of the state, with particular emphasis on those areas of decision-making that directly affect their well-being’.
“It is the people whose lives these laws directly affect who have the greatest stake in this issue, and their voices must be heard and (made to) play a central role in this process. That is inclusivity in operation,” the SASOD statement contends.
Rights abuses
Commenting on blatant rights’ abuses to which the LGBT community is subjected, SASOD declared: “LGBT Guyanese continue to experience rights’ abuses in their daily lives. Youths continue to suffer homophobic and trans-phobic bullying in schools by their peers and those who supervise them. They are assaulted and verbally abused while others witness and do nothing to help. Yet, many of their painful stories never make official reports, because they fear retaliatory acts and re-victimization by those who should protect them.
“Notably, transgender folks continue to be harassed and extorted by the police to perform sexual favours. Discrimination impedes the rights to work, housing and health for many LGBT Guyanese”, the statement declared.
“SASOD takes umbrage at the fact that Guyanese laws offer them (LGBT) no protection, but instead brand them as unapprehended criminals for their private acts and choice of clothing. This must stop!” the SASOD statement concluded.
