Brazil has the most deaths of trans people worldwide

Brazil has the most deaths of trans people worldwide for the 14th consecutive year.

According to the dossier on murders and violence against Brazilian trans people by the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (Antra), Mexico and the United States are in second and third place, respectively.

According to the report, 131 transsexual and transvestite people were murdered in South America’s largest country in 2022.

Another 20 took their own lives due to discrimination and prejudice.

The data is part of the document released Thursday (26) in a Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship ceremony.

Of the murders, 130 refer to trans women and trans men, and one to a trans man.

The youngest person murdered was only 15 years old. Nearly 90% of the victims were between 15 and 40 years old.

For the Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship, Silvio Almeida, the data is a “tragedy” but also an opportunity to change the reality in which transsexual and transvestite people live.

“The fact that we have a report like this points to the possibility of thinking about overcoming this tragedy. The knowledge, the data, and the ability to address this problem directly open us up to the prospect of change, of transformation,” Almeida said.

“When discussing gender and sexuality, we are accused of being identitarian. I ask these people if building a country with the numbers we see now is possible,” he added.

According to the researcher in charge and secretary of political articulation of Antra, Bruna Benevides, factors such as the lack of measures to combat violence against LGBTQIAP+ people contribute to this image.

The lack of government data and inadequate reporting over the years can also contribute to an inaccurate scenario and make it difficult to identify the accused.

“How much visibility do trans people have? If you pick up the phone and type in the word ‘transvestite’ on Google or any other search engine, eight out of ten news stories are about violence, and that scenario needs to change. We are on the front lines to be seen, but are we on the front lines to be killed?” asked Bruna.

AUTHORSHIP

According to the survey, 32 suspects were identified in the 131 murders last year.

The dossier shows that most suspects usually have no direct, social or affective relationship with the victim.

In addition, “police and judicial practices continue to be characterized by a lack of rigor in the investigation, identification, and arrest of suspects.”

“The absence, uncertainty, and fragility of data is a constant that is often intentionally used to disguise or manipulate the impression of a decline in cases in a given region,” the study states.

The document also notes that 61% of homicides were committed in the first half of 2022.

In absolute terms, Pernambuco was the state with the most murders, with 13 cases, followed by São Paulo (11), Ceará (11), Minas Gerais (9), Rio de Janeiro (8), and Amazonas (8).

The profile of victims in Brazil is the same as in other years: black and impoverished transwomen and transvestites.

Prostitution is the most common source of income.

Of the victims, 76% were black, and 24% were white.

The survey shows that trans women and transvestites are up to 38 times more likely to be murdered than trans men and non-binary people.

“No different from previous years is the fact that in 2022, the majority of murders in which it was possible to identify the activity, at least 54% of murders were directed against transvestites and transwomen who work as sex workers, who are most exposed to direct violence and experience the stigma imposed on these occupational groups by marginalization processes,” the dossier states.