LGBTQ+ traveler safety : a genuine overall deterioration in risk levels

A special report by the healthcare and risk management company Healix warns of the ongoing deterioration of safety conditions for LGBTQ+ travelers worldwide, driven by legislative crackdowns and a resurgence of hostile rhetoric.

Africa is experiencing a marked regression in rights—highlighted by harsher penalties in Senegal and threats by Ghanaian President John Mahama to criminalize gender identity—while the Middle East and North Africa are intensifying repression, exemplified by Iraq’s penal policies and rights-curtailing proposals in Turkey.

While the Asia-Pacific region presents a striking contrast—with progress made in Thailand, Australia, and South Korea set against Chinese censorship and waves of arrests in Malaysia and Indonesia—the Americas also show significant vulnerabilities; South America is seeing a rise in physical violence, and the United States has one of the most fragmented legal landscapes among developed nations following targeted rollbacks, such as the removal of the non-binary « X » gender marker from passports. Conversely, Central Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region are recording the most significant security and legal progress—driven by European Union requirements—with notable advances in Poland, Hungary, and Italy.

In light of the rise in cross-border incidents and visa-related scrutiny targeting NGOs and the LGBTQ+ community, Saskia Veldhuizen, a consultant at Healix, emphasizes the urgent need for organizations to proactively adapt their occupational risk management policies; this entails ensuring free and confidential access to support resources without ever compelling employees to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity.