Republic of Guyana
Head of state and government: David Arthur Granger (replaced Donald Ramotar in May)

There were continuing concerns about excessive use of force by the police, violence against women and girls, and discrimination and violence towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.

BACKGROUND

Violent crime remained widespread. By November, 133 people had been murdered, compared with 130 during the same period in 2014, according to the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

General elections were held in May and David Granger was elected President. Granger's coalition won over a party which had held power for 23 years.

Prior to elections, during a sensitive electoral contest, a political activist was killed, causing concern about potential limitations on freedom of expression. In January, Guyana's human rights record was examined under the UPR.

POLICE AND SECURITY FORCES

Allegations of excessive use of force by the GPF during arrests and detention remained a concern. Guyana accepted recommendations made during the UPR to strengthen the independence of the Police Complaints Authority and increase its resources and capacity.

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS

Corporal punishment continued in schools, in contravention of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. While the government conducted consultations with civil society on the use of corporal punishment, the law remained unchanged.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

High levels of sexual and other physical violence against women and girls continued. According to a Latin American Public Opinion Project survey published in 2014, acceptance of domestic violence was high in Guyana. The GPF had registered 300 reports of rape for 2015 as of November, compared with 238 for the same period last year.

Conviction rates for sexual offences remained alarmingly low. According to women's rights groups, police continued to fail to take reports seriously.

In July, the former Minister of Health was charged with using insulting language towards a women's rights activist who confronted him on issues of maternal health. He had threatened to "slap" her and have her "stripped" of her clothes.

RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE

Violence and discrimination towards LGBTI people remained a serious concern. There continued to be no legal protection against discrimination based on real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity and expression, and same-sex sexual conduct between men remained criminalized.

In July 2015, days after civil society groups held a candlelight vigil to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of two transgender sex workers, a transgender sex worker known as "Nephi" was killed in Georgetown. A suspect was reportedly charged in August.

The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), a local NGO, continued to receive reports of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace. According to SASOD, transgender youth continued to be made homeless due to discrimination from within their home environment and children's homes lacked the capacity to respond to their needs.

In response to recommendations made during the UPR, Guyana agreed "to strengthen the protection of LGBT individuals" and "to continue its effort in eliminating discrimination against LGBTI people starting with the review of its related legislation". Another 14 recommendations on LGBTI issues, including to reform the Criminal Law Offences Act, were rejected by Guyana.

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