GENEVA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Information about the lived realities of LGBT people around the world is, at best, incomplete and fragmented, a UN expert warned Wednesday.
"In most contexts policymakers are taking decisions in the dark, left only with personal preconceptions and prejudices," said Victor Madrigal-Borloz, UN Independent Expert on Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
In a media statement issued here Wednesday, the expert cited a report due to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council later this month and called on States to better understand the root causes to and eliminate violence and discrimination against LGBT people.
"States must adequately address this scourge through public policy, access to justice, law reform or administrative actions," said Madrigal-Borloz.
He called on States to design and implement comprehensive data collection procedures to assess the type, prevalence, trends and patters of violence and discrimination against LGBT persons.
"When doing so, States should always respect the overriding 'do no harm' principle and follow a human rights-based approach to prevent the misuse of collected data," said the expert.
Victor Madrigal-Borloz assumed the role of UN Independent Expert on Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity for a three-year period starting on Jan. 1, 2018.
