On June 11, 2021, Honduran legislators and members of PGA, held a virtual meeting with representatives of the Honduran civil society organization Somos CDC to discuss the Equality and Equity Bill. The bill seeks to protect all vulnerable groups in the country from discrimination and has the support of more than 30 local civil society organizations.
Members of Congress Jorge Cálix, President of PGA’s National Group in Honduras and member of the Board, Grimaldi Paz and Scarlett Villanueva (Libre Party), Johana Bermúdez (National Party) and Sobeyda Andino (Liberal Party) attended the meeting as members of the PGA National Group in Honduras.
Somos CDC (Center for LGBTI Development and Cooperation), the organization that advocates for the Equality and Equity Bill, made a presentation on the bill, which aims to fully guarantee the rights to equality and real and effective non-discrimination, through the prevention, punishment and eradication of all discrimination.
Somos CDC emphasized that the bill is the result of a broad consultation process with various vulnerable groups, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) persons, persons deprived of liberty, the elderly, migrants, women, children and adolescents, ethnic groups and Afro-Honduran persons.
The participating legislators had the opportunity to learn about the Equality and Equity Bill and shared ideas and suggestions on effective strategies to promote it.
Among the recommendations, the legislators emphasized the following:
- Raise awareness about the bill with the main political parties represented in the National Congress of Honduras.
- Raise awareness about the bill with the main presidential candidates running in the general election of Honduras on November 28, 2021.
- After the elections, introduce the bill in the National Congress once the parliamentary committees of the new legislature have been constituted as of March or April 2022.
PGA’s Secretariat is following up with the representatives of the different political parties who participated in the meeting to organize presentations of the bill to their respective caucuses.
