Colombia: Whether the lesbian group, Black Triangle (Triángulo Negro), or any other lesbian group monitors violence and human rights abuses against lesbians in Colombia, and if so, the way in which the information is recorded and reported
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | COL29454.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Colombia: Whether the lesbian group, Black Triangle (Triángulo Negro), or any other lesbian group monitors violence and human rights abuses against lesbians in Colombia, and if so, the way in which the information is recorded and reported, 1 June 1998, COL29454.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab8c43.html [accessed 29 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In a 2 June 1998 telephone interview with the Research Directorate, the coordinator of the Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association (COLEGA) who is also an employee of the Latino Commission on AIDS in New York, stated that there are no groups in Colombia that monitor violence or human rights abuses perpetrated against gays or lesbians. The coordinator said that in his opinion a reason for the lack of monitoring is the perception that one could be killed. On the other hand, he also said that gay and lesbian groups believe that there is no need to be political in Colombia because the legal system is working in favour of gay and lesbian rights.
The following information was provided by the legal representative at the GIM Colombia Abogados office in Bogotá in a 3 June 1998 telephone interview. The lawyer has won a number of legal cases for homosexuals in Colombia since 1994 and presented a report on the treatment of gays and lesbians before the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations in 1997.
According to the lawyer, no lesbian or gay group, including Triángulo Negro, monitors the human rights situation of homosexuals in Colombia. The lawyer's attempts to claim rights of homosexuals are the only efforts that have been public in Colombia. Many legal advances have been made for gays and lesbians in Colombia because of the Constitution in effect since 1991. For example, in March 1998 the Constitutional Court ruled that religious schools could not discriminate against homosexual students and more recently, the court has decided that it will hear a challenge involving a law that bans homosexuals from being teachers.
The lawyer added that he has never experienced any problems or received any verbal or physical threats in the last four years working publicly on human rights for the gay and lesbian community.
For additional information on the Triángulo Negro lesbian group, please consult Response to Information Requests COL29051.E of 1 April 1998, COL29455.E and COL29456.E of 5 June 1998.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association (COLEGA), New York. 2 June 1998. Telephone interview with the coordinator.
GIM Colombia Abogados, Bogotá. 3 June 1998. Telephone interview with a lawyer.
Additional Sources Consulted
Inter-Church Committee on Human Rights in Latin America (ICCHRLA). April 1996. Violence Unveiled: Repression Against Lesbians and Gay Men in Latin America.
Ordoñez, Juan Pablo. January 1996. No Human Being Is Disposable: Social Cleansing, Human Rights, and Sexual Orientation in Colombia.
Electronic sources: IRB Databases, Internet, REFWORLD (UNHCR database).
