A group of nine psychologists became the first South Africans to receive global recognition for their human rights work – at an online ceremony last Wednesday (International Human Rights Day), reports TimesLIVE.
The team, based across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, was presented with the International Human Rights Award from the International Council of Psychologists (ICP) for their common interest in working with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities.
Termed the African LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Project, their coalition was initiated by Professor Juan Nel and Dr Niel Victor in 2012 to improve research on sexuality and gender. The project is affiliated with the sexuality and gender division of the Psychological Society of South Africa, a non-profit national body for psychology professionals. The project team comprised:
• Nel, a professor at Unisa;
• Victor, a clinical psychologist in private practice in Cape Town;
• Thembi Dlamini, a clinical psychologist in Gauteng;
• Suntosh Pillay, chief clinical psychologist in the KwaZulu-Natal Health Department;
• Chris McLachlan, a clinical psychologist at a Thuthuzela Care Centre in Pietermaritzburg;
• Sakhile Msweli, a clinical psychologist at Ngwelezana Hospital in Empangeni;
• Jenna-Lee De Beer-Proctor, a clinical psychologist in private practice in Cape Town; and
• Zindi Venter, a PhD candidate and postgraduate assistant at Unisa.
The coalition published Africa’s first set of practice guidelines for working with LGBTQIA+ people in 2017, a pioneering document that shaped curricular reform at some universities, and was adapted for use in other countries such as Nigeria and Cameroon.
An updated version of the guidelines was relaunched this year at four symposia across the country, including at the University of Venda, to address homophobia and transphobia in rural areas.
Pillay, who led the revision of the guidelines, said the award was an exciting recognition of work done in the global south. “I am proud that as South African scholar-activists, we get to lead the way in advancing ethical, affirmative and responsible forms of practice in psychological science.”
Dr Polli Hagenaars, president of the ICP and founder member of the Global Network of Human Rights in Psychology, congratulated the group for the “significant honour” and “outstanding contributions to the field of psychology”.
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