A/HRC/44/53 A. Current state of the practices 24. A recent desk review of available public reports found sources indicating that practices of “conversion therapy” occur in at least 68 countries;16 similarly, several surveys yielded testimonies of its existence in all regions of the world, 17 with a majority of respondents in one survey answering that they were “very common” in Africa and “somewhat common” in Latin America and the Caribbean and in Asia.18 In a study conducted in 2018 in the United States, researchers concluded that 698,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or gender-diverse adults between 18 and 59 years of age, and almost 20 per cent of trans adults who had ever spoken to a professional about their gender identity, had been subjected to such a practice at some point of their life; 19 in another recent study, at least 10 organizations in Australia and New Zealand were found to currently advertise the practice.20 B. Promoters and providers 25. Subjection to practices known as “conversion therapy” is the result of a complex series of relations between stakeholders surrounding the victim. The honour of the family was cited as a main driver in Asia, 21 and a conclusion in a global survey t was that, among the group of 1,480 persons who reported having been subjected to practices of “conversion therapy”, 21.9 per cent reported that family members coerced the victim, 11.9 per cent reported coercion by religious leaders, 11 per cent by members of the surrounding communities and 9.7 per cent by mental health practitioners. A particularly worrying finding is that 3.6 per cent reported coercion from their employers, 5 per cent from school authorities and 4 per cent from State authorities. 22 Misconceptions among the general public remain a major issue; in Lebanon, around 79 per cent of respondents to a survey indicated that homosexuality was a “hormonal sickness” and that homosexuals should be taken in for psychological or hormonal treatment. 23 At the systemic level, leaders of faith-based organizations and political authorities have endorsed the practice in countries as diverse as Colombia, Israel, the Philippines, Uganda and the United States. 24 26. Reportedly, children most often undergo practices of “conversion therapy” as a result of the desire of parents or guardians to have them conform to expectations, either theirs or their communities’, regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. 25 Children and adolescents often lack the legal authority to make medical or mental health decisions, 26 and, in instances where they have the right to consent or to refuse treatment, they are especially prone to undue influence or coercion, particularly from family members or others in a position of authority.27 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 6 International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, “It’s torture not therapy: a global overview of conversion therapy: practices, perpetrators, and the role of States”, 2020. Available from irct.org/media-and-resources/latest-news/article/1027. Submission by LGBT Foundation. See outrightinternational.org/reports/global-reach-so-called-conversion-therapy. See https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/conversion-therapy-and-lgbt-youth/; and https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2749479. See https://static1.squarespace.com/static/580025f66b8f5b2dabbe4291/ t/5bd78764eef1a1ba57990efe/1540851637658/LGBT+conversion+therapy+in+Australia+v2.pdf. See outrightinternational.org/reports/global-reach-so-called-conversion-therapy. Submission by LGBT Foundation. See http://afemena.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Report-high-resolution.pdf. See ilga.org/Conversion-therapy-global-research-ILGA-World. See www.minnesotalawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Rachmilovitz_MLR.pdf; and www.utah.gov/pmn/files/513643.pdf. Submission by Choice for Youth and Sexuality. See outrightinternational.org/reports/global-reach-so-called-conversion-therapy. See also www.utah.gov/pmn/files/513643.pdf.