Thank you President.
Akahata makes this statement on behalf of the Sexual Rights Initiative.
We thank the Independent Expert for the report, which highlights the need to address violence against LBQ women by tackling the structural factors that sustain it and recognizing the limitations of exclusively punitive responses. We particularly appreciate the report’s intersectional approach, which links these forms of violence to the inequalities that this population faces in accessing rights, resources, and opportunities throughout their lives.
As the report rightly notes, such violence is often preceded by harassment, threats, institutional discrimination, and inadequate State responses. It is therefore essential to strengthen prevention and early protection measures, particularly in contexts of conflict, territorial control by armed groups or criminal gangs, and criminal violence.
We welcome the report’s attention to the discrimination faced by LBQ women who are mothers or wish to become mothers, especially restrictions on the recognition and registration of children with two mothers, as well as the disproportionate caregiving responsibilities that often fall upon them within their families of origin. It is also urgent to raise awareness of the impacts of violence on mental health, including high levels of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, particularly among young people.
We urge States to implement the Independent Expert’s detailed recommendations to strengthen, adequately fund, or establish specialized institutions for data collection and knowledge production, and to ensure timely responses, including effective access to justice, as well as the repeal of all laws that enable discrimination and violence against LBQ women.
Thank you.