Today the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and local partners, the People’s Matrix and Seinoli Legal Centre, launched the Reform for Inclusion, Support and Empowerment (RISE) project in Maseru, to bolster the efforts of civil society in Lesotho in gaining greater legal and other protections to safeguard survivors of gender-based violence.
In Lesotho, an estimated 86% of women have reportedly experienced gender-based violence (GBV) at some point in their lives. Consequently, a 2022 survey of Afrobarometer found that 64% of Basotho view GBV as the most critical women’s rights issue needing government and societal intervention.
The ICJ’s own research also shows that LGBTIQ+ persons in Lesotho continue to face many different forms of discrimination, structural barriers to exercising their human rights, as well as harassment and abuse because of their real or imputed sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression. For example, “corrective rape” and forced attendance of initiation schools aimed at “correcting” and “curing” a person’s gender identity. Additionally, LGBTQI+ persons struggle to access justice for violations and abuses of their rights.
“The fight against sexual and gender-based violence in Lesotho requires a reform of the laws and systems that allow it to persist”, said Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh, ICJ’s Africa Director.
“It is critical that local Lesotho civil society organizations become leaders in and catalysts for change, championing legal reforms that protect the rights of women, girls, and LGBTIQ+ persons, and ensuring that justice is accessible and attainable for all persons,” she added.
The RISE project is aimed at facilitating the empowerment of women, including by promoting their efforts to access to land and property.
In addition to facing extremely high rates of SGBV, women commonly face a range of cultural and social stereotypes, norms and restrictions which limit their ability to own land and property and enjoy financial independence. This increases their economic vulnerability and an inability to escape gender-based violence (GBV).
The project, which builds on existing advocacy of the People’s Matrix, Seinoli Legal Centre and ICJ, will run for two years, and is supported by the European Union.
Download
Full Report on: LGBTIQ+ persons and the Lesotho justice system – Briefing Paper (November 2024)
Contact
Lerato Khutlang, Associate Legal Advisor, ICJ Africa Regional Programme, lerato.khutlang@icj.org
