Albanian psychologists ban ‘Conversion Therapy’

Albania‘s Order of Psychologists has announced that it will prohibit members from offering conversion therapy or pseudo-therapeutic attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The decision effectively bans conversion therapy in Albania, where discrimination against LGBTQ+ people remains high, as registered therapists are required to be members of the group in order to legally practice.

The World Psychiatric Association has criticised these therapies as wholly unethical, and a wide range of medical associations in countries such as Brazil, Hong Kong, India, Lebanon, Turkey, South Africa, and the United States have condemned these practices.

Therapies that purport to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity may also constitute serious human rights abuses. These efforts often involve discrimination, restrictions on movement, and physical and sexual abuse, and may at times amount to torture or other forms of ill-treatment.

In recognition of these facts, many countries have begun to proscribe these efforts, especially in psychiatric and medical settings. Malta, Ecuador, and Germany have used criminal law to regulate the practice, punishing violators with fines and imprisonment. Other countries, like Brazil and Taiwan, outlaw it via professional sanctions.

Lawmakers in many countries around the globe are considering bans on the practice, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, and the United States.