Hate Crimes against the LGBT Community in the Commonwealth: A Situational Analysis

E. Gitari, M. Walters

This report outlines the nature and extent of anti-LGBT hate crime and its impact on individuals and societies in the Commonwealth. This report is based on desk-based research as well as outreach and six in-depth interviews with leading experts and advisors who represent international nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) working in the field of civil liberties and LGBT rights. Handwritten notes were taken of all interviews, which were then coded 01 to 06 and thematically analysed. Secondary analysis of hate crime statistics published by government agencies was an important source of information; though these statistical data are only periodically published by a few states. Where possible, data were disaggregated to analyse the nature of hate crime against gay men, lesbian women, and bisexual and trans people. The research also relied on publications by international and national NGOs, as well as media archives. Both academic peer-reviewed and grey literature on the nature and prevalence of hate crimes towards LGBT people were examined. The research data relied upon in this report span a period of 11 years, from 2009 to 2020. All consulted sources are listed in the bibliography. The geographic scope of this research is restricted to the Commonwealth, which is a voluntary political association of 54 sovereign states. Most of the Commonwealth countries, with the exception of Rwanda and Mozambique, were former territories of the British Empire. This report should be read in conjunction with a complementary publication by the Human Dignity Trust, Legislating to Address Hate Crimes against the LGBT Community in the Commonwealth (HDT, 2019a), written by Kay Goodall and Mark Walters, which outlines the justifications for enacting hate crime legislation, and provides recommendations for the types of law that have been evidenced as most effective.r