UN rights chief Türk warns of ‘comprehensive onslaught’ against LGBTIQ+ people worldwide

New York [US], September 23 (ANI): United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has warned of an escalating global backlash against LGBTIQ+ people, describing the persecution and restrictions they face as a "comprehensive onslaught" and calling for a stronger international human rights response.
Addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Türk said the movement for equal rights of LGBTIQ+ people had contributed to broader progress in societies but warned that a "deep and coordinated" backlash was now threatening those gains.
"The history of the movement for equal rights is full of courage, dignity, and solidarity. And it is an integral part of the broader human rights movement – not something separate," Türk said.
He said LGBTIQ+ communities had helped expand freedoms and make societies more open and cohesive, while challenging social orthodoxies and widening the space for self-expression.
However, Türk said recent developments across different regions showed an alarming escalation in persecution.
"But today’s backlash is deep and coordinated, and the persecution of LGBTIQ+ people around the world is escalating at an alarming rate," he said.
The UN rights chief said LGBTIQ+ people continued to face hostility and exclusion, with attacks affecting their physical and psychological safety as well as their social, political and legal rights.
"We know that across every region, LGBTIQ+ people continue to live and to love in the face of hostility and exclusion. Their rights, safety, and well-being are under attack: physical, psychological, social, political, and legal. So, it’s a comprehensive onslaught," Türk said.
Pointing to recent developments in Senegal and Türkiye, Türk said hundreds of people had been arrested amid reports of ill treatment, lack of due process and lack of access to legal representation.
He also highlighted what he described as a sweeping crackdown on LGBTIQ+ organisations, including raids, restrictive laws and judicial proceedings, as well as the branding of some groups as terrorists, extremists or national security threats.
"More than 60 Member States still criminalise consensual same-sex relationships. And while we saw a downward trend, we now see an increase in a number of countries where some of these laws are indeed being promoted," Türk said.
He further warned that anti-LGBTIQ+ sentiments were increasingly being used during electoral periods by candidates and political parties.
"Trans people, and particularly trans women, are demonised and increasingly excluded from public spaces," he said.
Türk criticised what he described as attempts to frame restrictions in the language of morality, decency and child protection.
"These attacks are designed to confuse and to distract. They cloak bigotry in the language of decency and morality," he said, adding that concerns over children were being invoked while other dangers affecting children's lives and futures remained unaddressed.
The UN rights chief also warned that attacks on LGBTIQ+ people could have broader implications for freedom of expression and independent thought.
"More broadly, those who seek to erase difference, and independent thought, expression, and voices from our societies often begin by erasing LGBTIQ+ people: from books and classrooms, from film and culture, and from our streets," Türk said.
He stressed that the rights of LGBTIQ+ people should be viewed within the broader framework of universal human rights rather than as an ideological issue.
"The rights of LGBTIQ+ people are not ideological or new. They are fundamentally human rights," he said.
Referring to Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Türk said its principle that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights did not make exceptions.
He also announced that he had decided to launch a Global Alliance for Human Rights in response to what he described as concerted pushbacks against human rights.
"In light of the current challenges, I decided to launch a Global Alliance for Human Rights – because we see these concerted pushbacks," Türk said.
He expressed hope that the alliance would extend across different sections of society and include an LGBTIQ+ agenda as part of the broader global human rights effort.
"Because we should no longer be on the defensive. We need to be on the offensive," Türk said.
Türk said he looked forward to working with countries and organisations on the issue in the years ahead. (ANI)