Single applicants, homosexuals are eligible to adopt, be foster parents, guardians – CPA Director Anne Green

Ann Greene presenting at the Workshop

The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) with the support of the USASID Advancing Partners and Communities (APC) - Guyana Project held a Children’s Rights Workshop last Friday commemorating International Human Rights Day 2015 which was held under the theme, “Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always.” This workshop, which was attended by representatives of nearly thirty Civil Society Organisations focused on the rights and issues affecting orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) in Guyana.

During her presentation on childcare services offered by the state at a Children’s Rights Workshop hosted by SASOD with support from USAID’s Advancing Partners and Communities (APC) Project last Friday, Director of the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) Ann Green announced that there are no laws barring homosexuals from adopting or being foster parents, the agency does not discriminate and under her direction she encourages anyone to apply for the care and protection of vulnerable and neglected children. “There is nothing in the law barring gay people from adopting or applying to be foster parents, the Childcare and Protection Agency does not discriminate and under my direction the agency is more than willing to try it.”

Traditionally it has been heterosexual couples that are selected to be foster parents or adopt children but the agency has recently began exploring other options in its quest to find more comfortable and secured homes for OVC. She encourages more citizens to apply to be foster parents and/or adopt. Green disclosed that the CPA recently tried a single male; he was screened, selected and approved to be a parent, this however was challenged by the child’s biological parents who argued against the adoption – the agency won the case on the grounds that the single man has met the state’s requirements and the selection was in the best interest of the child’s welfare.

UNICEF Gears at Partnering with Guyana Government and People for AIDS-Free Generation

Marianne Flach (Photo credit: Theresa Campbell, APC)

The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) with the support of the USASID Advancing Partners and Communities (APC) - Guyana Project held a Children’s Rights Workshop last Friday commemorating International Human Rights Day 2015 which was held under the theme, “Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always.” This workshop, which was attended by representatives of nearly thirty Civil Society Organisations focused on the rights and issues affecting orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) in Guyana.

Noting that stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV has decreased in Guyana, UNICEF’s Resident  Representative to Guyana and Suriname, Marianne Flach noted that her organisation will continuously support the Government and People of Guyana in their efforts to combat the virus that has threatened and taken the lives of millions globally. “Love, respect and dignity are essential to achieving an AIDS free generation, unfortunately for many people living with HIV, stigma and discrimination persist despite global efforts to reduce the burden for those affected by this disease. In many instances, children are usually the ones who are disproportionately affected.”
Addressing a gathering of thirty Civil Society Organisations at a Children’s Rights Workshop hosted by SASOD in collaboration with the USAID’s Advancing Partners and Communities (APC) Project at the APC’s Georgetown office Friday last, Flach focused her speech on the vulnerability of women and children. Sensitive, child-friendly services she said are needed to protect treat and respond to children affected by HIV, this she opined is absolutely critical.

Twenty-five children globally still acquire HIV every hour despite the majority of pregnant women in low and middle income countries living with the virus are receiving treatment to remain healthy and to avoid transmitting HIV to their babies – this prevents 1.3 million new infections among children since the millennium year. UNICEF, she said is actively supporting the Ministry of Public Health to reduce and prevent mother-to-child transmission. Current and future projects she revealed are the integration of HIV education and care into maternal, new-born, child and adolescent health services; support of male partner involvement, and case tracking management systems, and ensuring that all babies, children, and their mothers are able to access healthcare and information, particularly  life-saving HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

Guyana is in the validation process towards eliminating mother-to-child transmission of the HIV. Flach also noted that the Caribbean region may be the first region to eliminate this form of transmission and this is a promising development and exciting achievement to look forward to.

SASOD held Children’s Rights Workshop to Mark Human Rights Day

Participants at Workshop  (Photo credit: Theresa Campbell (APC)

The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) with the support of the USASID Advancing Partners and Communities (APC) - Guyana Project held a Children’s Rights Workshop last Friday commemorating International Human Rights Day 2015 which was held under the theme, “Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always.” This workshop, which was attended by representatives of nearly thirty Civil Society Organisations focused on the rights and issues affecting orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) in Guyana.

Chief-of-Party of the APC Project, Folami Harris, expressed that “we have an obligation, a moral sense to protect and respect the rights of our children but there are not a lot of caregivers and programmes in Guyana to assist vulnerable children in communities,” in her opening remarks. “How we respond to children is very important but unfortunately we do not have enough people dealing with children specifically,” she related to the gathering of nurses, social workers, caregivers, counsellors and peer educators in attendance. “We as caregivers don’t always do it, teachers don’t always to the extent it needs to be done and this needs to change. We are in a very unique position. Very few of us have the capacity to offer formal dispute resolution and support.”

SASOD, APC Push Dialogue, Law Reform, on Intimate Partner Violence in LGBT Relationships

Panel and Moderator  (Photo credit: Nekete Forde, GYNC)

On Monday, November 30, 2015, the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) and the USAID – Advancing Partners and Communities (APC) Guyana Project hosted the third in its series of monthly Lunch Talks at the APC office in Oleander Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. The session was held as part of SASOD’s observances of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), which kicked off on November 25 – International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – and runs until December 10 – Human Rights Day. SASOD is holding daily activities, both on its social media sites and in-person events.

The “Lunch Talk” had a special focus on “Barriers Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) People Face in Accessing Services for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)”. The event featured a panel which consisted of Attorney-at-Law Ayana McCalman, who is Assistant Secretary on the Board of Directors of the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), Vanda Radzik, renowned human rights activist and Commissioner on the Women and Gender Equality Commission (WGEC), and Joel Simpson, SASOD’s Managing Director. The discussion was moderated by SASOD’s Social Change Coordinator, Chelauna Providence.

SASOD Makes Submission to the National Dialogue on HIV and the Law

Marking World AIDS Day 2015, the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) has made a robust submission to the National Dialogue on HIV and the Law, slated to begin on December 9 and culminate on December 10, Human Rights Day. SASOD’s submission focuses on the first-listed thematic area of the call for submissions: “sexual orientation and gender identity.” In the submission, SASOD reiterates calls for the repeal of archaic laws which criminalize same-sex intimacy and cross-dressing – a position which the organization has been advocating at local, national and international levels for over 12 years. These and other issues related to human rights and key populations affected by HIV will form part of the two-day national conference being spearheaded by a 10-member advisory committee of government ministries and civil society organisations in equal ratio, with technical and financial support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).