The Americas
Which Countries are Best at Human Rights, Tolerance and Equality?

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)1
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank1
1	Antigua & Barbuda	105.4
2	Argentina	43.8
3	Bahamas	105.3
4	Barbados	85.3
5	Belize	94.1
6	Bolivia	53.8
7	Brazil	52.3
8	Canada	21.2
9	Chile	40.1
10	Colombia	64.4
	...
	The Americas Avg	74.2
	World Avg	87.7
q=55. No data: 32

The Americas encompass countries that range widely on economic and democratic scales; from the well-developed to the politically anarchic; from the rich to the poor. It's far from the case that rich countries can afford to put more effort into human rights, tolerance and equality, compared with poor countries. Statistical analysis shows that these areas of development are largely a result of cultural factors and popular willpower, rather than wealth. The best countries in The Americas at protecting human rights, engendering tolerance and supporting equality, are Canada, Uruguay and Costa Rica. The worst countries are Grenada, St Kitts & Nevis and St Lucia.

1. Results by Country
2. Human Rights & Tolerance
   1. Human Rights Watch Comments
   2. Nominal Commitment to HR
   3. HR Treaties Lag
   4. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom
   5. Press Freedom
   6. Slavery
3. Gender Equality
   1. Gender Inequality
   2. Gender Biases
   3. Year Women Can Vote
4. Prejudice
   1. Anti-Semite Opinions
   2. LGBT Equality
   3. Freedom of Thought
5. Links

---

1. Results by Country

#equality #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)1
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank1
1	Afghanistan	140.8
2	Albania	59.6
3	Algeria	111.2
4	Andorra	84.3
5	Angola	136.2
6	Antigua & Barbuda	105.4
7	Argentina	43.8
8	Armenia	71.6
9	Australia	24.1
10	Austria	22.5
11	Azerbaijan	87.1
12	Bahamas	105.3
13	Bahrain	112.9
14	Bangladesh	113.2
15	Barbados	85.3
16	Belarus	78.9
17	Belgium	26.1
18	Belize	94.1
19	Benin	95.9
20	Bhutan	114.4
21	Bolivia	53.8
22	Bosnia & Herzegovina	63.4
23	Botswana	95.0
24	Brazil	52.3
25	Brunei	147.1
26	Bulgaria	46.5
27	Burkina Faso	76.3
28	Burundi	126.3
29	Cambodia	102.5
30	Cameroon	115.4
31	Canada	21.2
32	Cape Verde	75.3
33	Central African Rep.	121.2
34	Chad	130.6
35	Chile	40.1
36	China	92.0
37	Colombia	64.4
38	Comoros	141.2
39	Congo, (Brazzaville)	115.2
40	Congo, DR	126.9
41	Cook Islands	144.5
42	Costa Rica	36.7
43	Croatia	58.3
44	Cuba	97.7
45	Cyprus	46.7
46	Czechia	37.9
47	Denmark	14.7
48	Djibouti	140.9
49	Dominica	105.6
50	Dominican Rep.	83.3
51	Ecuador	58.1
52	Egypt	113.6
53	El Salvador	66.9
54	Equatorial Guinea	128.6
55	Eritrea	139.8
56	Estonia	42.9
57	Ethiopia	116.9
58	Fiji	102.4
59	Finland	23.9
60	France	24.8
61	Gabon	95.4
62	Gambia	117.4
63	Georgia	64.3
64	Germany	24.9
65	Ghana	88.1
66	Greece	58.3
67	Grenada	128.6
68	Guatemala	63.0
69	Guinea	116.8
70	Guinea-Bissau	117.3
71	Guyana	102.9
72	Haiti	86.6
73	Honduras	72.1
74	Hong Kong	24.3
75	Hungary	52.6
76	Iceland	20.1
77	India	96.9
78	Indonesia	111.2
79	Iran	133.8
80	Iraq	124.5
81	Ireland	38.5
82	Israel	83.5
83	Italy	37.3
84	Ivory Coast	100.5
85	Jamaica	64.6
86	Japan	42.1
87	Jordan	102.2
88	Kazakhstan	97.9
89	Kenya	92.6
90	Kiribati	138.4
91	Kosovo	54.2
92	Kuwait	106.7
93	Kyrgyzstan	79.6
94	Laos	108.3
95	Latvia	52.6
96	Lebanon	98.8
97	Lesotho	95.0
98	Liberia	118.0
99	Libya	115.0
100	Liechtenstein	73.9
101	Lithuania	53.2
102	Luxembourg	23.9
103	Macedonia	82.2
104	Madagascar	100.6
105	Malawi	123.4
106	Malaysia	127.3
107	Maldives	110.7
108	Mali	82.4
109	Malta	46.3
110	Marshall Islands	134.6
111	Mauritania	144.7
112	Mauritius	72.6
113	Mexico	56.6
114	Micronesia	128.8
115	Moldova	81.5
116	Monaco	94.2
117	Mongolia	60.5
118	Montenegro	71.8
119	Morocco	102.8
120	Mozambique	95.1
121	Myanmar (Burma)	128.7
122	Namibia	69.7
123	Nauru	123.4
124	Nepal	90.1
125	Netherlands	15.8
126	New Zealand	17.5
127	Nicaragua	74.5
128	Niger	94.0
129	Nigeria	107.1
130	N. Korea	146.8
131	Norway	14.7
132	Oman	121.5
133	Pakistan	141.5
134	Palau	131.0
135	Palestine	138.0
136	Panama	59.9
137	Papua New Guinea	122.4
138	Paraguay	70.5
139	Peru	54.0
q=225. No data: 613

