A team of nine psychologists became the first South Africans to receive global recognition for their human rights work at an online ceremony on Wednesday night. The team, based across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, was awarded the International Human Rights Award from the International Council of Psychologists (ICP) for their common interest in working with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities. Termed the African LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Project, their coalition was initiated by Prof Juan Nel and Dr Niel Victor in 2012 to improve research on sexuality and gender.
The project is affiliated with the sexuality and gender division of the Psychological Society of South Africa, a non-profit national body for psychology professionals. The project team comprised: Founded in 1941, the ICP launched the international award in 2022. The ceremony took place on Human Rights Day on December 10.
While we are honoured, our work is ongoing and demands sustained attention. We are working towards developing a documentary to elevate the narratives and catalyse meaningful change Speaking at the awards ceremony, Nel said the team appreciated the recognition from ICP. “We have an unwavering commitment to addressing stigma, discrimination and systemic barriers that limit the full enjoyment of human rights, including the right to access health care, the right to dignity and sexual rights,” he said.
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In 2017 the coalition published Africa’s first set of practice guidelines for working with LGBTQIA+ people, a pioneering document that shaped curricular reform at some universities, and was adapted for use in other countries such as Nigeria and Cameroon. An updated version of the guidelines was relaunched this year at four symposia across the country, including at the University of Venda, to address homophobia and transphobia in rural areas. Pillay, who led the revision of the guidelines, said the award was an exciting recognition of work done in the global south.
“I am proud that as South African scholar-activists we get to lead the way in advancing ethical, affirmative and responsible forms of practice in psychological science,” he said. “We talk often about decolonising psychology, and this is an example of it, because colonialism and apartheid severely restricted the full expression of sexuality and gender. Our work is a resistance to outdated binaries.” Dlamini, who recently completed her master’s dissertation on the lives of black lesbians, said the project was seeking funds to make a documentary film.
We are working towards developing a documentary to elevate the narratives and catalyse meaningful change,” she said. Dr Polli Hagenaars, president of the ICP and founder member of the Global Network of Human Rights in Psychology, congratulated the group for the “significant honour” and “outstanding contributions to the field of psychology”.
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