A new report from Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide (TvT), published in the run up to the Trans Day of Remembrance, says at least 350 trans people have been killed so far this year, compared to 331 last year. It tracked the number of murders from October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020, however it is likely some went unreported. It found 22% of victims were murdered in their own home, and the youngest was 15.
The majority of murders took place in South America, with Brazil being the deadliest country in the world for the trans community. Mexico and the US followed. The report totals the number of deaths in the US as 28, however since September 30 the toll has risen to 34 according to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). In addition, the TvT report includes Puerto Rico as a South American country whereas the HCR counts it as part of the US.
Lukas, a TvT spokesperson, told Forbes about the impact of the pandemic on the safety of the trans and gender non-conforming community: “The impact of COVID-19 is being felt most severely by trans people who are homeless, sex workers, disabled, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, poor, and/or elderly. Those communities are not only affected by the virus itself, but also by health care systems and providers, as well as by the socioeconomic and political impact of the pandemic.”
He continued: “At the same time, we are noticing some governments using the pandemic as an excuse for violating human rights, with signs of a wide range of political and legal rollbacks leading towards more systemic discrimination against trans people in the world.”
Trans Day of Remembrance is held on November 20 to honour those who lost their lives to anti-trans violence.
