A recent human rights report published by the affirmative Caribbean, entitled ‘With permission to despise’, has revealed worrying figures on the situation of violence and vulnerability faced by LGBTIQ+ people in the department of Cesar. The document, focused on making visible the serious human rights violations committed during 2024, evidence that this population continues to be the target of homicides, threats, sexual violence and systematic discrimination, in the midst of a deep institutional indifference.
During the year 2024 they were registered in Cesar four (4) homicides of LGBTIQ+people, among the victims are trans women, a gay man and human rights defenders. These figures, although numerically lower compared to other regions, acquire a special gravity when contextualizing in an environment where institutional silence and the presence of illegal armed groups that exercise territorial control reigns.
As for threats, at least three intimidating pamphlets between February and March of the same year were reported, and a total of eighteen (18) people were threatened, of which thirteen (13) are activists and human rights defenders. These events occurred in areas with high presence of armed actors, which highlights the absence of the State and the inefficiency of current protection routes.
In addition, five (5) cases of sexual violence, three (3) of police violence and five (5) direct discrimination incidents were documented. To this are added eleven (11) cases of digital violence. Affirmative Caribbean warns that these figures do not reflect all the facts, due to the sub -registration derived from the fear of reprisals, institutional revictimization and lack of confidence in the authorities.
“The silence of the victims cannot be interpreted as a decrease in violence, but as a symptom of the deep distrust of institutions. Many people LGBTIQ+ do not report because they know they will not be protected,” says the report.
Given this situation, an affirmative Caribbean makes an urgent call to the Mayor’s Office of Valledupar, the Government of Cesar, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office and the National Police, to take concrete measures in favor of the protection of the rights of LGBTIQ+ people in the region.
Among the demands are: the approval of an LGBTIQ+ municipal public policy, security guarantees with differential approach, safe and unvictimization denunciation routes, as well as mandatory training in human rights for public officials and security forces.
They affirmed that the situation of LGBTIQ+ people in Cesar is critical and requires urgent responses. While persisting impunity and institutional abandonment, violence will continue to charge lives and perpetuate fear. The affirmative Caribbean report is not only a complaint, but also a road map for authorities to act and guarantee the rights of a historically marginalized population.
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