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Last Updated : 2024-04-24 04:08:00
8 December 2019 04:15 pm - 4 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka’s authorities must end discrimination against LGBTI people, Amnesty International said yesterday as the human rights organisation published a comic book recounting the struggles of LGBTI people in Sri Lanka.
“Spectrum: Four Stories of Discrimination Faced by LGBTI People in Sri Lanka: Four Stories of Discrimination Faced by LGBTI People in Sri Lanka” is a comic book that tells four true stories of how LGBTI people in Sri Lanka have suffered discrimination and violence in their daily lives, from workplace bullying to police harassment.
“Being persecuted for sexual orientation or gender identity has no place in our world today, and yet, individuals in Sri Lanka continue to face discrimination, abuse and a complete lack of protection for their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Rehab Mahamoor, Research Assistant at Amnesty International.
The stories that highlight the experiences of Manju, Samanali, Kiruthika and Thenu in the comic book show the alarming and various ways the police handle cases that involve LGBTI people, often treating them like criminals when they are the ones being victimised. Societal taboo has been punishing for LGBTI individuals when it comes to their jobs, homes and schools – compromising their ability to access services that are central to realising their human rights.
“Individuals must not be discriminated on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity, but Sri Lanka has made little to no progress towards setting aside the laws that do. A safer environment for LGBTI people must be created before the situation in Sri Lanka deteriorates further. The laws that prevent that from happening must be repealed and protections that help uphold the rights of LGBTI people should be put in place without delay,” said Rehab Mahamoor.
In 1883, the British who had taken control of the island of Sri Lanka, passed the Penal Code, the main law which defines what is a crime in Sri Lanka. Section 365 and 365A prohibited “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” and “gross indecency”. The Penal Code did not give a specific explanation of what these meant, but these vague and overly broad 136-year-old colonial laws are still being used to target LGBTI people in Sri Lanka today.
A Sunday, 08 December 2019 04:28 PM
Country has better things to worry than this .
Christopher Ollegasegrem Sunday, 08 December 2019 06:39 PM
Sri Lanka is a country steeped in culture and old fashioned values. We have the right to decide what we believe, what is right and and what is acceptable to our lifestyle, based on our values and culture. The western world who like to think of themselves as "civilised" are actually far behind eastern cultures when it comes to morality and socially acceptable behaviour and values. They are morally corrupt and bankrupt. So let us keep our Moral Compass as is, and not be dictated to accept what the west have accepted as their "civilised" values, which have seen the breakdown in the"family unit" with children growing up in dysfunctional homes. We as Sri Lankan's have a far greater degree of morality and justice than the west, where AI is based and funded. LGBTI people can follow whatever lifestyle they chose,behind closed doors, in their own privacy, but should not have the "RIGHT" to foist their lifestyle down our throats just because it is fashionable in the west.
Karl Sunday, 08 December 2019 07:26 PM
LGBT people need not discrimination nor special recognition.... Its their personal thing and others shouldnt need special attention. AI has a habbit of poking in to other countries affairs...
Jude Sunday, 08 December 2019 08:16 PM
First and foremost these people should be evaluated by a Psychiatrist!!! This is NOT normal human behavior!!!??? LGBTI people are sick people!!!
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