Youth Perspectives Conference 2013

Youth Perspectives Conference 2013

I've been asked to give an account of my whereabouts on the 29^th of November to the 2^nd of December.

On my own resolve (and with the consent of my parents who sponsored my trip of course), I applied for, hopped on a plane and fled to Geneva, Switzerland; where I attended the Youth Perspectives Conference 2013’ themed "The Role Of Youth In Promoting The Culture Of Peace".

This annual conference was organised by the Geneva International Model United Nations. The conference aims to "bring young people to discuss their points of view, to precise their opinions and to develop, in a coherent way, drafts of solutions to current issues"[1].

That is exactly what we did. This 4th edition of the conference gave approximately 60 participants from all over the globe - the opportunity to "engage in the topic of contemporary human rights and international relations, exchange their points of view, negotiate contrasting perspectives, elaborate a common position and then develop sustainable solutions"[2].

There were four committees; three of which were in English and one in French. They dealt with:

a)            Cultural exchange as the foundation of a culture of peace (EN)

b)            How can social media be utilized by youth in promoting a culture of peace? (EN)

c)             Le rôle des jeunes dans la lutte contre l’inégalité des revenus et la distribution des richesses (FR) [Which when translated means The role of youth in the fight against income inequality and wealth distribution]

d)            Human rights promotion for a culture of peace (EN)

Each committee was aided by two debate’s facilitators, in accordance with the GIMUN rules of procedure. The committees worked in anticipation of adopting a final resolution at the end of the third day which was ratified by the Youth Perspectives General Assembly which is composed of all the participants who took part in the conference.

I was assigned to the fourth committee: 'Human Rights Promotion for a Culture of Peace'. We were tasked with discussing "...human rights promotion as a means that young people may use to foster a culture of peace"[3].

Due to my late arrival, I was the ‘awkward trespasser’ in the committee who was lost in terms of our stance during the deliberations so I was a little behind. But from what I had heard and by looking at our agenda (which was appropriately adopted during the first session which I missed); my committee had looked at ‘Limitations Of Human Rights Promotion’, ‘Cultural relativism vs. Universalism’, and were then beginning to look at ‘Education As A Prerequisite For Promotion Of Human Rights’.

A certain degree of stress was being placed on “how respect of human rights is at the basis of a culture of peace that promotes equality; combats discrimination and encourages dialogues and mutual understanding”[4].

During the enlightening discourse, we considered ‘Means of Creating Awareness and Commitment to Human Rights’, and ‘What Could be Done by Youths’; all of which was done with the hope of “developing a Global Network Among Youth which would work to foster human rights by drawing attention to the modern human rights challenges, and focusing on universal human rights values in order to address the concept of a culture of peace and to promote it”[5].

After the very intense sessions, well deserved coffee breaks were given where we could go air our brains so we could return refreshed to tackle the problems of the world… But Committee 4 did not need these breaks. We always found ways to amuse ourselves especially on our final day when we needed to round everything up and prepare our Resolution. Great laughs that ended in tears were shared (most especially on my part).

When our Resolution was finalised, we went on one of our various social activities. When we returned, the General Assembly gathered and the Resolutions from all four Committees were presented by Bilingual Representatives.

Although I cannot report accurately on the activities and Resolutions of the other Committees, I can make an attempt to summarise what the three other Committees came up with.

Committee 1: They came up with a Cultural Exchange mechanism called the “Cultural Library”.

Committee 2: This committee in conjunction with one of the developers of GOODWALL.ORG, already puts their Resolution into play. They started the #ShareYourPeace Trend.

Committee 3: This was the hard one to understand most especially since it was the French Speaking committee. From what I recall, their Resolution proposed to develop a database that would assist in their ‘fight against income inequality and wealth distribution’ which would be called YAN.

All Resolutions were received by the General Assembly and voted upon. All were accepted and would go on to be presented by GIMUN before ‘Future of Human Rights Forum’ on the 10^th of December.

My understanding is that after the presentation of our Resolutions to the Forum earlier this month, GIMUN due to their Special Consultative Status, would submit those Resolutions to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). A document containing said Resolutions will then be circulated within UN and NGO networks; which ensures that the work we did that weekend will have potential significance beyond the conference.

