A new toolkit to empower LGBT global south activists

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Source: African Activist

A new toolkit is available to empower activists to use the Yogyakarta Principles to advance international human rights standards on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. According to the press release from Yogyakarta Principles in Action:

Activists in regions around the world celebrated today the release of a new tool for LGBTI advocacy: the Activist's Guide to the Yogyakarta Principles.

The Yogyakarta Principles are a set of principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity. They were developed in response to well documented patterns of abuse directed toward persons because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

Today’s publication - the Activist’s Guide - is a toolkit, which provides an introduction to the Yogyakarta Principles, exploring how they can enhance the work of activists in advancing rights for LGBTI people around the globe. It presents several creative examples of ways in which LGBTI activists have already used the Yogyakarta Principles to make significant gains, and suggests strategies for further engagement with the Principles...

As the Activist’s Guide highlights, the Yogyakarta Principles have also been applied in South Africa to underline the need for police training and hate crimes protection in the face of continued violence, killings and so-called “curative” rape of lesbians. Recently, a group of gay and lesbian Kenyans, working together with the Kenyan Human Rights Commission, produced a publication highlighting the application of the Yogyakarta Principles in Kenyan society.

Activists at the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK) recently adapted the Yogyakarta Principles for use in Kenya.