United Nations Independent Expert and OAS Rapporteur meet with LGBTQI+ civil society in Saint Lucia
The Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality Inc, is an independent umbrella of human rights organisations operating in the small islands in the eastern Caribbean from the Virgin Islands to Grenada.
Civil society organisations on Saint Lucia were this week given an unparalleled opportunity to meet with the United Nations Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (IE SOGI), Mr. Victor Madrigal-Borloz and Commissioner Roberta Clarke, Rapporteur on LGBTI persons of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR). The experts were invited by the Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE) and the International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) to take part in a series of academic events taking place in Saint Lucia on 12-13 September.
In an open session and in meetings with civil society organisations, Madrigal-Borloz, and Commissioner Clarke presented their respective mandates, as well as working methods and avenues of participation and collaboration with their respective mandates. CSOs working on issues of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, health and reproductive health, HIV and youth, engaged with these experts around their advocacy at the local level. Representatives of ECADE expanded on the situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) and gender diverse people on Saint Lucia.
Executive Director of ECADE, Kenita Placide, said, «By engaging in further discourse on the impact of discriminatory laws, policies and practices and the social inclusion of LGBTQI+ people, we continue to take steps towards building a more inclusive society».
«ECADE continues to create spaces for civil society to express their challenges with working with marginalised communities and confronting harmful policies and practices that contravene the rights of LGBTQI+ people».
On 27 June 2022, the High Court of Antigua and Barbuda declared Laws commonly referred to as «buggery» and «gross indecency» laws were unconstitutional. The EC Supreme Court in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis issued a similar decision on 29 August 2022. These are part of a five-country legal challenge launched by ECADE in 2020 to repeal these outdated colonial laws.