I think the moral of this story (so to say) is that there are MANY opportunities out there beyond our college gates that we can avail of if we keep our eyes out for them. To be honest, I was researching on Model United Nations opportunities for the summer when I found out about GIMUN and saw that the conference was coming up.

If you are in anyway interested in such conferences or opportunities, do not hesitate to contact me, any member of the FLAC Committee or even Karen Sutton – the Careers Guidance Expert (at GCD) or someone in a similar role in your respective Colleges.

Beulah Allotey

GCD FLAC

---

[1]Geneva International Model United Nations

[2] Ibid

[3] Ibid

[4] Ibid

[5] Ibid

Human Rights Week 2013: Homelessness

Homelessness

 

 

There are certain issues that come to the forefront of society around the holiday season every year, despite the fact that some members of our society have to face them every day. One such issue is homelessness. Many people’s automatic reaction when they think of homelessness is to think of charity. Giving away money or time in order to help an organization to aid others, perhaps filling buckets to help people through a campaign or providing them with food and items to get them through the night. Another reaction can be to look at the less human side of things. Homelessness in the eyes of some is little more than the thought of a lack of housing. A lack of housing can be seen as a lack of an actual housing structure as opposed to the lack of shelter, warmth, security and privacy that humans deserve. This issue however concerns much more than just an empty shell to hold a person. It’s about the person themselves and their rights.

 

On average this year, about 6 people will become homeless in Dublin each day. Given that there are around 100 rough sleepers or more in Dublin at any given time, it is not unrealistic to say that hundreds of people sleep rough across Ireland every night.

 

The issue of homelessness can impact on a person’s human rights in what are sometimes very simple but significant ways for both rough sleepers and those in shelters or other temporary accommodation. A few of the most basic rights that are infringed while a person is homeless may be:

 

·         Right to Privacy- People of Ireland have a right to privacy. In the comfort of your own home you’re able to conduct your affairs in private and not have the public interfere. A homeless person is hindered from exercising this right to privacy as they lack a dwelling to be private in. This takes away an element of comfort from a homeless person’s life that people take for granted every day.

 

·         Discrimination – People have a right to live free from discrimination. Many homeless people or those who were once homeless can battle discrimination based on society’s preconceived notions about homeless people or the small portion of the homeless community they have interacted with. This negative attitude to the homeless community may also lead to violence for a number of reasons and as some of the most vulnerable members of our society any bias against them only increases this vulnerability.

 

·         Right to Earn a Livelihood- In Ireland, people have a right to earn a livelihood and the state has a duty to protect this.  On a very basic level the challenges one can encounter while homeless can be instrumental in their inability to become and stay employed. This leads them farther away from the possibility of ending their homelessness and from contributing to society in a productive manner in some cases.

 

·         Right to Education- The people of Ireland have a right to education, or more specifically, the young people.  It is sometimes hard to remember that not everyone who is homeless is an adult. Homelessness as a child can impact a right to an education as it can affect your ability to even be enrolled in a school much less actively participate in education. Homeless children receiving residential services as a result of their condition have been reported to be as young as 13 years old.

 

 

Some of the other rights not often considered which homeless people may be prevented from exercising are the right to vote, right to an adequate standard of living, right to social security, etc.

 

In Ireland, it has been noted that there are initiatives currently taking place by several organizations in which homelessness is the main focus to not just help current homeless sufferers but to prevent the growth and continuation of the homeless condition. The partnership MakeRoom in particular recently made a submission to the Department of Social Protection outlining some of the issues which must be taken into account in order to effectively end homelessness or more specifically reduce homelessness down to no more than 6 months for those that end up in that position. The focus is on affordable, private, rented accommodation. While acknowledging the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) a better use of resources would be instrumental in improving the current situation. The faster the person is helped out of homelessness the less chance there is of them having to suffer the humiliation of having their human rights infringed in every area of their life. The support of organizations like Focus Ireland and the Dublin Simon Community is instrumental to tackling the problem of homelessness as a human rights issue. The services they provide allow people to accept help, guidance and training from the possibility of losing their homes right up until finding a new one.

