Over 78 percent of documented murders were in Central and South America. Between January 2008 and October 2014, there were 1,612 reported killings of trans* people in 62 countries.
Specific examples include the murder of transgender teen Dwayne Jones in Jamaica, LGBT activist David Kato in Uganda, and the torture and murder of Eric Ohena Lembembe, the Director of Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS in Cameroon.
In countries like El Salvador, Kyrgyzstan and South Africa, it has been documented that lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women are at risk for being raped or forcibly impregnated, based on the justification that women who are raped by a man will change their sexual orientation (so-called corrective rape).In the Republic of Georgia, 32 percent of LGBT individuals reported having experienced physical violence.Homophobic and transphobic violence is witnessed in every region of the world “Since 2011, hundreds of people have been killed and thousands more injured in brutal, violent attacks…” “Other documented violations include torture, arbitrary detention, denial of rights to assembly and expression, and discrimination in health care, education, employment and housing.” Discriminatory laws, combined with culture and religion, can lead to extremely dangerous outcomes, such as bullying and violence, lack of access to education and job opportunities, harassment from the police and other institutions, homelessness, violence, and death We have seen the emergence of an incredible and vibrant global LGBT movement however young LGBT people are often excluded (as is also the case within the broader civil society) from decision making processes that define their socio-cultural and political environments which puts them at increased risk of becoming marginalized. These laws do not just prohibit same-sex marriage or conduct, but also typically contain provisions that prohibit the formation of LGBT advocacy and support groups as well as restrict rights to freedom of expression and assembly (most recently in Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria and Uganda) further limiting the ability of young people to have a safe and open environment to live in and learn. These measures not only violate the rights of LGBT young people, but also hamper the efforts of activists and organizers who are advocating for issues that directly affect this population, such as access to comprehensive and youth-friendly HIV/AIDS information and services. In many countries around the world we have seen laws, either enacted or proposed that punish LGBT people and create a climate of fear and hostility. This violence further puts young people at a crossroad between having to choose between leading a life of secrecy, or face discrimination and violence. Young people aged 10-24 constitute one quarter of the world’s population with majority of them living in the global south and even though statistics on LGBT youth are hard to find, over the course of the last several years, we have seen a continuation of violence and harassment targeting LGBT youth across the globe. Culture and religion are often used to defend anti LGBT sentiments and the guise of “protecting minors” becomes a proxy to further advance an anti-LGBT agenda. In every region of the world, transgender individuals face significant human rights violations. Globally, around 76 countries currently criminalize same-sex relations and five countries impose the death penalty on people caught engaging in same-sex activities.