The Safety and Security Project within Hivos’s (Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries) LGBTI Programme aims to ensure that LGBTI persons are able to live and work within safe communities without the fear of persecution, physical or property harm or intimidation, and with the full enjoyment of their human rights. Hivos has for several years been supporting the work of LGBTI organisations and more recently has responded on an ad hoc basis to security issues faced by organisations and individuals. Given the nature, extent and on-going occurrence of safety and security threats to LGBTI individuals and organisations, Hivos saw the need to review its strategy in regard to LGBTI hate crimes in the region in order to develop a more coherent and sustainable strategy.
This review sets out to assess and address the follwing issues in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe:
- The extent and level of threats of homophobic violence experienced by LGBTI groups and individuals;
- To identify prevention, response and mitigation mechanisms employed by organisations;
- To identify safety and security tools and capacities in place;
- To look at the types and levels of support available to individuals and organisations that are targeted by homophobic violence and threats;
- To review safety and security programmes and strategies to prevent and respond to homophobic violence targeted at LGBTI communities;
- and To make recommendations to Hivos in regard to providing further support for LGBTI organisations and individuals in the region