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Dear colleagues and friends,

We are writing in full support of the efforts of Campaign 07-07-07 and South African NGOs to raise awareness of the horrific murders of Sizakele Sigasa and Salome Massoa, and of the human rights of all those who face violence, discrimination, rape, torture and abuse because of their gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. 

We add our voices to those of our South African sisters and brothers, and of human rights advocates around the world, who call upon the South African government to ensure a prompt, transparent and effective response to these terrible and brutal crimes.  We also call upon the South African government to fulfil its constitutional commitment to non-discrimination, including on the ground of sexual orientation, and to provide appropriate educational and awareness-raising programmes to ensure that all persons understand and respect the basic human right of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transexual and intersex (LGBTI) people, to celebrate their identities, participate fully in society and live lives of equality, dignity and respect.

We note that the recently-adopted Yogyakarta Principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity call upon States to “ensure that perpetration of violence [related to sexual orientation or gender identity] is vigorously investigated” and to ensure that “those responsible are prosecuted, tried and duly punished” in accordance with the evidence.  The Principles also affirm States’ responsibility to undertake programmes of training and awareness-raising to ensure full respect for the human rights of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transexual and intersex communities.  These Principles were adopted by a distinguished group of international human rights experts, including Justice Edwin Cameron of South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal.

As an organisation with a full-time presence in Geneva, which works to advance the human rights of the LGBTI communities internationally, we are particularly concerned to note that South Africa did not support granting UN consultative status to NGOs working to address human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and has not joined UN statements in support of respecting the equal human rights of LGBTI persons.  We urge the South African government to meet urgently with South African NGOs to assure them of its full commitment to respecting human rights based on sexual orientation and gender identity in both its national and international policy, and to discuss measures that can be taken to make that commitment a reality.

Yours sincerely,

John Fisher
Co-Director, ARC International, GENEVA

Statement from the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice:

We at Astraea, send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sizakele Sigasa and Salome Masooa.  Their brutal and senseless murders reflect a climate of vitriolic hate, contempt, harassment and deadly violence experienced by lesbians in South Africa and around the world on a daily basis.

Joining with activists the world over, we call for an immediate and thorough investigation into these horrific crimes.

We applaud the Joint Working Group for its creation of the Campaign 07-07-07—a campaign to raise the consciousness of South African leaders and local communities about the violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. And we send heartfelt support for their August 9th Soweto protest-action highlighting the impact of hate crimes against lesbian women in South Africa.

As we move forward, the brave lives of Sizakele and Salome will fuel our work. Their memory, and the memory of so many others, will ensure that we continue to fight for and attain a just and peaceful world for everyone.

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice - New York, United States

 As a citizen of Malaysia, I am shocked and disgusted at the rising incidences of sex and gender-based violence in South Africa, and also the targeting of LGBTI human rights defenders. What saddens me most is that activists and dreamers in Malaysia often look at the South African experience to give us hope that society can indeed be transformed for the better. In particular, we hold the South African Constitution as a shining example of what it means to anchor such a diverse nation in democratic, inclusive ideals. It is heartbreaking to realize that the promises of equality and protection in the South African Constitution obviously do not extend towards women and people of non-normative sexualities.

In Malaysia, we are facing similar problems now, where constitutional guarantees of equality and freedom are being denied to religious and sexual minorities. And like South Africa, a lot of human rights violations in Malaysia now are being perpetrated by people claiming to act on the basis of religious obligation, which totally contradicts the true spirit and objective of religion. How ironic that Malaysia was one of the countries that was most supportive of South Africa's fight against Apartheid.

However, I think we can gain strength and hope from the fact that we, the seekers of justice, the dreamers of a world in which everyone is safe and everyone is protected equally, are connected to each other no matter where we are. Our vision will prevail. We will prevail.

From Malaysia, in solidarity.
Shanon

The Oxford Student Stop AIDS Society and Hannah Roe, the Oxford University Students' Union Women's Vice President condemn in the strongest possible terms the recent brutal torture and murder of Sizakele Sigasa an outreach coordinator at Positive Women's Network and a lesbian and gay rights activist, and her friend Salome Masooa in South Africa.

The indications are that this abhorrent act was a hate crime, committed by people who are intolerant of women and lesbians.  We send our deepest condolences and solidarity to the family, friends and activist colleagues of Sizakele and Salome.

Violence against women and lesbian and gay people violates their fundamental human rights and is never justified.  Moreover, these events should be viewed in the context of South Africa's devastating and growing HIV/AIDS epidemic.  The number of new HIV-infections in the country will never be reduced, nor will there be universal access to HIV treatment, as long as homophobic and sexist stigmas and discrimination around the epidemic persist in South African society.

Therefore, we whole-heartedly support calls by the Treatment Action Campaign and the Positive Women's Network for the South African Police Services to bring their murderers to justice as swiftly as possible.  We also support their calls for wider reforms of South Africa's criminal justice system to make it more effective in punishing violence against women and homophobic hate crimes.  We also support their calls for all social and political actors to re-double their efforts to eliminate all forms of irrational and unfair social prejudice such as sexism and homophobia.

Yours in the struggle for women's rights

Mandisa Mbali
Co-chair, Oxford Student Stop AIDS Society & South African Rhodes Scholar and Doctoral Candidate
Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine & St Antony's College
University of Oxford

 At the wrong end (of other people)

At the wrong end of other people,
Women's situation today
the topic under discussion
on SAFM's Law Report,
pre-Women's Day

At the wrong end of other people
women - still bearing the brunt
whether it be in the workplace,
the bedroom, kitchen or classroom

At the wrong end of other people
women - still a heavy load
despite being free and fair
on our statute books

A heavy load in society
A heavy load in the home
A heavy load in the workplace
(if there is such a thing
beyond the kitchen and bedroom)

At the wrong end of other people
their attitudes and beliefs
institutions wielding male-power
teachers, preachers, policemen
(and whosoever else upholds the law
in their own antiquated image)

At the wrong end of other people
at the wrong end
the bottom of the pile
low down in the pecking order
trapped by the glass ceiling

At the wrong end of other people
too often, at the wrong end
of yourself

Viva yet another National Women's Day

penned during and after SAFM's Law Report, Monday, 06 August 2007,
stopped in my tracks by the catchy topic - serious as it is!