C. Principal subjects of concern and recommendations

Violent deaths of transsexual women

21. The Committee strongly condemns the killings of transsexual women that have occurred in the country. The available information indicates that only one of the six cases of killings of this type that have occurred in the past two years has been resolved (arts. 1, 2, 4, 12 and 16).

The State party should take steps, as a matter of urgency, to put an end to the selective killing of persons because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.

The Committee therefore also urges the State party to:

(a) Protect people from homophobic and transphobic violence and from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment;

(b) Adopt the legislative measures concerning hate crimes that are necessary to deter violence directed at people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and establish effective systems for reporting this type of violence so that the perpetrators of such acts can be investigated, put on trial and punished;

(c) Provide targeted training to police officers and other law enforcement officials regarding violence directed at people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Link to full text of the report: Concluding Observations-CAT-Uruguay-2014-eng