Lesotho’s Constitution does not protect individuals against discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and outdated and inconsistent laws on same-sex relationships persist. The country’s Criminal, Procedure and Evidence Act (CPEA) classifies ‘sodomy’ as one of the offences for which a person may be arrested without a warrant, despite the Sexual Offences Act 2003 giving provision to consenting adults. Lesotho’s laws have made provision for legal gender recognition, but bureaucratic processes, individual biases and ignorance of these laws limit access to holistic gender-affirming services and legal gender recognition for transgender and gender diverse persons. The legal framework, compounded by religious beliefs, conservatism and a lack of education, contribute to a society that continues to discriminate against LGBTIQ individuals.
Established in 2008, The People’s Matrix Association of Lesotho has played a key role in Lesotho’s emerging LGBTIQ rights movement. The People’s Matrix works on:
- advocacy projects to change discriminatory laws and policies
- community-level projects to sensitise members of the public as well as traditional and religious leaders
- providing access to health services and essential psycho-social support for Lesotho’s LGBTIQ community
- awareness raising through a range of media outlets
With their AmplifyChange grant, the People’s Matrix aimed to build the visibility of LGBTIQ issues and SRHR as human rights and to use evidence for direct advocacy to policy makers to change existing discriminatory policies and laws. They have made a strong impact in these areas. The documentation and management of GBV cases towards LGBTIQ individuals has increased because of their interventions, allowing for better tracking of cases, providing better psycho-social support, and building restorative justice approaches. The People’s Matrix, through their person-centred GBV support and case management systems, was able to collaborate with other partners such as faith-based organisations, sex workers, youth, and psychologist associations to improve post-violence support and care for the LGBTIQ community. They also supported LGBTIQ survivors of GBV to access justice through the traditional and criminal justice systems.
Using evidence gathered about GBV from LGBTIQ communities, The People’s Matrix engaged with members of Parliament through the South African Development Committee (SADC) Parliamentary Forum and line ministries to lobby for policy change. Through their advocacy work, the Counter Domestic Violence Act of 2022 was enacted, which provides more protection and specific areas to address with regard to violence on the basis of sexual characteristics, gender diversity and sexual orientation.
The organisation is currently working to implement national constitutional reform recommendations to inform language on amendments of the country constitution and national policy documents. They further engaged with the government of Lesotho to ensure the translation, localisation and implementation of the national human rights commitments adopted at International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) level.
The People’s Matrix has contributed to increased visibility of the LGBTIQ community across Lesotho, and community members are now better aware of their rights and empowered to identify and report cases of GBV. Because of organisational strengthening work they did through their AmplifyChange grant, they excelled in a capacity-building governance assessment and support programme funded by the global initiative PEPFAR (The President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief).
Through its community structures, the People’s Matrix documents and uplifts the experiences and voices of the communities to inform change at higher level. This plays a critical role in design and implementation of initiatives targeting key populations in Lesotho.