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark₄. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are The Solomon Islands, Somalia and Tuvalu₄.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Micronesia and Australasia₄.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

The table on the right shows the full results list for The Americas.

Compare The Americas to other regions of the world: Compare International Statistics by Region and Continent.

2. Human Rights & Tolerance

2.1. Human Rights Watch Comments

#human_rights

Human Rights Watch Comments (2017)5
Pos.		Higher is better Score5
1	Argentina	-2
2	Bolivia	-3
3	Brazil	-2
4	Canada	8
5	Chile	2
6	Colombia	-3
7	Costa Rica	1
8	Cuba	-6
9	Ecuador	-3
10	Guatemala	-1
11	Haiti	-2
12	Honduras	-1
13	Mexico	-2
14	Panama	1
15	Paraguay	1
16	Peru	-1
17	USA	4
18	Venezuela	-5
	The Americas Avg	-0.8
	World Avg	-1.9
q=18. No data: 406

Human Rights Watch comments concentrate mostly on negative issues, however, they also make positive comments for those countries that engage in human rights defence around the world, or who make improvements at home. By adding up positive and negative comments (including double-points for negatives that involve large scales and crimes against humanity), the Social and Moral Index turns HRW commentary into quantified values. Some countries may be unfairly penalized because HRW have not examined them, and, some countries "get away" with abuses if they manage to hide it, or if it goes unnoticed - a negative point has been given for those countries in which HRW specifically state that access to investigators has been barred. The points were limited to a minimum of -10 because there are some points at which things are so bad, with abuses affecting so many, it is difficult to be more specific about the depths of the issues.

2.2. Nominal Commitment to HR

#human_rights

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)7
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties7
1	Antigua & Barbuda	13
2	Argentina	24
3	Bahamas	11
4	Barbados	11
5	Belize	16
6	Bolivia	21
7	Brazil	21
8	Canada	19
9	Chile	23
10	Colombia	19
11	Costa Rica	23
12	Cuba	11
13	Dominica	12
14	Dominican Rep.	14
15	Ecuador	23
16	El Salvador	18
17	Grenada	7
18	Guatemala	21
19	Guyana	11
20	Haiti	12
21	Honduras	20
22	Jamaica	14
23	Mexico	23
24	Nicaragua	19
25	Panama	20
26	Paraguay	23
27	Peru	23
28	St Kitts & Nevis	9
29	St Lucia	6
30	St Vincent & Grenadines	15
31	Suriname	12
32	Trinidad & Tobago	12
33	USA	8
34	Uruguay	23
35	Venezuela	19
	The Americas Avg	16.5
	World Avg	15.1
q=35. No data: 238