 

Additionally, it is worth noting that there is a growing trend in governments being seen to take increasingly drastic steps to essentially criminalize homelessness and to an extent, poverty. Although in Ireland there is a right to housing, seen in statutory law as well as EU legislation and our Constitution, the legislature has recently put more action into creating law to restrict the movements of those who are homeless as opposed to addressing issues that can resolve the problem such as helping them out of homelessness. Despite the work of good organizations and the current aid the government can provide to the homeless community this will undoubtedly make it significantly harder to deal with the issue of homelessness and therefore ensure citizens are able to exercise their human rights. Homeless people face a constant stream of challenges that can prevent even the most resourceful of people from providing for themselves adequately. They are issues that may not cross our mind until we see the resulting actions from the lack of resolution to the issues. For instance, homeless people in many jurisdictions are not allowed to do things like loiter are prevented from or not provided with access to cleaning facilities and are sometimes made to leave the area which they are in completely, only to be permanently moved along and ultimately, they may possibly develop a negative relationship with law enforcement as a result. This cycle can only lead to more problems for the community as a whole and it is submitted that this approach is largely detrimental to the homeless community and their human rights.

 

Homelessness can stem from a number of issues such as economic hardship, which many people in society are subjected to, or possibly substance abuse issues that have gripped certain members of our community. The author would submit however, that this Christmas, and indeed year round, people remember that homeless people are deserving of the same rights and freedoms you have and that it is important to protect them from infringement. These are things the public become outraged at if they are allowed to openly and regularly happen to people in their own homes or in their private space; as a community it is important to remember that just as homeless people deserve to be spared those outrageous behaviors that accompany the infringement of rights, they would be much better off with the protection of a home to aid them in exercising their human rights.

For more information on homelessness in Ireland and how you can help, check out these links:

·         http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/losing_your_home/homelessness.html

·         http://www.combatpoverty.ie/povertyinireland/homelessness.htm

·         https://www.focusireland.ie

·         https://www.focusireland.ie/get-involved

·         http://www.dubsimon.ie

·         http://www.dubsimon.ie/Volunteer.aspx

 

 

Natalie Vernon, GCD FLAC.

Children and Family Relationship Bill 2013

 

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2013.

Families in Ireland today come in many different forms. However, this is not reflected in the law. Families of unmarried parents, same-sex couples and cohabitants have long been discriminated against under the law. The area is regarded by many legal academics and practitioners as ill-equipped for the complex modern Irish family.

The current law was drawn up in the 1960s and does not reflect the Ireland of today. Laws relating to paternity and children of unmarried individuals date to the mid-1980s and there are no laws to govern the area where children are born as a result of assisted human reproduction or surrogacy.

The Children and Family Relationships Bill 2013 is designed to fill this serious legislative void within Irish law and recognize for the first time the diverse range of family types that make up Irish society. Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has described the bill as “contemporary legal architecture” on guardianship, custody, access and the raising of children in family types ranging from married families, couples and civil partnerships, families involving the extended family and families based on cohabiting parents.  He believes “This is finally addressing areas that have been substantially ignored by successive governments,”

In the case of step-parent adoptions (where a mother with a child born outside of marriage, is now married to a man other than the father, but wants legal recognition of the relationship between the two) mothers must perform the artificial procedure of adopting their own child as part of the process. The new Bill will allow husbands to become joint guardians in these situations where it is in the child’s best interest without entering the adoption process. The bill also provides for those cohabiting with the biological or adoptive parent and for same-sex civil partners to apply for guardianship of a child. In the case where a grandparent for example seeks access to a child, the access provisions will also be improved compared to their current two-stage format for a person other than a parent.

Surrogacy laws under the new bill will allow the court to assign parentage on the basis of a genetic connection to one of the proposed parents and their partner. Payment for a commercial surrogacy is prohibited and the only payment allowed will be limited to the reasonable costs that may be associated with pregnancy. The area of assisted human reproduction will also finally be given legal clarity. This will give thousands of families who have had children using donor eggs or sperm, comfort, reassurance and significantly, protection under the law. The new provision will provide that in cases where donors are used, the parents will be the birth mother and her consenting partner. This is particularly important now at this time given the recent High Court ruling that parentage was based on genetics, the donor mother rather than the birth mother.

