No Safe Haven for LGBT People in El Salvador

 | 
1/8/2021

Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele agreed on December 15 to implement an Asylum Cooperative Agreement with the US government. It allows US immigration authorities to transfer non-Salvadoran asylum seekers to El Salvador, instead of allowing them to seek asylum in the US. US President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to terminate the deeply flawed agreement, a deeply flawed deal that presupposes El Salvador can provide a full and fair asylum procedure and protect refugees. But for some groups, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, El Salvador provides no safe haven. Its own LGBT citizens lack protection from violence and discrimination. A recent Human Rights Watch report confirms the Salvadoran government’s own acknowledgment that LGBT people face “torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, excessive use of force, illegal and arbitrary arrests and other forms of abuse, much of it committed by public security agents.” Social and economic marginalization further increase the risk of violence. Many LGBT people flee from home. Between January 2007 and November 2017, over 1,200 Salvadorans sought asylum in the US due to fear of persecution for their sexual orientation or gender identity. In a groundbreaking judgment, a UK court recently granted asylum to a non-binary Salvadoran, finding that their gender expression exposed them to police violence and daily abuse and degradation.

Share this:

Latest Global News

Added on: 10/12/2024
10/12/2024
In Bangladesh, where traditional gender roles are deeply entrenched, transgender people face extraordinary challenges in achieving educational and economic success. A study conducted by …
Added on: 10/12/2024
10/12/2024
Father Johan Verschueren, the general counsellor and delegate for the Interprovincial Houses and Works of the Society of Jesus in Rome, expressed his support …
Added on: 10/12/2024
10/11/2024
A queer bar destroyed by Hurricane Helene in September is getting a new lease on life with the help of thousands of donations from …

Explore LGBTQ+ Issues

Added on: 10/12/2024
A queer bar destroyed by Hurricane Helene in September is getting a new lease on life with the help of thousands of donations from …
Added on: 10/11/2024
Corey DeAngelis, a prominent opponent of public schools and critic of LGBTQ+ rights in education, publicly admitted to his past involvement in gay adult …
Added on: 10/11/2024
In a wide-ranging interview with longtime radio personality Howard Stern, Democratic nominee for president Kamala Harris shared her views on the “fundamental rights” under …