At the presentation of his Conclusions at the end of a 10-day visit to Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang, the UN independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, pushed Authorities to legally recognize LGBT families.
“State officials with whom I have interviewed have invariably recognized that diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity is an intrinsic part of humanity and that all Cambodian citizens, including members of the LGBT community, are valued members of society who have the right live in freedom and equality,” he said.
Spillover Discrimination
The UN expert met with state officials at national and provincial levels, civil society organizations and over 100 LGBT people who shared their life experiences with him.
“Prior to and during my visit, I received no evidence of massive or systematic physical violence against those I spoke to or anyone they knew,” he said.
Mr Madrigal-Borloz also noted that Cambodia has no laws that specifically criminalize sexual orientation or gender identity, giving him “an encouraging place to start”.
Based on the evidence presented to him, the UN expert concluded that violence and discrimination against LGBT people originate in the family sphere and spill over into school life, the workplace and even access to health services.
lack of information
However, a lack of data creates major challenges in analyzing the challenges LGBT people face and designing and implementing policies to address them.
In his statement, Mr. Madrigal-Borloz recommended the adoption of a series of measures, including more surveys and data collection, and stressed the need for affected communities and civil society organizations to be fully involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies.
The testimonies he received made it clear that in the Cambodian context, the local communities saw the legal recognition of their families as key.
This is particularly related to cherished values that strengthen family ties and respect and solidarity between generations as part of the recognition of self worth and social responsibility.
Time for “Fast Progress”
“I encourage the state to make rapid progress on this agenda,” he said, “which is being advanced by Cambodian communities with a clear reference point in the reality of their lives and needs.”
He said action should be guided by three main commitments, which have been under review since 2019: “recognition of LGBT families through legal recognition of same-sex marriage, legal recognition of gender identity, and adoption of comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation.”
Independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to investigate and report on a specific human rights issue or situation in a country. The positions are honorary and the experts are not paid for their work.
