Colombian police get LGBT training

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • September 8, 2008 - 10:48

Police in Colombia have received LGBT training

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650 police officers in Bogota, Colombia, have taken part in a workshop run by an LGBT group on the rights of the community.

One of the group's recommendations was having female officers deal with gay men in certain cases.

Although homosexual relationships were decriminalised in the 1980s, serious human rights violations against LGBT people are commonplace.

The South American country of 45 million people is heavily Roman Catholic, and there is significant discrimination against gay people, despite recent court rulings granting rights to same-sex couples.

The police have also been accused on numerous occasions for abuse of authority and mistreatment of gay people.

However, since the election of Álvaro Uribe Vélez in 2002, the general security situation has improved somewhat. Attempts to legalise civil unions failed last year.

However, a series of Constitutional court rulings effectively legalised marriage equality, extending pension, insurance and social security rights to same-sex couples.

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