ARGENTINA

PERU

Domestic violence

In these circumstances, a large number of communities have been affected. On March 22, the first femicide during quarantine was recorded. Line 100, responsible for receiving reports of gender-based violence, has received 2,500 calls so far; 207 cases have already been reported, and in 38 cases, the victim has been taken to a shelter. 600 of these calls are from children and adolescents reporting that they or their siblings are being beaten .

PARAGUAY

Discrimination against LGBT people

The coronavirus pandemic exposed a moral and class-based discrimination against LGBT people that already existed in Paraguayan society. Political neglect and the absence of a financial and emotional support system from the state further precariousize their lives, forcing them to work in the informal sector, even during the pandemic.

According to trans human rights activist Yren Rotela, 93% of the trans population is involved in prostitution and most are "unaccounted for" or homeless.

The health emergency has reduced the demand for sex work, but at the same time, cases of police violence have been reported . The Lince Group, a police unit known for arbitrary arrests and human rights violations, is harassing them even more than before and threatening to arrest them. Unable to go out in public, organizations like Casa Diversa, Escalando, and Panambi are appealing for donations to meet the needs of trans people during the emergency, and collecting non-perishable food items for community kitchens .

EL SALVADOR

According to Bryan Rodríguez, deputy director of Trans Men El Salvador (HT), a trans man, a gay man, and two lesbians have been detained at a shelter located in the department of Chalatenango (88 kilometers north of the capital). They also reported the arrest of two trans women who were found on the street outside of permitted hours. 

“Shelter staff have threatened people to prevent them from revealing information about the limited conditions in the centers. Healthcare staff are not complying with the guidelines for treating LGBTI people, as they call them by the name on their official documents, which does not correspond to their gender identity,” Bryan Rodríguez, deputy director of HT El Salvador, told Presentes.

HT is trying to confirm the confinement in detention centers of 2 trans men and 6 trans women.

People in government-run centers have expressed concern about the appalling conditions and inadequate medical care needed to prevent the spread of disease.

“The places were infested with insects and did not meet the necessary health conditions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and they are not providing them with personal hygiene products,” Rodríguez said. 

Salvadoran president turns his back on LGBTI population

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, who took office on June 1, eliminated five State Secretariats just hours after beginning his term, including the Secretariat of Social Inclusion, which served vulnerable and LGBTI populations.

Within the Secretariat of Social Inclusion, the first Directorate of Sexual Diversity was established to promote the eradication of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity within the public administration. Bukele's decision was to transfer this directorate to the Ministry of Culture. Currently, the LGBTI population lacks a forum to report violations in the context of the health crisis caused by the Coronavirus. 

“Uniformed forces were already attacking the LGBTI population, and now it’s happening even more, because they’re controlling people’s movement and preventing them from leaving their homes. So far, we have no information that anyone has been assaulted by the police, but we are monitoring the situation closely,” Rodríguez emphasized.

Bukele, who will govern for the next five years, was elected in the last elections with the right-wing Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA) party. During the election campaign, he stated his opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion. 

El Salvador does not have a gender identity law that would allow, among other things, the collection of official statistics on crimes committed against the LGBTI population.

GUATEMALA

Presentes received reports of two LGBT+ individuals assaulted during the Covid-19 crisis. They are a trans woman and a 16-year-old gay boy who were victims of violence perpetrated by their families.

Amnes is a 26-year-old trans woman who, until two days ago, lived with her father and sister. She left her home on Saturday, seeking help despite the curfew, due to an emergency involving violence. She is a constant victim of mistreatment and denial of basic needs because of her family's transphobia. Amnes makes a living through informal work and is now staying at a friend's house, where she feels safer than with her family, as she told Presentes.

Marvin* is a 16-year-old boy from San Antonio Sija, part of the municipality of San Francisco el Alto, in the department of Totonicapán, located 173 kilometers from the capital city. He told his family a few months ago that he is gay, and since then he has been subjected to constant violence. The situation escalated on Tuesday when he was physically assaulted by family members.

Visibles, an LGBTIQ+ civil society organization, received a complaint from a friend of Marvin* who contacted the Office of the Ombudsman for Sexual Diversity of the Human Rights Ombudsman, which, together with the Attorney General's Office (the PGN is responsible for representing children, adolescents, the elderly, and people with disabilities before any court of law when they lack legal representation), proceeded to visit his home and verify the situation.

“We held a dialogue with his family and informed them that if this situation were to repeat itself, Marvin* would be placed under the protection of the State of Guatemala. We suggested they enroll in the “Parents' School” program to avoid the minor's institutionalization,” Henry España of the Ombudsman's Office told Presentes.

Marvin* can currently only communicate through a close friend.