The Plight of Gay Refugees
Refugees flee their homeland for either political, economic, or social reasons. An increasingly common reason for people fleeing is because of the oppression, discrimination and persecution of homosexual people. The ILGA states that 75 countries currently outlaw homosexuality with varying degrees of punishment. (Carroll & Borahy, 2015) Refugees fleeing persecution from these countries, typically seek asylum in European countries. Although hoping to find a safe haven, more than often they face varying levels of discrimination during the asylum process, such as humiliating questioning and being forced to ‘prove their gayness’ in a variety of ways.
As espoused in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, rights are not given to people by their status in society, where they are born or their government – they are innate and universal, without the ability for them to be taken away. There is no just cause for someone’s political, social, or economic rights to be infringed upon. However, this occurs, as can be seen in the plights of people who flee their homeland because of their sexual orientation. Gay and lesbian refugees are prohibited from showing signs of affection to a partner in public and many times in private as well. Because of this, they are typically ostracized from …show more content…
While this has become a more prominent topic over the last few decades, it is still not as eye-catching as political or war displaced refugees. While the UN has attempted to streamline and educate its members on how to interact with this portion of the refugee population, much work is left to be done. The United Kingdom, South Africa, and Israel, while very different countries in almost every notion, have a very similar bond not worth bragging
Refugees flee their homeland for either political, economic, or social reasons. An increasingly common reason for people fleeing is because of the oppression, discrimination and persecution of homosexual people. The ILGA states that 75 countries currently outlaw homosexuality with varying degrees of punishment. (Carroll & Borahy, 2015) Refugees fleeing persecution from these countries, typically seek asylum in European countries. Although hoping to find a safe haven, more than often they face varying levels of discrimination during the asylum process, such as humiliating questioning and being forced to ‘prove their gayness’ in a variety of ways.
As espoused in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, rights are not given to people by their status in society, where they are born or their government – they are innate and universal, without the ability for them to be taken away. There is no just cause for someone’s political, social, or economic rights to be infringed upon. However, this occurs, as can be seen in the plights of people who flee their homeland because of their sexual orientation. Gay and lesbian refugees are prohibited from showing signs of affection to a partner in public and many times in private as well. Because of this, they are typically ostracized from …show more content…
While this has become a more prominent topic over the last few decades, it is still not as eye-catching as political or war displaced refugees. While the UN has attempted to streamline and educate its members on how to interact with this portion of the refugee population, much work is left to be done. The United Kingdom, South Africa, and Israel, while very different countries in almost every notion, have a very similar bond not worth bragging