In June 2014, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies held the Legal and Judicial Legacies of Empire Conference in London. The Chief Executive of the Human Dignity Trust, Téa Braun, was invited to present on the legacy of British colonial sexual offences laws which effectively still criminalise same-sex activity in a number of former colonies today.
British legacy laws perpetuate stigma, discrimination, persecution and a lack of access to justice. They foster and encourage violence against women and LGBT people . The legislation still damages public health and impedes enjoyment of the rights of women and LGBT people to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
In the presentation, Téa uses examples to highlight the devastating legacy of these laws and illustrates their prevalence and significance with statistical analysis.
Download the presentation