There are many international agreements on human rights, and, many mechanisms by which countries can be brought to account for their actions. Together, these have been the biggest historical movement in the fight against oppression and inhumanity. Or, putting it another way: these are rejected mostly by those who wish to oppress inhumanely. None of them are perfect and many people object to various components and wordings, but, no-one has come up with, and enforced, better methods of controlling the occasional desires that states and peoples have of causing angst for other states and peoples in a violent, unjust or inhumane way. Points are awarded for the number of human rights agreements ratified by the country, plus the acceptance of the petition mechanisms for disputes. The maximum possible score in 2009 was 24.

2.3. HR Treaties Lag

#human_rights #international_law #micronesia #politics #small_islands

HR Treaties Lag (2019)9
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Yrs/Treaty9
1	Antigua & Barbuda	12.76
2	Argentina	5.90
3	Bahamas	13.93
4	Barbados	9.94
5	Belize	8.88
6	Bolivia	6.70
7	Brazil	7.36
8	Canada	5.73
9	Chile	4.12
10	Colombia	3.68
11	Costa Rica	4.05
12	Cuba	7.80
13	Dominica	11.14
14	Dominican Rep.	10.24
15	Ecuador	2.15
16	El Salvador	6.80
17	Grenada	13.86
18	Guatemala	8.10
19	Guyana	7.85
20	Haiti	12.61
21	Honduras	7.64
22	Jamaica	7.61
23	Mexico	4.08
24	Nicaragua	8.10
25	Panama	4.26
26	Paraguay	8.78
27	Peru	4.64
28	St Kitts & Nevis	15.00
29	St Lucia	14.11
30	St Vincent & Grenadines	9.98
31	Suriname	12.81
32	Trinidad & Tobago	12.26
33	USA	14.23
34	Uruguay	2.25
35	Venezuela	6.51
	The Americas Avg	8.45
	World Avg	10.02
q=35. No data: 238

Human Rights (HR) Treaties Lag is a count of how long it took each country to sign each of 11 key HR treaties. From the date of the first signatory of each treaty, all other countries have one point added to their score for each day they delayed in signing. Results are presented as average time in years to sign each one. The lower a country's score, the more enthusiastically it has taken on international Human Rights Treaties - which are, of course, minimal standards of good governance. The slowest are the countries of Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia and Polynesia all lagged by over 12 years per treaty. The best regions are The Americas, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

2.4. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom

#freedom #politics

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014)10
Pos.		Lower is better Rank10
1	Argentina	103
2	Bahamas	48
3	Barbados	85
4	Belize	138
5	Bolivia	71
6	Brazil	82
7	Canada	6
8	Chile	29
9	Colombia	111
10	Costa Rica	38
11	Dominican Rep.	63
12	Ecuador	97
13	El Salvador	58
14	Guatemala	68
15	Guyana	126
16	Haiti	61
17	Honduras	101
18	Jamaica	60
19	Mexico	77
20	Nicaragua	76
21	Panama	46
22	Paraguay	77
23	Peru	53
24	Suriname	55
25	Trinidad & Tobago	79
26	USA	23
27	Uruguay	42
28	Venezuela	154
	The Americas Avg	72.4
	World Avg	79.7
q=28. No data: 3011

The Human Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute is...

“... a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. It uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom in the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. [...]

The highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States. The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. [...]

Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significant higher per capita income ($37,147) [compared with] the least-free quartile [at] $8,700). The HFI finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy.”

