New Zealand has introduced the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill in the Parliament on July 30, 2021. The Bill aims at preventing any harm caused by conversion therapy and promote healthy discussions on gender and sexuality. It also provides for civil redress. The Bill further seeks to ban conversion practices in the country. Conversion therapy is the practice intended to change or supress someone’s sexual orientation, gender expression, or LGBTQ identity.
The Bill proposes to makes it an offence to perform conversion practices on anyone aged under 18, or with impaired decision-making capacity, with a sentence of up to three years’ imprisonment. It also makes it an offence to perform conversion practices that could cause “serious harm,” irrespective of age. That carries a sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment.
Under the Bill, the Civil redress will be an option where complaints about conversion practices could be made to the Human Rights Commission and the Human Rights Review Tribunal.
*Tanvi Singh, Editorial Assistant has reported this brief.