An area that is long overdue to be addressed is that of adoption by same-sex couples. This area will finally be legislated for in this proposed law or in a related piece of legislation. At present, only one member of a same-sex couple may adopt a child and be regarded as that child’s legal guardian. The law allows the adoption of children by married couples and single heterosexual or homosexual individuals. It does not provide for adoption by cohabiting couples or by civil partners. A law that allows the adoption of a child by a person who is gay but prohibits it in the case of a same-sex couple is nonsensical and discriminatory. This is a sentiment that the Justice Minister himself has previously expressed. It will therefore allow for the adoption of children by same-sex civil partners for the first time.

The bill is also a welcome step for the rights of fathers who have campaigned for years for better legal recognition as guardians of their children. The legislation is set to improve the recognition of single fathers. The number that will automatically be legally recognized as guardians of their children will increase as the bill will recognize that the father of a child born outside of marriage is a guardian of his child where he has cohabited with the child’s mother for a year before the birth and the cohabitation has not been ended for more than 10 months before birth.

The bill proposes to introduce new welcome penalties for parents who do not comply with maintenance or access orders. Up until now the penalty has been imprisonment for breach of a court order but it is not used as this is not a resolution to the problems access or custody.

Most importantly, this new legislation will put the child’s best interest first. The bill will set out what constitutes the best interests test. A child over the age of 12 will be addressed in relation to applications for guardianship.

The planned reforms have the support of the Government, however it can be easily predicted that they will be controversial among conservative Catholics and the Church in their provisions to allowing same-sex couples in civil partnerships to adopt children. The heads of the new Children and Family Relationships Bill are expected to be published this month by the Minister for Justice.

 

 

James Dooley, GCD FLAC.

Human Rights Week 2013: The Syrian Conflict.

Syrian Civil War

The Syrian Civil war started back in March of 2011 when protests began against President Bashar Al-Assad's regime. This was initially a part of a larger series of events dating back to 2010 known as the Arab Spring .Here, a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests (both non-violent and violent), riots, and civil wars took place in the Arab world. 

 

 

 

 

Ever since Syria gained independence from France in 1946, Syria has begun to fall into a pattern of political instability and military coups. Continued political uncertainty in the region erupted in 2011 during the Arab Spring activism in Egypt and Tunisia. An event that inspired Syrian protesters to take to the streets in demonstrations against Assad's regime

In other to suppress protest against his government, Bashar al-Assad began to adopt measures such as kidnapping, torture and killing of protesters. Government troops began opening fire on civilians, who fired back in response. Civilian rebel forces then began organizing and arming themselves to combat government violence. This led to government military powers destroying entire neighbourhoods and towns.

Hence a fully blown civil war began. After a while, many members of Assad's army began to defect to the protesters' side. These officers and soldiers eventually formed the backbone of the Free Syrian Army, the main armed group designed to oppose Assad’s regime.

On May the 6th, demonstrators rose in cities and towns across Syria to show their unhappiness with the regime. This occurred mainly in the suburbs of Damascus, the smaller cities of Homs, Hama, and Baniyas, and in Syrian Kurdistan. Video and audio of security forces responding, in some cases with lethal force, appeared online within an hour of protests beginning. As reported, this led to the killing of eleven members of the Syrian army.

At least three dead and 20 injured were reported in Homs alone, with a total of 16 dead between Homs and Hama. Tens of thousands reportedly marched in Damascus and its suburbs, and about 7,000 protesters wearing funeral shrouds and carrying olive branches and flowers gathered in Baniyas, vowing to "meet the army peacefully", according to Al Jazeera, whose channel broadcast live from the city for some minutes.

Several thousand Syrians participated in a protest march to the vicinity of Daraa, but security forces maintaining a siege of the city refused to let them enter with supplies for its inhabitants.

In an effort to starve people into stopping their protests, the government continued to prevent food from being sent to Daraa on May the 14^th.

The army launched a siege on Talkalakh, killing four civilians and sending hundreds to seek refuge in Lebanon. Protesting occurred again in several cities, including Daraa. Funerals for slain protesters were held in Damascus's suburbs. The Kurds protesting in the north have called on all opposition forces in and out of Syria to unite into one party aiming at transferring Syria from a dictatorship to a democracy. Since the wars started, over two million Syrians have been displaced and many have sought refuge in turkey.

