UN Rights Chief warns of escalating global crackdown on LGBTQ+ people

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has issued a stark warning about rising violence, criminalization and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people worldwide, urging governments and private actors to take concrete action to protect fundamental rights.

Speaking ahead of the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, Mr. Türk noted that more than one in three countries still criminalize consensual same-sex conduct, with several retaining the death penalty for it. Recent legal developments point to a deteriorating climate, United Nations News reports

“Over the past year, Burkina Faso criminalized consensual same-sex relations,” he said. “Senegal increased prison terms for same‑sex sexual acts from five to 10 years. Similar laws are being considered in other countries, including Ghana.”

In addition to criminalizing same‑sex relations, a number of states have introduced or upheld laws that target information about LGBTQ+ people and issues. Mr. Türk highlighted that such measures, including restrictions on LGBTQ+ content, are also in force in Belarus and Kazakhstan. These policies, he stressed, erode basic freedoms and embolden those who wish to silence LGBTQ+ voices.

“We denounce these trends and we commit to reversing them… History has shown that when societies normalize hate and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, it lays the groundwork for broader repression,” he said.

The High Commissioner cited examples from Cameroon, Hungary, Indonesia, Morocco, Tunisia, Türkiye and other countries, where authorities have arrested and targeted LGBTQ+ people and activists. He warned that inflammatory rhetoric by some political and religious leaders is feeding a surge in online abuse, with transgender people often bearing the brunt of this hostility.

“Elections have become battlegrounds of hate,” Mr. Türk observed, referring to a study by NGO Outright International on nearly 90 elections held worldwide in 2024. The report found that approximately 85 per cent of the countries surveyed featured anti‑LGBTQ+ messages in their electoral discourse.

Despite these troubling developments, the High Commissioner also pointed to encouraging signs of progress. St. Lucia has decriminalized consensual same‑sex relations, joining a growing number of states that have moved away from punitive colonial-era laws. Botswana has similarly decriminalized same‑sex conduct, while Nepal has elected a transgender woman to its Parliament for the first time in the country’s history—an important step for trans political representation in South Asia.

Mr. Türk also welcomed a landmark judgment from the Court of Justice of the European Union on 21 April, which found that Hungary’s 2021 ban on content for children relating to sexual orientation and gender identity violated fundamental rights. The ruling affirms that protecting minors cannot be used as a pretext to erase LGBTQ+ people from public life or deny young people access to inclusive, accurate information.

Calling for urgent reform, the High Commissioner urged states to “end violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people by repealing biased laws, investigating all violations, and holding perpetrators to account.” He added that both governments and technology companies must take meaningful steps to address online hate and abuse, including harassment, incitement and disinformation targeting LGBTQ+ communities.

For LGBTQ+ people and allies, collective action, professional solidarity and visibility remain crucial in pushing back against this global rollback of rights. One practical way to support inclusive workplaces and connect with a worldwide community of LGBTQ+ professionals and advocates is by joining platforms dedicated to equality and fair treatment at work.

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