LGBT get poor treatment at police stations, hospitals - UNDP Analyst

LGBT get poor treatment at police stations, hospitals – UNDP Analyst

May 29, 2014 News

By Leon Suseran

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Analyst in Guyana, Trevon Benn, who holds responsibility for HIV work for UNDP, has stated that while prevalence of HIV has gone down in Guyana, the number of cases amongst Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders (LGBT) has increased.
As such, UNDP has been working collaboratively with numerous stakeholders across the country to sensitize and spread information to the LGBT community about the spread of the deadly virus.

LGBT members, social workers and N/A and Linden IMC councillors during the media briefing.

One of the intents of UNDP, he added, is to train a number of people to be able to sustain the work the organization is doing in relation to HIV and Human Rights in Guyana.
Benn, speaking at an LGBT/Human Rights workshop in New Amsterdam, recently, stated that LGBT persons are complaining that they are not being able to access the types of medical and security services.
Some persons are being made fun of when they go to the police stations to report matters. Nurses call them names and gossip about them when they turn up at the hospitals for care. “One of the members of the LGBT community visited a police station to make a complaint and he was ordered to remove his clothing and stand on the counter for many hours. As a result of that, members of his community are afraid to go to the police.”
“We want to bring them together to understand each other’s fears and issues,” he added. In relation to health care services, LGBT members are “saying that when they visit the hospitals, the nurses are mocking them—they are making laugh of them and discriminating them—they are made to wait long hours and such—similarly the nurses are saying they are disrespectful when they come to the hospital.”
Recently, the municipalities of New Amsterdam and Linden signed a Human Rights Declaration. They facilitated a three-day seminar in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), after signing a Declaration on Human Rights, and have issued a loud call for an end to discrimination against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in Guyana.
It was in April that the two municipalities signed on to the declaration which caters for the rights of any individual to not be discriminated against in terms of sexuality, etc. And so, yesterday the session wrapped up at the New Amsterdam Town Hall.
During the three days, the police, nurses, social workers, members of civil society and Non- Governmental Organizations were actively engaged and involved, all of them pledging to work with the LGBT community and not discriminate. Yesterday was also celebrated as International Day against Homophobia.
The group met with Police trainees at the Felix Austin Police College (FAPC), Adventure, Corentyne who reaffirmed their support for the LGBT community in Guyana. Benn is pleased to have support of both municipalities since both Mayor of New Amsterdam and Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of Linden have signed on to the declaration.

Participants of the three-day LGBT workshop in N/A Town Hall Chambers.

“This is speaking to the protection of the human rights of all citizens of Guyana including members of the LGBT…”
He believes there is a lot of “goodwill” for the protection of people’s rights in Guyana “and it’s becoming more and more acceptable that we are different and we should not be chastised for our difference.”
Mr. Vladimir Glasgow, of Linden Duty Bearers, echoed the call for an end to all discrimination. The group consists of mainly police officers. “We are against discrimination against this population and encourage armed forces, nurses not to discriminate.”
Councilor of the New Amsterdam Mayor and Town Council, Jennifer Conway, who represented the two municipalities and who signed the declaration, stated that they have recognized the discrimination that “is far reaching and is spreading and so we are advocates to enlighten persons that they need not discriminate against any one because all of us are equal human beings!”
She is hoping other towns in Guyana come on board to end the discriminatory practices.
Alessandra Hereman of the United Bricklayers NGO; School Welfare Officer(SWO) Roxanne La Rose; Leon Daniels and Vladimir Glasgow of Linden IMC; Antwone Dey of United Bricklayers; Social Workers Colleen Farrell and Paulette Henry; and Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD)’s Vidyaratha Kissoon were also part of the activities.