RCT Inc. and the Asylum Bridge to Safety (...with Australian Partners)
- Rainbow Communities Tas.
- Mar 2
- 2 min read
Rainbow Communities Tasmania Inc. supports an international group of silent, forced, asylum seekers from an increasing number of the 76 countries that persecute, execute, imprison, torture and persecute LGBTIQA+ people. This asylum road is difficult and often takes years to navigate.
The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol Guidelines on International Protection No. 9: based on Sexual Orientation and/or Gender Identity within the context of Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, are the key legal documents that form the basis of RCT Inc.'s work:
Following an invite from a Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) person, and seven visits to Bangladesh to learn of the situation and to gain an understanding of the issues that these people face and how to work with SOGI forced immigrants from these countries and the daily contacts supporting people, it is noted that they are in constant fear for their lives, unable to escape their country of origin nor able to openly share a relationship with another person of the same sex.
Daily we are hearing/sharing the distress of the fear and reality of forced arranged marriages of SOGI people to an ‘opposite’ sex person and the honour killings by family members of their SOGI relatives following failure of the marriage.
Forcibly Displaced People Network
Important in this area is RCT Inc.'s link with the Bridge to Safety program, launched by the Forcibly Displaced People Network (FDPN)*1 in partnership with Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS)*2, designed to provide specialised, peer-led support to assist LGBTIQA+ people from the Asia and the Pacific regions who are facing persecution based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, expression, or sex characteristics.
The program's goal is to help LGBTIQA+ refugees access priority processing for humanitarian visas and to overcome barriers to resettlement.
Good working