"The Human Freedom Index" by The Fraser Institute (2016)₁₂

2.5. Press Freedom

#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK

Press Freedom (2013)13
Pos.		Lower is better13
1	Argentina	2567
2	Bolivia	3280
3	Brazil	3275
4	Canada	1269
5	Chile	2624
6	Colombia	3748
7	Costa Rica	1208
8	Cuba	7164
9	Dominican Rep.	2834
10	Ecuador	3469
11	El Salvador	2286
12	Guatemala	2939
13	Guyana	2708
14	Haiti	2409
15	Honduras	3692
16	Jamaica	988
17	Mexico	4530
18	Nicaragua	2831
19	Panama	3295
20	Paraguay	2878
21	Peru	3187
22	Suriname	1819
23	Trinidad & Tobago	2312
24	USA	1822
25	Uruguay	1592
26	Venezuela	3444
	The Americas Avg	2853
	World Avg	3249
q=26. No data: 3214

The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index₁₅

It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".

2.6. Slavery

#burundi #eritrea #france #human_rights #indonesia #slavery

Slavery (2018)16
Pos.		Lower is better % Victims16
1	Argentina	0.13
2	Barbados	0.27
3	Bolivia	0.21
4	Brazil	0.18
5	Canada	0.05
6	Chile	0.08
7	Colombia	0.27
8	Costa Rica	0.13
9	Cuba	0.38
10	Dominican Rep.	0.40
11	Ecuador	0.24
12	El Salvador	0.25
13	Guatemala	0.29
14	Guyana	0.26
15	Haiti	0.56
16	Honduras	0.34
17	Jamaica	0.26
18	Mexico	0.27
19	Nicaragua	0.29
20	Panama	0.21
21	Paraguay	0.16
22	Peru	0.26
23	Suriname	0.23
24	Trinidad & Tobago	0.30
25	USA	0.13
26	Uruguay	0.10
27	Venezuela	0.56
	The Americas Avg	0.25
	World Avg	0.65
q=27. No data: 3117

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₁₈. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₁₉. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₂₀. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₁.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₂. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₂₃. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₂₄. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₅, Eritrea₂₅, Indonesia₂₆) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₂₇.

For more, see:

• "The Historical Slave Trade and Modern Slavery" by Vexen Crabtree (2018).

See:

• Religion and Abolition of the Historical Slave Trade

3. Gender Equality

3.1. Gender Inequality

#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #women

Gender Inequality (2015)28
Pos.		Lower is better28
1	Argentina	0.36
2	Bahamas	0.36
3	Barbados	0.29
4	Belize	0.38
5	Bolivia	0.45
6	Brazil	0.41
7	Canada	0.10
8	Chile	0.32
9	Colombia	0.39
10	Costa Rica	0.31
11	Cuba	0.30
12	Dominican Rep.	0.47
13	Ecuador	0.39
14	El Salvador	0.38
15	Guatemala	0.49
16	Guyana	0.51
17	Haiti	0.59
18	Honduras	0.46
19	Jamaica	0.42
20	Mexico	0.35
21	Nicaragua	0.46
22	Panama	0.46
23	Paraguay	0.46
24	Peru	0.39
25	St Lucia	0.35
26	Suriname	0.45
27	Trinidad & Tobago	0.32
28	USA	0.20
29	Uruguay	0.28
30	Venezuela	0.46
	The Americas Avg	0.39
	World Avg	0.36
q=30. No data: 2829

The UN Human Development Reports include statistics on gender equality which take into account things like maternal mortality, access to political power (seats in parliament) and differences between male and female education rates. Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchalism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

For more, see:

• "Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

See:

• Gender Equality

3.2. Gender Biases

#gender #gender_equality #prejudice #women

Gender Biases (2022)30
Pos.		Lower is better %30
1	Argentina	74.331
2	Bolivia	91.331
3	Brazil	86.331
4	Canada	41.131
5	Chile	79.931
6	Colombia	91.231
7	Ecuador	92.331
8	Guatemala	89.631
9	Haiti	98.932
10	Mexico	90.231
11	Nicaragua	93.231
12	Peru	89.131
13	Trinidad & Tobago	87.432
14	USA	50.731
15	Uruguay	78.632
16	Venezuela	92.431
	The Americas Avg	82.90
	World Avg	83.93
q=16. No data: 4233

The Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) looks at gender biases across seven criteria; the % given here is for the total people who are biased across any of those criteria. By subtracting the value from 100%, you can see that those who do well on this index, you are seeing a count of those who do not appear to be biased against women in any of the criteria, and so, doing well on this index is a very positive sign for any country.

