Annual Report 2022

Over the past ten years, the equal rights work in the NHC has grown into a program to support LGBTIQ+ groups and women human rights defenders as a cross cutting issue in our work, targeting in particular gender-based violence, homophobic and transphobic hate crimes, and strengthening grassroot organizations.

2022 was the year when we celebrated 50 years since homosexuality was decriminalized in Norway. But the year became a different kind of historic benchmark. According to ILGA Europe, a network for LGBTIQ+ organizations, 2022 was the most violent year for LGBTIQ+ people across Europe in the past decade, stating that “attacks on LGBTI people with a conscious and deliberate will to kill and injure have increased to unprecedented levels”.

The terror attack on the LGBTIQ+ community in Norway on 25 June terrified the whole community. The Pride parade was cancelled, together with all other LGBTIQ+ related events for weeks to come. And even though shock, fear and anger were all part of the emotional mosaic of those weeks, surprise was sadly not.

The polarization and backlash against women’s rights and LGBTIQ+ persons, which the NHC has been working against in Europe and Central Asia for more than a decade, has caught up with us at home. For the NHC this only has reinforced our commitment to keeping LGBTIQ+ issues high on the international human rights agenda, and to remain a strong voice in Norway, to push back against anti-LGBTIQ+ rhetoric.

More than anything else, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine impacted the work on NHC, and the equal rights field is no exception. Several of our partner organizations, both in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries had to put all traditional work aside and focus on addressing the humanitarian needs that unfolded. Our partner organization Insight has been running shelters, distributing humanitarian aid and doing an incredible effort to raise awareness on how marginalized groups in Ukraine are affected by the war.

During the year the NHC has expanded our efforts on women’s rights in general, not the least through starting systematic work on gender-based violence in war and conflict. We launched our reinforced focus on this with a campaign in social media for women human rights defenders on the occasion of the International Day for Women Human Rights Defenders, when we presented some of the brave human rights defenders we work with.

As part of this campaign, the NHC conducted a survey among women human rights defenders with asylum in Norway, to assess their ability to continue their activism. Establishing cooperation with exile communities may allow for salvaging the results achieved, often with significant Norwegian support. Furthermore, we have recommended that the new Norwegian Action plan on gender and sexual diversity explicitly addresses LGBTIQ+ challenges in Norway’s international humanitarian aid, while involving LGBTIQ+ organizations.

While human rights activists are continuing their fight for equality, human rights and peace within Russia, the increasingly restrictive policies on issuing visas to Russian citizens after the visa facilitation agreement was suspended, keep them separated from colleagues and support outside. In this climate we are particularly proud of the fact that we managed to organize the Norwegian Russian Barents Pride in Kirkenes, during the last days of September. EU guidelines on the matter explicitly state that exceptions to the suspension should be made for human rights activists, but we are still working for Norway to find ways of providing protection and freedom of movement for human rights activists from Russia.

While we entered 2022 with optimism, we are closing it with a new determination for a safer and more equal 2023, globally and at home.