 

The Turkish disaster management agency has estimated that the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey actually exceeds 600,000 — with 400,000 living outside the refugee camps. The government had spent an estimated $2 billion on the refugee situation as of August 2013, according to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

More Syrian refugees have also fled to The Lebanon. The Lebanese government also estimated that at least 1 million Syrian refugees are in their country. Lebanon has a normal population of 4.25 million and the government has not built formal refugee camps.

Multiple reports on Twitter claimed that Syrians in several neighbourhoods and cities, including Midan in central Damascus, Baba Amr in Homs, and Idlib city, were marching in New Year's Day protests against the regime in the early morning, shortly after midnight. The opposition Local Co-ordinating Committees announced it had confirmed 5,862 deaths in the Syrian uprising during 2011, including 287 prisoners allegedly tortured to death.

On the 18^th of January, Anwar Malek, an Algerian ex-observer from the Arab League monitoring mission, said in an interview from his home in Paris that Syrian officials tried to intimidate him and other observers. He has then called for military aid to the rebels by the United States and other countries as the only way to resolve the conflict.

 

It is evidenced that the international communities have reacted to the occurrence in Syria in numerous ways with the interest and safety of the Syrian citizen at heart. For instance, the US has called for a direct military action in Syria in response to the purported chemical attack in August 2013.

 

Even though Obama labelled the alleged attack an "assault on human dignity”, he has failed to launch any strikes without firstly agreeing to pursue a diplomatic solution backed by Russia.

 

According to the BBC website, “UN observers in Syria have suspended their activities because of the escalating violence”, the head of the UN Stabilisation Mission (UNSMIS) says.

 

Although, Norwegian Gen Robert Mood said the observers would cease patrols and stay in their current locations, he insisted that the mission remained committed to ending the violence.

The announcement came a day after Gen Mood warned that the escalation in violence was limiting the observers' ability to do their work.

Conclusively, the crisis in Syria has led to deaths of over 115 000, the internal displacement of millions of people, and an increase in limited access to basic services such as health care, sanitation and water. This negative and woeful impact has reached a tipping point and requires an immediate and meaning response.

It is submitted that a red line has been crossed by Assad’s regime and coercive intervention by international community is urgently required.

Mary Adeleke, GCD FLAC.

Human Rights Week 2013: Russia and it's LGBT community.

Recent laws passed in Russia ban “homosexual propaganda” and “non-traditional” sexual relationships among minors with the threat of criminal prosecution. The “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations to minors" bill was signed into law in June. The law is a serious breach of the Human Rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people by the Russian government. The bill makes it illegal to equate straight and gay relationships. At the same time they passed legislation providing for prison terms of up to three years for offending religious feelings. 

The law has come after other violations of the constitutionally protected rights of Russian citizens. Gay pride parades in Moscow and other Russian cities have been banned and several gay rights groups have been fined. The new federal law is closely related to regional laws that had already been put in place, all of which penalize “propaganda” of homosexuality under the guise of “protecting” minors.  The city of Sochi, where the Winter Olympics are to take place, has such a regional law. Similar to the federal law, these regional laws use vague definitions of propaganda to allow for ongoing persecution of the country’s LGBT community.   

These laws have led to an increase in violent attacks on citizens suspected of being gay. ILGA-Europe rates Russia as the least protective country in Europe for LGBT citizens, ranking it 49th out of the 49 European countries rated in its annual survey. A Russian court has denied the non-governmental organisation Sochi Pride House the right to register officially believing its promotion of gay rights is a threat to society and extremist. The court argued that extremist activities such as those of the Sochi Pride House were a threat to Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity

The European Court of Human Rights has taken Russia to task over its human rights violations towards its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex citizens in the past. In April 2011, Russia was fined by the Strasbourg as it was found to be in violation of articles 11, 13, and 14 of the European Convention due to a ban placed on 164 pride events from 2006 and 2008. The Alekseyev v. Russia case ruling came after the Russian government lost its appeal. Despite the court’s ruling and the fine imposed, Russia has continued to ban such events.  In May 2012, a district court in Moscow imposed a one hundred year ban on such events within the city.  Almost 12 million people living in Moscow are being censored in the name of furthering hatred.

