LGBT Rights: The Yogyakarta Principles
international |
gender and sexuality |
other press
Tuesday March 27, 2007 23:16
by redjade
gay rights & international human rights law
19/03/2007
The Yogyakarta Principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity will be launched on 26 March 2007 in Geneva.
The Yogyakarta Principles is a document prepared by an international group of human rights lawyers and experts. Convened by the International Service for Human Rights, the International Commission of Jurists and chaired by Professor Michael O'Flaherty. This group was supported by a secretariat representing international LGBT organisations including ARC International, Human Rights Watch, IGLHRC, ILGA and ILGA-Europe.
ILGA-Europe welcomes this document and will look forward to being part of the international application of these principles in the continuing struggle for the recognition of LGBT rights as human rights.
[....]
These Principles were developed at a meeting of international human rights experts in Yogyakarta, Indonesia last November, co-hosted by the International Commission of Jurists and the International Service for Human Rights, on behalf of a coalition of human rights organisations. The Principles identify binding human rights standards with which governments must comply, and have been adopted by judges, academics, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, members of treaty bodies, NGOs and others.
The Yogyakarta Principles address a broad range of human rights issues relevant to sexual orientation and gender identity issues around the world - whether it's a challenge to colonial criminal laws in India, proposed discriminatory legislation in Nigeria, the murder of a transgender activist in Argentina, responding to police abuses in the US, addressing violence against métis in Nepal, the banning of a Pride march in Russia, exclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity issues from European school curricula, so-called "corrective" rape and punitive violence directed against lesbians in countries around the world, with impunity for the perpetrators - the Principles make clear that these are human rights abuses in violation of international law and that the international community must respond.
The Principles will be formally launched on Monday, March 26, immediately following a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. In addition, parallel events held during the Council will enable discussion and analysis of the Principles and their application to issues of sexual orientation and gender identity around the world.
read the rest at...
http://www.ilga-europe.org/europe/news/the_yogyakarta_p...eneva
printable version
Digg this
del.icio.us
Furl
Reddit
Technorati
Facebook
Gab
Twitter
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (7 of 7)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7links of supporting orgs....
International Service for Human Rights
http://www.ishr.ch/
International Commission of Jurists
http://www.icj.org/
ARC International
http://www.arc-international.net/
Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org/
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
http://www.iglhrc.org/
ILGA-Europe
International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA)
http://www.ilga-europe.org/
yeah, there's always gonna be an irish connection - isn't there?
Michael O'Flaherty
Michael O'Flaherty read law at University College Dublin (BCL), theology and philosophy at the Gregorian University, Rome (BPh, STB), international relations at the University of Amsterdam (MA, MPhil) and is a Solicitor of the Irish Courts. He is Reader in Human Rights and Co-Director of the Human Rights Law Centre.
In 2004, on nomination by the Irish government, he was elected to a four year term as Member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee. His research interests are in the field of human rights, with particular reference to conflict and post-conflict situation and the law and practice of United Nations human rights treaty bodies and he has published extensively on these and related topics.
[....]
Michael O’Flaherty is a Visiting Professor at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (Pisa), Fellow of Kingston University and serves as an advisor to a number of international organisations, including OHCHR, UNICEF and the Sierra Leone Special Court.
from: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - Human Rights Committee
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/membersCVs/ofla...y.htm
10% of Irish boys schools do not have a sex education programme- it is dropped because
they want the boys to hit academic targets.
13% of our elected representatives are women- less than most of the EU.
The political parties do no select women from community and advocacy groups, but tend
to 'hot-house' women in male-dominated political organisations.
(our female representation is lower than areas in sub-sahara Africa).
The sex-education report indicates that some secondary schools are skewing the information to fit into
the religious ethos of the school. and not providing knowledge in an unbiased way.
The Criminal Law (sexual offences) bill 2006 Criminalises boys for early sexual activity
and girls have no guaranteed protection of their human rights to privacy and bodily integrity
under that Bill.
There is no right to therapeutic/medical abortion for girls/immigrant women and cancer
sufferers in this country.
The primacy of the family in the constitution creates and sustains gender discrimination.
Mainstreaming in education and the cuts to the travellers capitation grants programme
has starved the engineering sector and created needless suffering by advancing the ideology
of a knowledge- based economy thereby leading to discrimination of both sexes in econmic
and work terms.
No access to Free, Safe and Legal abortion has causd suffering to many Irish women.
Section 5 of the proposed referendum on protection does little other than reverse section 5
of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences )Bill 2006, and does not guarantee the rights of either
sex in the pre-consent age group.
The Government has refused to copperfasten the rights of the child to education, knowledge
and basic medical human rights by starving the state sector and advancing the private concerns
of big business. The State , represented by Brian Lenihan was asked to answer to this in Geneva,
it was largely ignored by the Irish media.
I have read through the articles of this document here:
http://www.yogyakartaprinciples.org/index.php?item=25
These are basic human rights. There is no need to discriminate between men, women, Muslim, Christian, Old, Young or Gay in these matters. We are all, as human beings, entitled to these rights. I don't think it is helpful for self-interest groups to demand human rights particularly for their own group but rather to assist in their delivery to all humans regardless of differences.
Of course all the signatories of this document are legal professionals. It is the legal and political structures who gain most by the division of society in separate specific interest groups who they can then play off against one another for a rather decent living.
I already support these human rights, as do most people and like most people, what somebody does in their bedroom doesn't concern me.
C Murray,
Any chance you could translate the paragraph beginning "Mainstreaming in education....." into English?
Just one example: WTF is "discrimination of BOTH sexes" (my capitals) I mean if both sexes are being discriminated against, just who is being treated favourably? The bisexual and transgendered?
works.bepress.com/jakob_cornides/20/
and
works.bepress.com/jakob_cornides/17/
It should be:
http://works.bepress.com/jakob_cornides/20/
and
http://works.bepress.com/jakob_cornides/17/