AS THE WORLD marked International Day Against Homophobia yesterday, Barbados and scores of other countries were again urged to repeal laws that discriminate against homosexuality as a matter of urgency.
The call came from United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who insisted that decriminalizing consensual same-sex relationships was long overdue.
Although homosexuality itself is not illegal in Barbados, under Section 9 of the Sexual Offences Act 1992 “any person who commits buggery is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life”.
“We cannot let these abuses stand. We know what needs to be done. States must repeal discriminatory laws and ban discriminatory practices: punish violence and hatred . . . not love,” said Pillay, who recently visited Barbados and highlighted human rights concerns related to discrimination, stigmatization and marginalization.
Read the full story in today’s WEEKEND NATION.
