A/HRC/44/53 States)74 and hypnosis (China, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Panama, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka and United States).75 45. Other techniques include trying to make patients’ behaviour more stereotypically feminine or masculine or teaching heterosexual dating skills. Practices aimed at changing gender identity include preventing trans young people from transitioning.76 Several victims explained that they were subjected to psychological violence by mental health practitioners, and the fear of being subjected to such treatment deters many trans people from seeking mental health care.77 2. Medical 46. Medical practices function on “the postulation that [sexual orientation and gender identity] is the by-product of an inherent biological dysfunction … which can be treated exogenously”, relying archaically on lobotomies or the removal of sexual organs. 78 Current medical practices mostly rely on pharmaceutical approaches, such as medication or hormone or steroid therapy, 79 which is reportedly the case in the Islamic Republic of Iran, where hormone therapy is prescribed to lesbians to allegedly “cure” their so-called “gay affliction”.80 47. The invalid use of medication appears to be widely prevalent, taking place in numerous countries, including China, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Panama, the Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Viet Nam. 81 A journalistic investigation conducted in 2015 highlighted the use of hormonal treatment being prescribed in New Delhi by a sexologist who claimed to have “cured over 1,000 homosexuals” in the preceding 15 years.82 48. Ayurvedic, homeopathic and other traditional medical approaches are also reputedly applied, including in India83 and Sri Lanka. In the United Republic of Tanzania, medical and traditional approaches are often practised in conjunction with circumcision rites and religious worship involving pre-adolescent and adolescent boys.84 Miracle cures have been reported, including the pouring of oil in the vagina in Nigeria. 85 Reports indicate that parents are taking their lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender-diverse children to traditional healers to “cure” them, where “treatment” sometimes includes an element of physical punishment, for example in Cambodia 86 and Viet Nam.87 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 See www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19359705.2013.773268. Submissions by the Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality; the Trevor Project; Born Perfect; Feminita; Darius Longarino; and 6Rang. See also See irct.org/media-and-resources/latestnews/article/1027. Florence Ashley, “Torture isn’t therapy: banning conversion practices targeting transgender people”, 2020 (cited in See ilga.org/Conversion-therapy-global-research-ILGA-World). See ilga.org/Conversion-therapy-global-research-ILGA-World. See also www.hrw.org/ report/2019/09/03/dont-punish-me-who-i-am/systemic-discrimination-against-transgender-womenlebanon. Submission by Tyler Adamson, Stef Baral and Chris Beyrer. Ibid. See www.ilgaasia.org/news/2018/7/13/repost-from-6rang-reparative-therapies-on-gays-and-lesbiansthrough-cruel-inhumane-and-humiliating-treatments-has-increased-in-iran; and https://outrightinternational.org/content/human-rights-report-being-lesbian-iran. See irct.org/media-and-resources/latest-news/article/1027. See www.indiatoday.in/mail-today/story/homosexuality-cure-delhi-doctors-exposed-conversiontherapy-254849-2015-05-27. See irct.org/media-and-resources/latest-news/article/1027. See outrightinternational.org/reports/global-reach-so-called-conversion-therapy. See www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-50869022/gay-in-nigeria-everybody-sees-me-as-anabomination. See www.asia-pacific.undp.org/content/rbap/en/home/library/democratic_governance/hiv_aids/beinglgbt-in-asia--cambodia-country-report.html. See www.vn.undp.org/content/vietnam/en/home/library/democratic_ governance/viet_nam_lgbt_report.html. 11