By Vivian Chandra, Amnesty NZ staffer.Follow her @vivster81 [https://twitter.com/vivster81] and read more of her ruminations and ramblings here: http://vivianchandra.com/
WARNING: Graphic violence depicted in the following video
Kiwis are passionate about sport.
In the year that I was born, Aotearoa was split between those that just wanted to watch some rugby and those that believed that, as formidable an opponent that the Springboks were (are!), we could do without their apartheid regime, thank you very much.
It’s now been over 30 years, and here we are again arguing about keeping politics out of sports.
Except, just like back then, it isn’t ‘politics’, it is about recognising the equality of all people.
Today is Valentine’s Day. A day to celebrate love and romance (if you choose to do so). If you are in Russia, though, you had better be careful, as new legislation introduced in 2013 vaguely bans “non-traditional” relationships, and cracks down on “propaganda” of such relationships. The new law is written broadly and authorities are using it to target lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals, organisations and supporters.
The irony, of course, is that Russia is currently the home of the XXII Olympic Winter Games. The very games that are meant to be governed by the “Olympic Charter” which states:
“The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”
The new Russian legislation is not only discriminatory, it also deliberately conflates the issue of sexual orientation and paedophilia. The law bans the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” among minors which instantly connects the consensual, private and personal sexual activity or gender expression between adults with sexual abuse of children. This in turn fuels fear and prejudice.
In the short time since it was introduced, the law has encouraged homophobia and prompted a wave of violence by vigilante groups country-wide. LGBTI organisations’ entire bodies of work can be arbitrarily considered propaganda, and fines (or other much more severe penalties) are imposed capriciously. Any blatantly homophobic attacks are ignored by police or punished lightly.
Just before the Olympic Games kicked off Elena Klimova, a journalist, was arrested under the new law and faces a hefty fine. Elena has published a series of articles about LGBTI teenagers and started “Children 404” a social media space where teenagers can share their personal stories about problems they encounter, harassment and misunderstanding they face, and seek advice and support both from their peers and from professional psychologists. If found guilty under the new law this invaluable lifeline for teens will be shut down.
The Olympic Games should be an event that champions inclusion, respect and mutual understanding. This isn’t the first time human rights has been swept aside in the efforts to stage the Games, but surely it is time to take a stand to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Love is a Human Right!
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Read More: |
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Behind the Smokescreen of Olympic Celebrations: Key human rights concerns in the Russian Federation [http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR46/051/2013/en/aacaf830-2019-4dc2-9b38-ad98753da5a6/eur460512013en.pdf]
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HumanWrites Blog: Putin playing games over human rights [http://blog.amnesty.org.nz/putin-playing-games-over-human-rights]
- Read more from Amnesty NZ here: http://www.humanwrites.org.nz/
We should never have participated in the Sochi games. The whole thing leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
It seems we haven’t learned a damn thing since 1981.
Denmark supports this opinion. THe olympics should indeed be including of differences and try to break down barriers between cultures and nationalities. Not exactly promoted in the ban on same sex relations by mother Russia.
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