Topic: Rights of Lesbian and Gay Individuals
Country: El Salvador
Delegate Name: Shanae Dawson
School: Flint Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All El Salvador position papers GLIMUN 2009 committees
Today in El Salvador homosexual, lesbian and transgender people are being subjected to terror, intimidation, violence and murder on a daily basis. They are being targeted by anti-gay vigilantes. This select group is not receiving the proper safety and security that they are entitled to. When a homosexual, lesbian, or transgender person is at risk authority is reluctant to fulfill their responsibilities.
The office of Entre Amigos Association, a Salvadorian gay advocacy group, is constantly subjected to unfair treatment. The group has been raided seven times between 2001 and 2006. All of these raids had been reported but not one resulted in prosecution. Despite the police protection one member of the association has reported being held at gunpoint. Complaints by homosexuals are clearly being ignored by police. There have even been reports of abuse by officers. In the nation’s capital, San Salvador four transgender youths had been brutally beat and insulted by thugs and three detectives of the national police. It took eight police cars and eighteen policemen to arrest just one man. Entre Amigos helped the victims to take their case to the national prosecutor's office after their initial complaints to the police were rebuffed.
The treatment these people are undergoing should not be tolerated. Police and the criminal justice system should take heed to the situation at hand. Homosexuals, lesbians, and transgender people should receive the protection that it is entitled to. There should be more groups like the Entre Amigos Association that stand up for the rights of these people. Action should be taken now!
