Session
National Report
Para 110) The recommendations noted by Barbados during its 3rd Cycle Universal Periodic Review revolved largely around the topics of … legislative protection for LGBTI persons … Since 2018, there has been evidence of considerable legislative progress in a number of these areas, namely …decriminalisation of homosexual/same sex relations,
Para 112) On December 12, 2022, the Supreme Court of Barbados ruled Section 9 of the Sexual Offences Act null and void, effectively decriminalizing buggery in Barbados.
State under Review
National Report
Stakeholder Summary
Para 46) The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights expressed concerns about the criminalization of consensual same-sex sexual relations.
Para 47) JAI noted that at its third universal periodic review cycle, Barbados had declined to support numerous recommendations on LGBTQ+ rights and discrimination, and that Barbados had maintained laws that criminalize consensual same-sex adult sexual relations. HUMB affirmed that the Sexual Offences Act 1992, Chapter 154, Section 9, continued to provide that “Any person who commits buggery is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life” and established one of the most severe punitive measures for sodomy in the Commonwealth. It added that while the government had maintained that the “buggery” law was not enforced in practice, it had also demonstrated a reluctance to abolish the law, citing religious, cultural and societal opposition. It has led to several other issues, including a historic lack of anti-discrimination laws and hate crime protections, and a lack of data and statistics on violence against LGBTI+ people.
Stakeholder Summary