The data was included in UN (2022) with full results in Annex table AS6.7.1; their data stems for ranges between 2005 and 2022, depending on the country in question.

See:

• Gender Equality

3.3. Year Women Can Vote

#christianity #gender_equality #human_rights #politics #women

Year Women Can Vote
Pos.		Lower is better Year
1	Antigua & Barbuda	1951
2	Argentina	1947
3	Bahamas	1963
4	Barbados	1950
5	Belize	1954
6	Bolivia	1952
7	Brazil	1934
8	Canada	1920
9	Chile	1949
10	Colombia	1954
11	Costa Rica	1949
12	Cuba	1934
13	Dominica	1951
14	Dominican Rep.	1942
15	Ecuador	1967
16	El Salvador	1961
17	Grenada	1951
18	Guatemala	1946
19	Guyana	1953
20	Haiti	1950
21	Honduras	1955
22	Jamaica	1944
23	Mexico	1953
24	Nicaragua	1955
25	Panama	1946
26	Paraguay	1961
27	Peru	1955
28	St Kitts & Nevis	1951
29	St Lucia	1924
30	St Vincent & Grenadines	1951
31	Suriname	1948
32	Trinidad & Tobago	1946
33	USA	1920
34	Uruguay	1932
35	Venezuela	1946
36	Bermuda	1944
	The Americas Avg	1947
	World Avg	1930
q=36. No data: 2234

Women now have equal rights in the vast majority of countries across the world. Although academic literature oftens talks of when a country "grants women the right to vote", this enforces a backwards way of thinking. Women always had the right to vote, however, they were frequently denied that right. The opposition to women's ability to vote in equality with man was most consistently and powerfully opposed by the Catholic Church, other Christian organisations, Islamic authorities and some other religious and secular traditionalists.

For more, see:

• "Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

See:

• Gender Equality

4. Prejudice

4.1. Anti-Semite Opinions

#antisemitism #christianity #germany #indonesia #israel #jordan #judaism #laos #morocco #netherlands #pakistan #philippines #religion #religious_violence #saudi_arabia #spain #sweden #turkey #UK #vietnam

Anti-Semite Opinions (2014)35
Pos.		Lower is better %35
1	Argentina	24
2	Bolivia	30
3	Brazil	16
4	Canada	14
5	Chile	37
6	Colombia	41
7	Costa Rica	32
8	Dominican Rep.	41
9	Guatemala	36
10	Haiti	26
11	Jamaica	18
12	Mexico	24
13	Nicaragua	34
14	Panama	52
15	Paraguay	35
16	Peru	38
17	Trinidad & Tobago	24
18	USA	9
19	Uruguay	33
20	Venezuela	30
	The Americas Avg	29.7
	World Avg	36.8
q=20. No data: 3836

Anti-Semitism is the world given to irrational racism against Jews. It is not the same as anti-Judaism (involving arguments against the religion) nor the same as anti-Zionism (arguments against Israel). In history, influential Christian theologians concocted the arguments against Jews that led, very early on, to widespread Christian action against Jews_37,38,39,40. As Christianity rose to power in the West and presided over the Dark Ages, there were widespread violent outbursts against Jews of the most persistent and horrible kind. The Crusades were frequently aimed at them and the feared Spanish Inquisition paid Jews particular attention. The horror of the holocaust instigated by German Nazis in the 1940s was followed (finally) by the era of European human rights and a movement against racism in general.

