media-specialprocedures@ohchr.org
International Youth Day
Scourge of homelessness adds to
hardships faced by LGBT youth
GENEVA (9 August 2019) – On the
occasion of International Youth Day, the UN’s Independent Expert on protection
against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,
Victor Madrigal-Borloz, and the Special Rapporteur on the right to housing,
Leilani Farha, call on States to urgently adopt measures to address
discriminatory practices against LGBT youth with respect to housing. They issue
the following statement:
“As a result of religious and
cultural intolerance that may include sexual and other forms of violence,
lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse (LGBT) youth around the world
face socio-economic exclusion, including from within their own homes and
communities, and family disapproval and punishment can force them to leave
home, which renders them more vulnerable to yet more violence and
discrimination, a factor that is compounded with their age and economic
dependence and reliance on family and community networks. This explains why
LGBT youth are overrepresented in populations experiencing homelessness and
why, once homeless, they experience additional discriminations.
Homelessness can further result as
a consequence of other forms of exclusion from fundamental human rights. At
school many LGBT youth suffer bullying, which results in drop-out rates that
are higher than the average and has severe long-term consequences to their life
project. LGBT youth are less likely to have the education levels and skills to
find employment and reach economic security, which on the other hand affects
their opportunity to find adequate housing.
The impact of such a grave
situation of exclusion cannot be underestimated, with one recent study finding
that almost two-thirds of LGBT youth experiencing homelessness had grappled
with mental health issues, and studies suggest they are more likely to report
depression, bipolar disorder and suicidal ideation and attempts. They are also
less likely to have access to healthcare, and are extremely vulnerable to
alcohol and drug abuse.
Under international human rights
law and in keeping with the Sustainable Development Goals, States have an immediate
obligation to implement the right to housing and effectively address
homelessness. States must take immediate steps to address, as a matter of
priority, the underlying structural causes of homelessness towards its
elimination by 2030. Within that context, the measures adopted by national and
local governments must prevent LGBT youth from becoming homeless, ensure that
housing policies and programmes be inclusive of LGBT persons and address the
needs of LGBT youth.”
International Youth Day is observed
on 12 August. A full version of the statement can be read here.
ENDS
Mr. Victor Madrigal-Borloz assumed
the role of UN Independent Expert on
Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and
gender identity for a three years period starting on 1 January 2018.
The present statement gives a
glimpse of his forthcoming report addressed to the General Assembly, in which
he examines in detail how discriminatory
laws and sociocultural norms continue to marginalize and exclude lesbian, gay,
bisexual, trans and gender-diverse persons, including young persons, from
education, health care, housing, employment and occupation, and other sectors.
In addition, the Independent Expert looks at the inclusion and access to these
rights through the lens of intersectionality and analyses compounded
discrimination, which leads to exclusion and marginalization that impacts the
young in unique ways that must be made visible. He then discusses the ways in
which an inclusive society and effective State measures enable people to enjoy
protection from violence and discrimination and highlights the unique role of
leaders in different fields, all of which will allow the cycle of exclusion to
be broken and have a positive impact on the misconceptions, fears and
prejudices that fuel violence and discrimination.
Ms Leilani Farha is the UN SpecialRapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate
standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context.
Her reports on homelessness discuss
in detail the violations faced by those experiencing homelessness. Her report
on human rights based housing strategies, examines in detail the necessary
requirements for states to implement effective strategies that urgently address
homelessness.
The Special Rapporteurs are part of
what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special
Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights
system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and
monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or
thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on
a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their
work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in
their individual capacity.
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please contact Alice Ochsenbein (+41 22 917 32 98 / aochsenbein@ohchr.org) or
Catherine de Preux De Baets (+41 22 917 93 27 /cdepreuxdebaets@ohchr.org).
For media inquiries related to
other UN independent experts please contact Jeremy Laurence, UN Human Rights –
Media Unit (+41 22 917 93 83 / jlaurence@ohchr.org)
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