Transgender individuals continue to face rampant discrimination and prejudice. This discrimination creates tremendous inequality, insecurity and vulnerability for the transgender community, who is often subjected to extreme violence.
Faced with few legal rights and very little public understanding, transgender activists, lawyers and advocates are required to develop creative strategies to address discrimination and develop the law.
The Legal Resources Centre, as a member of the International Network of Civil Liberties Organisations (INCLO), will be hosting a closed legal convening for civil rights partners, academics and legal experts from around the world. This convening will take place from 1 to 3 February 2017 in Cape Town.
INCLO is a network of twelve domestic human rights organisations – each multi-issue, multi-constituency, domestic in focus and independent of government. The member organisations come from Argentina, Canada, Egypt, Hungary, India, Israel, Ireland, Kenya, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States
During the convening, participants will discuss and strategise legal approaches geared towards addressing discrimination against transgender persons in various areas; including access to basic rights, legal recognition of gender, threats of violence and criminalisation, detention and the feasibility of utilising litigation to ensure that rights of transgender persons are respected, protected and fulfilled.
The convening will present a chance for attendees to engage with policies, protections and challenges on a country-to-country basis in order to strengthen legal interventions that are being utilised in ensuring the realisation of transgender persons’ rights.
Broadly, the goals for the convening include:
- Exchanging and developing litigation and advocacy strategies and practices that INCLO members and colleague organisations are currently using to challenge discrimination against transgender persons.
- Fostering connections within countries and across borders to strengthen legal alliances necessary to advance transgender equality.
- Developing a collaborative report or other method for memorialising conversations and developing plans to implement strategies among participant groups and allies.
- Setting up ongoing exchanges through list-serves and other methods of connecting to maintain contact about best practices and strategies for transgender advocacy.
Issued by Legal Resources Centre