Sri Lanka’s anti-LGBTI laws further abuse that transgender people and others that do not conform to social expectations face on the island, reports Human Rights Watch.
With the release of a new 63-page report, the human rights organisation found that Sri Lankan laws left transgender and intersex people unprotected, whilst abuse and arbitrary detention continued with impunity.
Yuvraj Joshi, Gruber fellow in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights program at Human Rights Watch and author of the report said,
“While the government has begun to address these issues, it should urgently seek to eliminate laws and practices that discriminate on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.”
The report comes after Sinhala Buddhist activists from Sinha Le threatened to attack Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) activists organising a pride event in Colombo earlier this year.
The threats were highlighted by the UK Liberal Democrat peer and Vice Chair of Parliament’s APPG on Global LGBT Rights Baroness Barker, who called on the FCO to challenge the Sri Lankan government
The FCO previous noted a “negative trend” in LGBTI rights in Sri Lanka.
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