The places that are the least anti-Semitical are a few countries of south-east Asia (Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam) and some of the secular liberal democracies of Europe (Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK). The worst countries for antisemitism are Islamic states of the Middle East₄₁, which are undergoing their own Dark Age. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey see the most oppressive and violent actions towards Jews_42,43. Jews in Muslim countries face a host of restrictions and "ceaseless humiliation and regular pogroms"₄₄. In 2004 the European Union Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia reported on violent anti-Jew crimes in the EU and found that that largest group of perpetrators were young Muslim males₄₅.

For more, see:

• "Anti-Semitism" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

See:

• Anti-Semitism

4.2. LGBT Equality

#equality #homosexuality #human_rights #intolerance #sexuality #tolerance

LGBT Equality (2017)46
Pos.		Higher is better Score46
1	Antigua & Barbuda	-10
2	Argentina	69
3	Bahamas	10
4	Barbados	-10
5	Belize	15
6	Bolivia	45
7	Brazil	81
8	Canada	62
9	Chile	25
10	Colombia	58
11	Costa Rica	30
12	Cuba	25
13	Dominica	-5
14	Dominican Rep.	25
15	Ecuador	50
16	El Salvador	35
17	Grenada	-5
18	Guatemala	35
19	Guyana	-5
20	Haiti	15
21	Honduras	45
22	Jamaica	-5
23	Mexico	70
24	Nicaragua	35
25	Panama	25
26	Paraguay	20
27	Peru	50
28	St Kitts & Nevis	-25
29	St Lucia	-9
30	St Vincent & Grenadines	-10
31	Suriname	30
32	Trinidad & Tobago	-10
33	USA	44
34	Uruguay	77
35	Venezuela	30
	The Americas Avg	26.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=35. No data: 238

Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence₄₇. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country across the world, often against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right, protected by privacy laws₄₈. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries₄₇. The Social & Moral LGBT Equality Index was created to compare countries and regions, granting points to each country for a variety of factors including how long gay sex has been criminalized and the extent of LGBT legal rights. Graded negative points are given for criminality of homosexuality, unequal ages of consent, legal punishments and for not signing international accords on LGBT tolerance. The signs in many developed countries are positive, and things are gradually improving. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region (Scandinavia in particular being exemplary). The Middle East and then Africa are the least morally developed, where cultural bias goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.

For more, see:

• "LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

See:

• LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?

4.3. Freedom of Thought

#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment

Freedom of Thought (2021)49
Pos.		Lower is better49
1	Antigua & Barbuda	2.3
2	Argentina	2.8
3	Bahamas	2.5
4	Barbados	2.0
5	Belize	3.0
6	Bolivia	1.3
7	Brazil	3.3
8	Canada	2.8
9	Chile	2.5
10	Colombia	2.5
11	Costa Rica	2.5
12	Cuba	4.0
13	Dominica	2.8
14	Dominican Rep.	3.3
15	Ecuador	1.3
16	El Salvador	3.0
17	Grenada	3.0
18	Guatemala	3.0
19	Guyana	3.5
20	Haiti	2.8
21	Honduras	2.7
22	Jamaica	2.8
23	Mexico	3.0
24	Nicaragua	3.5
25	Panama	3.0
26	Paraguay	3.3
27	Peru	2.8
28	St Kitts & Nevis	1.8
29	St Lucia	3.3
30	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.3
31	Suriname	3.5
32	Trinidad & Tobago	3.3
33	USA	1.8
34	Uruguay	2.3
35	Venezuela	2.8
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.0
q=35. No data: 238

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights₅₀. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish₅₁. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era₅₂ of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted₅₃. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief₅₄. The best countries at doing so are Taiwan, Belgium and The Netherlands_49,55 and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia_49,56.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed₅₇. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief₅₁, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion₅₈ and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"₅₉ and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.

For more, see:

• "Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion" by Vexen Crabtree (2022).

See:

• Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion