Poroshenko approved National strategy on human rights – there is not even a word about LGBT
The President of Ukraine has signed the Decree "On the Approval of the National Strategy in the Sphere of Human Rights". The document is designed to improve the activity of the State to ensure and secure human rights and freedoms in Ukraine. However, there is no mentioning of sexual orientation and gender identity in it.
The National strategy in the sphere of human rights is approved by the presidential decree. Also the orders to the Cabinet of Ministers are given concerning the development of the Action Plan for implementation of the strategy for the period up to 2020 with involvement of representatives from the state authorities, local government bodies, civil society institutions, leading national scientists and international experts.
"The Strategy is aimed at uniting of the society around awareness of the value of the human rights and freedoms, which are being protected based on the principle of equality and without discrimination", – said in the document.
It also states that improvement of the system on protection of human rights and freedoms will be implemented taking into account the experience of both domestic experience and foundations and principles that were developed and approved by the internationally community. It will also actively use the experience of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Ukrainian human rights organizations, UN, the Council of Europe, OSCE and other international organizations, as well as the practice of the European Court of Human Rights.
Among other things, the document include such strategic directions as ensuring the freedom of peaceful assembly, the equal rights and opportunities for women and men, prevention and combating discrimination. Regarding the latter issue were used general formulations on the need to ensure a comprehensive and harmonized anti-discrimination legislation, effective investigation of hate crimes, implementation the culture of respect for diversity etc.
Earlier the human rights activists expressed their concern over the fact that the document, which should define the state policy in the sphere of human rights in the next few years, there is not a single word on combating homophobia and transphobia in Ukraine. It is impossible to say that Ukraine will approach the modern European standards without overcoming homophobia and transphobia, noted the experts.
Let us recall that last December the Ministry of Social Policy published draft of a new Labour Code of Ukraine, the sixth article of which contained a prohibition of discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in the sphere of employment. However, in a later version of the draft sexual orientation as well as gender identity was not listed among signs of antidiscrimination.
Besides, the Constitutional Commission at first expanded the list of antidiscrimination indications in the new draft of the Fundamental Law including sexual orientation among other things, but later sexual orientation was excluded from this list on the insistence of the Council of Churches.
Автор: Kolya Camouflage
