ILGA Asia launches Special Project to Assist LGBTI Afghans at Risk
4 November 2021
On 3 November 2021, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, in her statement, described rights defenders in Afghanistan living under a climate of fear, threats, intense insecurity and growing desperation — calling for an urgent coordinated response from the international community.
“The threat is very real. Direct threats, including gendered threats against women, of beatings, arrests, enforced disappearances, and of defenders being killed. They describe living in a climate of constant fear,” the UN expert said.
“Among those most at risk are defenders documenting alleged war crimes, women defenders, in particular criminal lawyers, cultural rights defenders, especially those working in banned sectors such as music, and defenders from minority groups. Defenders tell me that some have erased their online data history to evade identification, and that the Taliban are resorting to other ways of finding them – for example, that one HRD was identified by an injury to his leg,” she expanded.
ILGA Asia’s Special Project to provide assistance to LGBTI Afghans at Risk
ILGA Asia continues to be in direct contact with LGBTI Afghans living in fear and life-threatening situations to assist them in accessing emergency evacuation since the Taliban’s take over in Afghanistan. We are working with international partners to establish safe passage for Afghan LGBTI people at risk. Many LGBTI people remain in the country, waiting for opportunities to find safety before they are hunted down and killed. Given the gravity of the human rights violations faced by the LGBTI community, ILGA Asia has set up a special project to:
Provide the LGBTI community in Afghanistan with humanitarian aid, and to support their safe passage and resettlement.
Inform governments and the international community of the updated situation of the LGBTI community for timely actions in resource mobilisation, policy decisions to achieve the safety of the LGBTI community and the provision of humanitarian aid.
Enable governments, organisations and leaders to advocate for the protection of LGBTI communities in crises beyond the context of Afghanistan and to develop, approve, and adopt SOGIESC inclusive laws, policies and resolutions at the international, regional and national levels.
Our mission to assist LGBTI Afghans cannot be done alone and requires resources. If you are a donor or an organisation who would like to join us on this important work, please reach out to our Special Project Team at komak@ilgaasia.org.
*“Komak” means “help” or “support” in Dari.
