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By Anastasia Moloney
BOGOTA, May 6 (Openly) - One in five LGBT+ people have undergone "conversion therapy" to make them straight in Colombia, rising to one in three trans people, researchers said on Wednesday, amid global moves to ban the practice as it can cause severe mental health problems.
High levels of psychological distress were evident, with one in two thinking of suicide and one in four attempting to end their life in Colombia's largest LGBT+ survey by the U.S.-based Williams Institute at UCLA and Colombia Collaborative Project.
"Considering the levels of violence, victimisation, and discrimination that LGBT respondents experienced, it is not surprising that respondents reported such high rates of suicidal ideation and attempts," said co-author Jennifer Florez-Donado.
"As a clinical psychologist, every week I have parents who come to me with their LGBT children ... so that I can help their children become heterosexual," she said, adding that Colombian families also turn to religious leaders to cure the "illness".
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Worldwide, only Brazil, Ecuador and Malta have national bans on conversion therapy, condemned as ineffective and harmful to mental health by more than 60 associations of doctors and psychologists globally, according to LGBT+ advocacy group ILGA.
The United States, Canada, Chile, Mexico and Germany are among countries seeking to outlaw the treatment which can include electric shocks, hormones and 'praying away the gay'.
Catholic-majority Colombia is a socially conservative country but significant LGBT+ gains have been made in recent years, with laws passed since 2015 allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt and trans people to change their identity cards.
The survey highlighted that trans people continue to be the most stigmatised LGBT+ group. Nearly one in four trans people reported physically abuse from a police officer - more than double the rate among gay Colombians.
Researchers said the survey, which involved almost 5,000 respondents, could help policymakers better address the urgent mental health care needs of LGBT+ people in Colombia.
"This research shows how critical it is to develop suicide prevention and violence treatment programs for LGBT people in the country," Florez-Donado told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
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(Reporting by Anastasia Moloney; Editing by Katy Migiro. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly. Visit http://news.trust.org)
Openly is an initiative of the Thomson Reuters Foundation dedicated to impartial coverage of LGBT+ issues from around the world.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
