Speakers: Baroness BarkerKenita PlacideRosanna Flamer-CalderaTéa Braun

Download: Audio [duration-19:42]

Recorded: 11 October 2016, The Law Society

Same-sex intimacy between women is illegal in 1 in 4 countries – a figure that has been rising in the past 30 years – exacerbating forced marriage, rape, murder & other extreme human rights abuses against women because of the intersection between their gender and sexual orientation. Yet women’s experiences of anti-gay laws are rarely the focus of discussion or advocacy either in the women’s human rights or LGBT human rights discourses.

To highlight these issues, the Human Dignity Trust organised a panel discussion marking the official launch of the first-ever global analysis of the criminalisation and persecution of lesbian and bisexual women. The report, “Breaking the Silence: Criminalisation of Lesbians and Bisexual Women and its Impacts” has been produced by the Human Dignity Trust, a legal charity that supports challenges to anti-gay laws wherever they exist in the world.

The event was opened by Catherine Dixon, Chief Executive, The Law Society and chaired by Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs Editor at Sky News.

The panel of experts included:

Download the full report: Breaking the Silence: Criminalisation of Lesbians and Bisexual Women and its Impacts [pdf].

Read our press release to know more about the report

For further information please contact:

Sign up to receive updates

Join our newsletter to receive regular updates about decriminalisation efforts around the world, including breaking news on key legal cases, hot off the press reports, invitations to events and messages from our Chief Executive.

SIGN UP