Canada has partnered with a non-profit organization to protect LGBTQI+ refugees and welcome them to the country.
The Trudeau government announced Thursday night a partnership with Rainbow Railroad, a North American-based group that aims to help those persecuted by systemic and state-run homophobia and transphobia around the world.
So far, the organization has done this by providing those at risk with emergency relocation, crisis intervention and financial assistance.
The partnership with Canada is the first that will allow Rainbow Railroad to facilitate government-sponsored refugee resettlement.
In a statement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office, it explains that “Rainbow Railroad will seek to find LGBTQI + people and their families fleeing violence and persecution to refer them to the Government of Canada”.
Ottawa intends to ensure their resettlement through the government-assisted refugee program.
“This partnership allows us to do what we haven’t been able to do so far, which is to sort out the really vulnerable cases and the urgent protection cases,” said Kimahli Powell, CEO of Rainbow Railroad.
Persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is on the rise. Last week, Uganda passed one of the toughest anti-gay laws in the world.
Canadian politicians of all stripes have condemned the law, which carries the death penalty for people who have same-sex relationships with an HIV-positive partner, and long prison sentences for the “promotion” of homosexuality and relationships between people of the same sex.
Persecuted people are already referred to Canada by the UN Refugee Agency, but the situation in Uganda illustrates the importance of an agency focused on LGBTQ refugees, Powell said.
“Many people are fleeing Uganda to seek refuge in neighboring Kenya, which also criminalizes same-sex sexual relations,” Powell said in an interview. The discrimination they face in Kenya makes it more difficult to access traditional refugee resources.
“A partner specializing in LGBTQI+ people, like Rainbow Railroad, especially in times of crisis, can make resettlement safer for LGBTQI+ people at risk. »
Since the law was passed, Rainbow Railroad has received 600 requests for assistance from Uganda, more than double the number received from that country in the whole of last year.
According to Powell, about 60 countries have criminalized same-sex intimacy.
Federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has touted the deal as one of the first of its kind. According to him, the agreement will help Canada better respond to “emerging situations”.
The government is still negotiating the number of refugees who can be cared for under the scheme, but Powell hopes care will begin as soon as possible.
Rainbow Railroad received some 10,000 requests for help last year.