Gender & Sexual Solidarity: News & Updates

In this monthly newsletter, please read about : 1) ICE Air: Update on Removal Flight Trends, 2) US Government Policy: Some legislators and DHS trying to do more to offer humanitarian relief to migrants, 3) Migration Impacts on Women, 4) At the Border, 5) Beyond Borders: Health and Safety in the Age of Migration in Mexico, 6) Changing Demographics: Migrants to the US Come from Different Corners of the Globe, 7) Danger in the Darién Gap: Human rights abuses and the need for human pathways to safety, 8) Texas Gets Tough on Migrants, 9) Economic Benefits of Immigration – both documented and undocumented migrants, 10) Biden Can Claim Record Numbers of Removals.

TAKE ACTION NOW

Here is what you can do to take action this week and act in solidarity with migrants and their families. (See details at the bottom of this newsletter.)

A) Join a Solidarity Delegation to Southern Mexico:  November 11-16, 2024

B) Stop Criminalizing Migrants Traveling through the Darién Gap

C) Volunteer to Assistant Migrants and Refugees in Cleveland: Catholic Charities

D) Volunteer to Assistant Migrants and Refugees in Cleveland: NEO Friends of Immigrants

E) Get Paid to Assist Migrants and Refugees in Cleveland

F) Act Now for Welcoming, Dignified, and Just Immigration

Read the full IRTF Migrant Justice Newsletter each month at https://www.irtfcleveland.org/blog  

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) submitted an application to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights regarding the case of Leonela Zelaya, a transgender woman from Honduras who faced extensive gender-based violence and discrimination. Zelaya, a sex worker, was brutally attacked by police in 2004 and later found dead under suspicious circumstances, with evidence suggesting she was a victim of transfemicide. The Honduran state failed to adequately investigate the crime or prevent violence against LGBTI individuals, violating multiple human rights treaties.

The IACHR found Honduras responsible for violating Zelaya's rights to life, personal integrity, dignity, and non-discrimination, among others. They recommended comprehensive reparations for these violations, including financial compensation, healthcare for affected parties, and improvements in law enforcement training and public awareness campaigns to prevent future violence. The case underscores broader issues of systemic discrimination and impunity faced by LGBTI individuals in Honduras, highlighting the ongoing struggle for justice and equality in the region.

The UN Human Rights Committee reiterated its concern about the large scale of intimidation and violence and the high rates of killings of human rights defenders committed by both State agents and private individuals or groups. The Committee was also disturbed by the difficulties faced by victims in accessing justice, the lack of effective investigations, and the delays in judicial proceedings. It called on Honduras to adopt effective measures to protect human rights defenders, particularly environmental and land rights defenders, journalists, trade unionists, agrarian and peasant activists, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and LGBTI people. The State party should also promptly and thoroughly investigate these human rights violations, bring those responsible to justice, and provide full reparations to victims. 

El Salvador has been under a state of exception since March 2022. As a response to combat the country’s powerful street gangs, this “temporary measure” suspended constitutional rights, such as the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial. Cristosal presents its findings of our two-year investigation on the impact. The effects of these punitive policies have had a ripple effect throughout Salvadoran society, which is disproportionately felt by women.  Drawing from 3,643 reports from victims and their families, Cristosal has found deplorable detention conditions, lack of medical care, and cases of torture.  With mass detention and the deaths of at least 265 people in custody (including four infants), “the justice system has failed and is complicit in the systematic violation of the human rights of the Salvadoran people.”

Click here to read the press release from Cristosal.

Growing up queer in Nicaragua - by Julia Chinamo.

“I viscerally remember that moment in my life because it was so, so painful for me,” he shakes his head. “My dad then hit me, not with a belt, but he hit me with a hose and when the hose split open on my back, he hit me with the electrical cord from the iron…I received so many blows that my right eye swelled shut and my lip was split open and then my dad threw me out into the street with all my clothes. For me, it felt like that day was the last day of my life.”

In 2008, following the Sandinista party’s return to power, a law was passed overturning the penalization of homosexuality and making it illegal to discriminate against someone based on sexual orientation. Since then, the Sandinista government has also passed laws specifically guaranteeing equal rights and opportunities for the LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, public institutions have administrative regulations in place to ensure that no one faces discrimination for their sexual orientation or gender identity.

“If I compare Nicaragua with other countries in the world,” explains Julio, “we have regulations, public policy, legal framework, and laws that support us. Here you cannot violate the rights of a trans woman because she is a trans woman - you cannot deprive her of her life, her freedom. I consider that Nicaragua is an example for the whole Central American region and for all of Latin America.”

Julio is an activist, and his personal struggles and triumphs are intrinsically linked with those of his larger community and his country. 

A recent study by Caribbean Affirmative in Colombia revealed alarming statistics regarding violence against the LGBTQ community. On average, one LGBTQ person is murdered every two days in the country. Despite Colombia's progressive legal framework for LGBTQ rights, only a small percentage of cases progress to trial, and violence against the community persists. Trans individuals face the highest risk, with Colombia among the countries reporting the most hate crimes against them in Latin America. Visibility remains a challenge, particularly outside urban areas, where discrimination and violence are more prevalent. The organization calls attention to the state's indifference to these cases and demands a change in attitude from institutions to effectively address and prevent violence against LGBTQ individuals. They emphasize the need for improved data collection and enforcement of laws to ensure the safety and rights of LGBTQ people in Colombia.

The article reports coordinated attacks on LGBTI+ communities in El Salvador by President Nayib Bukele and Argentinian President Javier Milei following their speeches at the CPAC conference. Milei focused on banning inclusive gender language in the government, while Bukele's government removed gender and sexual diversity references from schools and healthcare clinics. In response, the "Movimiento Ampliado LGBT+ de El Salvador" released a statement on Zero Hate Day, criticizing the attacks as a smokescreen to divert attention from broader societal issues, such as economic struggles, police abuse, and a democratic crisis. The statement emphasizes that targeting the LGBTI+ community will not address systemic problems and calls for solidarity, denouncing injustice and organizing against discrimination.

A Salvadoran woman, identified as Lilian, has been released from prison after more than seven years, where she was serving a 30-year sentence for having an abortion. Lilian gave birth to a baby in 2015, who suffered health complications and died three days later. El Salvador has a strict anti-abortion law with a total ban, and Lilian was accused of negligence and aggravated murder for allegedly not taking care of the fetus. Lilian, who maintained her innocence, was released based on her vulnerable situation in the hospital. The country's abortion ban, in place since 1998, does not have exemptions for cases of rape or health risks for the mother. Campaign groups continue to advocate for women's reproductive rights, emphasizing the need for justice. Despite calls for change, President Nayib Bukele has no intention of altering the current abortion law, reflecting the influence of the predominantly Roman Catholic and Evangelical population in the country.