Colombian Hate Crimes Against LGBTIs Up Threefold in 2016

On the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, Colombia's Ombudsman office urged the government Wednesday to strengthen the bill addressing sexual discrimination, given that victims of violence based on their sexual orientation multiplied threefold in 2016.

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“This reflects the risky situations that face LGBT people, because of the violence related or not to the conflict, as the latter increases their conditions of exclusion, inequality, and access to their rights,” said a communique released by the office.

The departments the most affected by anti-LGBTI violence were La Guajira, Magdalena, Atlantico, Bolivar, Cordoba, Antioquia, Caldas, Quindio, Cundinamarca, Choco, Valle del Cauca, Cauca, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Arauca and Meta.

The statement added that the estimate was based on the number of LGBTI people that sought support at the office in 2016; 38 percent of victims of human rights violations complained of discrimination, 30 percent asked support to access healthcare, employment or education, 19 percent were cases related to the armed conflict and 13 percent associated with a various range of assaults. In 2017, 66 people have filed complaints of human rights violations so far.

Besides the LGBTI community, social movement leaders and human rights activist in Colombia are being targeted at an alarming rate over the past months, despite the ongoing peace process.

Last week, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein confirmed that 41 Colombian political activists were assassinated in the first four months of 2017.