To commemorate International Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Office of the Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Economic (OSRESCER) jointly published a report of trans and gender-diverse people in the Americas. Over the next several posts, we will be publishing some of the content from the 175-page comprehensive report that highlights the intersection of gender diversity with the rights outlined in the framework of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Of note, is the acknowledgement that both legal and social recognition of gender is necessary to ensure other human rights including education, healthcare, just labor practices, and environmental rights. As the report was published in late 2020, research delves into the particular challenges that COVID-19 poses towards trans and gender-diverse people in the Americas and the ways that the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities and discriminatory practices. The series will focus on the countries in which IRTF bases its work, however, for more information on the comprehensive report, completely available here.
Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights in the Framework of the Sustainable Development Goals
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and Office of the Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Economic Rights (OSRESCER) note the importance of maintaining human rights and dignity for trans and gender-diverse individuals in order to protect economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights (ESCER). In particular, discrimination against trans and gender-diverse persons has disproportionately led to inequitable opportunities for ESCER. In the Americas, inequity is not only perpetuated through laws, but also through societal norms that foster negative stereotypes, biases, and discrimination.
In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were created as a successor to the Millenium Development Goals as 17 interconnected goals to be achieved by 2030 with the vision of a “better and more sustainable future.” One of the obstacles of achieving the SDGs is the cultural lens through which improvements are made. While the SDGs established a framework to promote gendered and racially-transformative movements, the broad language and lack of concrete benchmarks to measure progress have led to cultural interpretations of how best to achieve the SDGs. With respect to trans and gender-diverse individuals in the Americas, full enjoyment of the ESCER can only be achieved if gender identity is respected and without infringement. In the interests of making equitable progress towards the SDGs, IACHR and OSRESCER emphasize the importance of gender-inclusive and gender-transformative measures to ensure that policies are inclusive towards trans and gender-diverse people.
The SDGs as well as the ESCER are interconnected and interdependent. The emphasis on an holistic approach to preserve human rights reflects the belief that each right is intrinsic to human dignity and the violation of one impacts others. As this framework relates to trans and gender diverse individuals, discrimination and prejudices have limited the right to education, work, and social interactions at times through violence and harassment.
Although documents related to achieving SDGs throughout the Americas have encouraged gender-inclusive policy-making, noting that “no group should be left behind” policy, enforcing and standardizing these policies throughout the Americas has posed challenges.
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