Today, November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
On this day we want to bring attention to ever rising rates of violence that women experience globally. Sexual and gender-based violence is perpetrated against a person’s will and is based on gender norms and unequal power relationships. In most cases violence is committed by men against women.
LGBTIQ+ people are also subjected to high rates of sexual and gender-based violence. In addition to gender norms, this violence is also driven by heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and intersexphobia.
In many cases violence is inflicted by states that criminalise same-sex relationships, conduct harmful medical interventions on intersex people or prohibit the freedom to be who you are by depriving trans people a possibility to transition or enforcing inhumane conditions for transitioning.
In almost all cases, violence is inflicted by families and communities too. This includes forced marriage, sexual violence, family violence, conversion therapies, depravation of liberty and many more forms; all driven by the power and control.
What is important to understand that when LGBTIQ+ people are seeking safety and crossing borders, this does not mean that violence stops. Often it continues even in countries that supposed to be safe. Sexual harassment at work, the choice between being homeless and forced to engage in survival sex for ‘protection’, exclusion, racism, homophobia and erasure are among many ways violence continues.
This year theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is Fund, Respond, Prevent and Collect. Let’s all work together to end violence against LGBTIQ+ people.
Fund:
FDPN is an LGBTIQ+ refugee-led organisation that works towards a world that is safe for LGBTIQ+ people. Become a part of this important work: https://chuffed.org/project/support-lgbtiq-refugees By becoming our monthly donor, you are helping hundreds of LGBTIQ+ to stay safe.
Respond and Prevent:
We must respond to the pandemic of violence. As communities we must step up to ensure that LGBTIQ+ forcibly displaced people are safe. Each and everyone has a role to play.
Sign on to the Canberra Statement on the access to safety and justice for LGBTIQ+ forcibly displaced people to show your commitment today: https://fdpn.org.au/policy/canberra-statement/
Collect:
Data collection is crucial to make LGBTIQ+ people visible. Support services need to be both collecting data that goes beyond gender binaries and creating safe conditions in their services for all their clients.
FDPN offers training for services to help you make your services safe and inclusive for LGBTIQ+ forcibly displaced people. Book your one: https://fdpn.org.au/for-services-and-stakeholders/
Today, we remember the lost to violence lives and acknowledge those those who survived. Every day we are working to prevent this violence from happening. LGBTIQ+ forcibly displaced people deserve life is safety, freedom and dignity.
Forcibly Displaced People Network 