LIMITED PATHWAYS TO SAFETY FOR LGBTQI+ PERSONS 4.

In 2022, 4% of all requests for help that Rainbow Railroad received had no route to safety and limited options for support through other channels. Our capacity to provide support to at-risk LGBTQI+ persons is limited by geopolitical factors, such as contextual risks, legal restrictions, and a lack of passport mobility.

In 2021, we identified the top ten countries of nationality with the highest disparities between the number of requests we received and the number of individuals we were able to provide with Emergency Travel Support (ETS), where people are forced to remain due to barriers to movement. These countries were: Algeria, India, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Lebanon, Pakistan, Nigeria, Syria, Morocco, and Turkey. In 2022 data, two new countries appeared, Kenya and Jordan, replacing Somalia and Morocco. The replacement of Somalia and Morocco on this list is not because the situation has improved in either country, but because the situation in other countries has worsenedSomalia and Morocco still lack routes to safety.

Individuals of these nationalities not only face persecution on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics, but also encounter major barriers to accessing pathways to safety. For example, as a country of nationality, Pakistan experienced a 14% increase in requests for help since 2021, meanwhile travel options remain limited for individuals seeking to relocate.

Recognizing the systemic gaps that prevent at-risk LGBTQI+ individuals from relocating, Rainbow Railroad reaches those most in need through other channels, such as safehouses, partnerships, and advocacy work. For instance, requests from Nigerians increased by 30% in 2022 (288 total requests), and Rainbow Railroad supported local organizations that addressed basic needs, provided psychosocial and sexual health programming to individuals, as well as conducting human rights and advocacy work. Similarly, in Lebanon, Rainbow Railroad supported two organizations working on research and advocacy to identify gaps within support for the LGBTQI+ community in the country.

Rainbow Railroad continues to advocate for a direct referring partnership with governments, including the government of Canada and the government of the United States, to be able to prioritize providing routes directly to safety for those from these countries.