Article 6.21 of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses, allows individuals to be fined if they are believed to be promoting propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations amongst minors. The article is vague and broad and appears to cover every possible form of expression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex individuals. There is no definitive definition of ‘propaganda’ or ‘non-traditional sexual relations’. Article 6.21 describes propaganda as the: “distribution of information that is aimed at the formation among minors of non-traditional sexual attitudes, attractiveness of non- traditional sexual relations, misperceptions of the social equivalence of traditional and non-traditional sexual relations, or enforcing information about non-traditional sexual relations that evokes interest to such relations . . . .”

 Individuals engaging in such propaganda can be fined 4,000 to 5,000 rubles. However the fines increase substantially in the case of public officials are implicated and depending on the methods utilised.  Foreigner nationals who make help further the LGBT movement can be detained, fined and deported. There have been several legal actions taken under the regional anti-LGBT propaganda laws in recent months. St. Petersburg has fined and initiated legal proceeding against activists and performers for expressing support for LGBT rights.  Last July, four Dutch videographers, who were filming a documentary on LGBT rights in Russia, were detained by police and then deported on a technicality.  

In 2012 the Russian parliament also passed a “foreign agents” law. This law requires that NGOs in receipt of funding from outside Russia to register as foreign agents where they engage in any political activity. Two LGBTorganisations have so far been fined under this law. In June the LGBT organization “Coming Out” and its director were both convicted and fined under the law. The charges against the organization were overturned on appeal but are set for a re-hearing.  Kieran Rose, chairman of gay and lesbian equality network Glen said the laws are “violations of the most basic international human rights obligations and democratic principles… These new laws represent a serious attack on human rights and civil society in Europe. They send out the clear message from the Russian government and parliament that intolerance of others is acceptable and that human rights are not inviolable but rather are political notions which can be rowed back when it is politically advantageous to do so. This cannot be allowed to stand”.

The areas of adoption of Russian children by same-sex couples and same-sex couple’s parentage are now beginning to be focused on and many within the Russian LGBT believe things are set to get much worse for the community. Russian journalist Masha Gessen discussed the situation facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Russians with the Washington Post at Septembers Human Rights First Summit in Newseum. She claimed “The Russian laws are even more extreme than you know,” with Russia’s highest court upholding the legality of the anti-gay “propaganda” law. It was Ms Gessen’s claim that this could pave the way for the government to remove children from their same-sex parents. “There won’t be change... we can only mitigate the effects.” Gessen called on nations “to help people get out [of Russia] with their families.”  Gessen herself has fled Russian with her wife and children.

 A bill citing a discredited study by Mark Regnerus, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Texas has been debated by the Russian Duma. Andrei Zhuravlyov of President Putin’s United Russia Party claimed “The harm that could be inflicted on a child’s mental health if their parents are homosexual is immense.” The bill would have amended Article 69 of the Family Code granting the government the authority to terminate the parental rights of parents raising children with same-sex partners or who are suspected of engaging in homosexual behaviour. This would have added homosexuality to a list of grounds for termination of parental rights that includes alcohol addiction, drug addiction and child abuse. Deputy Akexey Zhuravlev withdrew the bill from the parliament. A spokesperson stated that his position had not changed. The bill is to be revised and resubmitted to the Duma. Gessen expects a bill providing for the removal of children from their same-sex parents to be reintroduced when the Sochi Olympics finish.  She believes that “is the day when things get really bad.”

LGBT advocates in Russia have reported several recent cases of LGBT hate violence, in Volgograd in May; a 23-year old man was sexually assaulted before being killed in what was widely reported to be an anti-LGBT hate crime. LGBT Noise spokesman Max Krzyzanowski has previously stated that there is an “epidemic” of videos being posted online by young neo-Nazis who set up false dates with young gay men. The videos have been circulating online and show young men being beaten, humiliated and abused.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has advised gay and lesbian Irish citizens travelling to Russia to be careful and aware of the recent anti-gay laws introduced in the country. The Department of Foreign Affairs’ website states “a federal law has recently been approved that prohibits the promotion of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism in the Russian Federation”.

Click here for the official version in Russian