We, LGBTIQ + activists from Venezuela, refugees and migrants from exile, in the occasion of the International Refugee Day, join the revindication of the unaddressed needs of the people in condition of human mobility, which continue to present enormous challenges for the States in the region and express our gratitude for being welcomed, listened to, and supported.
Our efforts, realities, and specific needs, both in Venezuela and in the host countries, are still not reflected in official statistics and reports on the situation of the forcibly displaced Venezuelan migrant population across the Americas and other continents; To name an example, we make mention with concern the reports of Commissioner of the OAS Secretary General for the Venezuelan migrant and refugee crisis on the situation of Venezuelans in Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia, and Bolivia, which lacked a comprehensive gender approach that incorporates the categories of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in the data provided to allow governments, civil society organizations, and international organizations identify and access pertinent information to include in their programs and policies the attention to the needs of the Venezuelan LGBTIQ+ population.
We need mention that, since March 2020, we have witnessed how the situation of LGBTIQ + people has worsened after the actions and measures taken by most host countries in the face of COVID-19 international emergency have been deployed without an inclusive approach to the population we belong to, represent, and work with, thus increasing our vulnerability to contagion, job loss, and evictions from their homes, and forcing many to return to the hardships and perils of their lives in Venezuela.
For this reason, we ask Commissioner Flávia Piovesan of the Rapporteurship on the rights of LGBTI people (IACHR / OAS) and Víctor Madrigal-Borloz, the United Nations independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and identity, to issue observations, recommendations, and technical guidelines under their mandate to support Venezuelan officials and allies on their work in favor of refugees and migrants, so that they include disaggregated data and the perspective of intersectionality in the action plans and policies aimed at addressing the issues of human mobility of the Venezuelan population, to included and make visible the LGBTIQ + people.
Finally, we reiterate our willingness to continue contributing our work to jointly achieve greater recognition, protection, and empowerment of people under the condition of human mobility belonging to the LGBTIQ + community. From all across the world, we trust in generosity and solidarity in the Americas and the Caribbean.
Daniel Arzola, ARTivista / Chile. Danny Rausseo, Orgullo Guayana A.C / Brasil. Edgar Baptista, Coordinador Político de Pro-Inclusión / Chile. Franklin Peña, Asovida / Colombia Félix Fernández Bermúdez, Orgullo Guayana A.C / Brasil. Hanays Montaner, Fundación Amanecer Humanos / Colombia. Jessica Polo, Presidente A.C Activistas por el Arcoíris / Chile. Jesús Gómez, Activista LGBTI / Colombia Jesús Rondón, Asesor Jurídico de ASOVIDA / Estados Unidos. Jhonny Gallardo, Asovida/ Perú. José Manuel Simons, Migración Diversa/ Chile. José Alirio Peña, AREMIDIAR- CINEVERSATIL/ Argentina. Juan Carlos Viera, Activista LGBTI / México. Luis Meneses, FUVADIS / Colombia. Ower Alexander Oberto, Activista LGBTI / Canadá. Omany Ferreira, Activista LGBTI / Colombia. Wendell Oviedo, Venezuela Diversa-América Diversa / Estados Unidos. Yohana Hernández, A.C Activistas por el Arcoíris / Chile. Yorkfran Arellano, Asovida/ Mexico. Yonatan Matheus, Venezuela Diversa -América Diversa / Estados Unidos. Programa Venezolano de Educación-Acción en Derechos Humanos (PROVEA)
Translated by: José Rafael Medina.
