Violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE) are prevalent threats to young people’s right to an education, finds review to be launched at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand
BANGKOK, 12 NOVEMBER, 2015 – The majority of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) youth in Asia-Pacific say they have been subjected to some form of violence or bullying in school. In some countries, as many as four out of five LGBTI learners are affected.
This can take many forms – physical, verbal, psychological or sexual abuse or social exclusion both online and off. The end result remains the same: millions of young learners throughout the Asia-Pacific region are being denied their right to an education. The impacts can be lifelong and devastating in terms of economic and employment prospects, as well as on a personal level: Asia-Pacific studies show that up to one in three LGBTI learners report depression; up to seven in 10 report harming themselves and nearly five in 10 have attempted suicide.
UNESCO is launching “From Insult to Inclusion”, the first review of its kind to comprehensively examine these challenges in Asia-Pacific.
The report looks at the broader legal and educational contexts in countries throughout the region related to bullying on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression, and features the voices of young learners themselves and their personal stories of abuse and exclusion. Concrete steps that education sector planners, teachers, school leaders and communities throughout the region can take to address this situation are also presented.
WHAT: Short theatre performance and screening of three-minute film, “Imagine That”, on LGBTI learners’ experiences in Asia-Pacific; presentation of key findings, and panel discussion on the findings of the UNESCO report, “From Insult to Inclusion: Asia-Pacific report on school bullying, violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.”
WHO: A young learner from Asia-Pacific facing the issues addressed in this review will join:
- Gwang-Jo Kim, Director, UNESCO Bangkok
- Leah Patricia Magdaleno-Galgo, Child Protection Officer from the Department of Education, Philippines
- Thomas Guadamuz, Prominent researcher on LGBTI issues from Mahidol University
- Susi Fitri, Chair, Indonesia’s Guidance & Counseling Association, Jakarta Branch
- Justine Sass, HIV and Health Education Adviser, UNESCO Bangkok
- Edmund Settle, Regional policy advisor on HIV, human rights, law and sexual diversity, UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub
- Touchanond Jarupatchanee, a social justice activist and radio personality also known as DJ Fiat at Green Wave
WHEN: 19 November 2015, 17.00 – 20.00PM
WHERE: The Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Thailand (FCCT)
The Penthouse, Maneeya Center, 518/5 Ploenchit Road (fccthai.com)
MEDIA CONTACT: Kannika Butphrom at Midas PR, pui@midas-pr.com, 081-712-4285
UNESCO MEDIA CONTACT: Noel Boivin, n.boivin@unesco.org,
For more on the launch of “From Insult to Inclusion”, please visit our Facebook event page: https://goo.gl/TPfQnd
Resources:
“From Insult to Inclusion”, full report: http://goo.gl/X46rad
Executive Summary: http://goo.gl/16y2AL
Infographic of report highlights: http://goo.gl/2PJLo1
Key findings from the report: http://goo.gl/uiojdN
Voices – Quotes from LGBTI youth in report: http://goo.gl/TfXMzN
Bios of FCCT launch participants: http://goo.gl/V88A0K
Bias & Bullying: Voices from Asia-Pacific classrooms (Video)
You Are Loved (Video)
Teachers Matter (Video)
Imagine That (Video)