The organization Panambí filed a complaint against Asunción police for “torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment” of a 23-year-old transgender woman. She has been detained for a week and says she is being arbitrarily accused. The complaint was filed with the Human Rights Prosecutor's Office in Asunción and the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture (MNP).
Andrea González was murdered in December 2016 in Ciudad del Este. She was 20 years old and had a hearing impairment. This is the first transphobic murder in Paraguay where the Prosecutor's Office has filed charges, but there are reports that a witness has been threatened and the main suspect is under house arrest. A march was held to demand that the crime not go unpunished. "They kill us and no one goes to jail."
A 17-year-old boy was the victim of a brutal sexual assault near Caaguazú. There are strong suspicions that it was an attempted "corrective rape." The young man had been receiving threats and facing discrimination because of his sexual orientation. Two people have already been charged in the case.
Nearly 500 people—mostly young people and teenagers—participated in the LGBTI Pride Parade in Asunción. As part of the international LGBTI Pride celebrations around the world, this year's theme was diverse families. "The discourse of 'family' is currently hijacked by a very vocal minority of anti-rights people who do not recognize diversity."
On the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, LGBT activists in Paraguay held a kiss-in in front of Congress. A group of evangelical pastors opposed to the LGBT community disrupted the event, assaulting the activists.
Lesbian activist Rosa Posa Guinea says that, amid Paraguay's political crisis, repression has been particularly brutal against women and LGBTI people. "With the state's legality on their side, they bullied, injured, sowed terror, and unleashed all their prejudices. To date, there has been no investigation into this."
This is according to the latest report from the organization Panamby. Police and healthcare abuses, as well as the lack of official records of violence complaints, demonstrate the absence of state policies that guarantee the rights of the trans population.
Thousands of women took to the streets in a historic day for the mobilizations of recent years. There was also a protest organized by various groups outside the prosecutor's office to demand justice for the murders of trans women. At the close of the main event, two laws were called for: an anti-discrimination law and a gender identity law.
Three women from LGBTQ+ groups in Paraguay share their personal experiences of why and how they are participating in the International Women's Strike. What are their expectations regarding the impact of #8M? By María Domínguez, from Asunción. Photos: Mariluz Martin and Jess Insrán Pérez. Jess Insfrán Pérez is 23 years old, a photographer, a lesbian, and…
In Paraguay, the "Rohendu" hotline (Guarani for "I hear you") offers support and guidance to the LGBTI community experiencing discrimination, as well as to their families and friends. "It's not normal to be mistreated," emphasize the videos promoting the hotline. It operates Monday through Friday and is free to access from any phone.
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