Guyana

The Co-operative Republic of Guyana is a sovereign state on the Caribbean coast of South America. A former British colony, Guyana gained independence in 1966, however, Christian-Anglican inspired morals imposed during the colonial period continue to influence Guyanese society today and Christianity is afforded relative privilege on matters of public morality.

As of 2012, 64% of the population are Christian, of which the majority are of protestant denominations. Hinduism represents the second largest religious group, comprising 24.8% of the population. Muslims account for 6.8% of the population while non-believers are said to make up 3.1%.[ref]https://statisticsguyana.gov.gy/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Final_2012_Census_Compendium2.pdf[/ref] Guyana’s two largest ethnic groups – the Afro-Guyanese (descended from African slaves) and the Indo-Guyanese (predominantly descendants of East Indian indentured laborers) account for 69.1% of the population and have been historically represented by two major political parties along their majority ethnic composition – The Peoples’ Progressive Party/Civic and the Peoples’ National Congress (now part of the APNU+AFC coalition party).[ref]https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gy.html[/ref]

Constitution and government Education and children’s rights Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
Systemic religious privilege results in significant social discrimination
‘Blasphemy’ is outlawed or criticism of religion (including de facto ‘blasphemy’ laws) is restricted and punishable with a prison sentence
There is systematic religious privilege
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general
There is state funding of at least some religious schools
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Official symbolic deference to religion
Some concerns about political or media freedoms, not specific to the non-religious
Constitution and government
There is systematic religious privilege
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general
Official symbolic deference to religion
Education and children’s rights
There is state funding of at least some religious schools
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom
Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals
Systemic religious privilege results in significant social discrimination
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
‘Blasphemy’ is outlawed or criticism of religion (including de facto ‘blasphemy’ laws) is restricted and punishable with a prison sentence
Some concerns about political or media freedoms, not specific to the non-religious
Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: Kazakhstan

The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: Andorra

No condition holds in this strand
Religious courts or tribunals rule directly on some family or ‘moral’ matters; it is legally an opt-in system, but the possibility of social coercion is very clear
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious

This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.

Countries: Botswana, Greece, Serbia, United States of America

The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination

Applied when the influence of religion on public life undermines others’ rights, such as SRHR, women’s rights, LGBTI+ rights.

May be applied when the influence is overt (i.e. when religious laws are applied to undermine others’ rights) or covert (i.e. where religious pressure groups exert influence to affect policy)

Countries: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Croatia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Oman, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Zambia

The non-religious are persecuted socially or there are prohibitive social taboos against atheism, humanism or secularism
Complete tyranny precludes all freedoms of expression and thought, religion or belief

Applied when overriding acts of oppression by the State are extreme, to the extent that the question of freedom of thought and expression is almost redundant, because all human rights and freedoms are quashed by authorities.

Countries: North Korea

Expression of core Humanist principles on democracy, freedom and human rights is brutally repressed
Expression of non-religious views is severely persecuted, or is rendered almost impossible by severe social stigma, or is highly likely to be met with hatred or violence
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment

Countries: Bulgaria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda

The non-religious are barred from some government offices (including posts reserved for particular religions or sects)
‘Apostasy’ is outlawed and punishable with a prison sentence

Countries: Bahrain, Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait

‘Apostasy’ or conversion from a specific religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Some religious courts rule in civil or family matters on a coercive or discriminatory basis
Religious authorities have supreme authority over the state

Countries: Iran

State legislation is partly derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general

This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.

Countries: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

There is a pattern of impunity or collusion in violence by non-state actors against the nonreligious
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety

This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording “significant number of schools” is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.

Countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

State legislation is largely or entirely derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)
‘Blasphemy’ or criticism of religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Government figures or state agencies openly marginalize, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious
Government authorities push a socially conservative, religiously or ideologically inspired agenda, without regard to the rights of those with progressive views
It is illegal to advocate secularism or church-state separation, or such advocacy is suppressed
Prohibitive interreligious social control (including interreligious marriage bans)
Quasi-divine veneration of a ruling elite is enforced, or a single-party regime holds uncontested power, subject to severe punishment
Legal or constitutional provisions exclude non-religious views from freedom of belief
It is illegal to register an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization, or such groups are persecuted by authorities
There is a religious tax or tithing which is compulsory, or which is state-administered and discriminates by precluding non-religious groups
The non-religious are barred from holding government office
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom

This condition may apply if specifically religious education, religious materials, or specific religious denominations are so tightly controlled that children are in fact over-protected from exposure to religion and are likely unable to explore or construct their own worldview in accordance with their evolving capacities. This condition helps us to classify states (perhaps with secular constitutions) which have criminalized specifically religious beliefs or practices. This condition is not applied if the restricted beliefs or practices are found to be outlawed due to their being of an extremist variety. While this condition does not directly reflect discrimination against non-religious persons or non-religious ideas, it does represent an overall threat to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; such restrictions could spill over to affect non-religious beliefs later; and they pose a risk of backlash against over-zealous secular authorities or even against non-religious individuals by association.

Countries: China, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guyana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Laos, Madagascar, Mexico, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe

It is illegal or unrecognised to identify as an atheist or as non-religious
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
Legend
 
Severe Discrimination
Systemic Discrimination
Mostly Satisfactory
More information about rating table

Constitution and government

While Chapter 1:01 of the Constitution[ref]https://www.oas.org/juridico/spanish/mesicic2_guy_constitution.pdf[/ref] affirms that Guyana is a secular state, the preamble of the Constitution contains the phrase “May God protect our people”.

Article 145 of the Constitution protects citizens’ freedom of conscience stating:

“Except with his own consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of conscience, and for the purposes of this article the said freedom includes freedom of thought and of religion, freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others, and both in public and in private, to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.”

Further articles within the Constitution and other laws and policies enshrine the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association, and protection from discrimination on the grounds of race, place of origin, political opinions, color or creed.

The country’s two largest parties represent the country’s largest ethnic groups, and thereby their traditional religious values. The Peoples’ Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) supported by the Indo-Guyanese community, who typically uphold Hindu values, and the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) – supported typically by those of Afro-Guyanese descent, who typically uphold Christian values.[ref]https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15905484; https://statisticsguyana.gov.gy/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Final_2012_Census_Compendium2.pdf[/ref]

In the lead up to the March 2020 elections, new parties emerged,[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/guyana/freedom-world/2020[/ref] at least one of which, the People’s Republic Party campaigned on an explicitly Christian platform.[ref]http://www.caribbeanelections.com/eDocs/manifestos/gy/prp_manifesto_2020.pdf[/ref] In August 2020, Irfaan Ali of the PPP/C was sworn in as Guyana’s 10th Executive President.[ref]https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-53637085[/ref]

The National Assembly recites a prayer derived from British colonial times and adapted with a view to accommodate different religious groups.[ref]https://parliament.gov.gy/parliamentcorner/detail/national-assemblys-prayer[/ref]

Article 212 of the Constitution provides for the establishment of an Ethnic Relations Commission with the purpose of promoting harmony between different ethnic groups, including encouraging “respect for religious, cultural and other form (sic) of diversity in a plural society” (Article 212D(f)). The entity embraces religious diversity and cultural inclusion. However, over the years, the organization is faced with reports of growing ethnic tensions during election cycles and has held political leaders responsible.[ref]https://demerarawaves.com/2020/07/20/ethnic-relations-commission-investigating-more-racially-inciting-complaints/[/ref]

Part V of Chapter 8:01 (Criminal Law Offences)[ref]https://www.oas.org/juridico/spanish/mesicic2_guy_criminal_law_act.pdf[/ref] outlines “offences against religion, morality, and public convenience”, which include ‘blasphemous libel’ (see below), obstruction of the performance of a religious service, disturbing a congregation or preacher. Each are punishable with prison sentences ranging from six months to one year.

Education and children’s rights

Article 145(3) of the Constitution states that:

“Except with his own consent (or, if he is a person who has not attained the age of eighteen years, the consent of his guardian), no person attending any place of education shall be required to receive religious instruction or to take part in or attend any religious ceremony or observance if that instruction, ceremony or observance relates to a religion which is not his own.”

Under Article 145(2) of the Constitution, “no religious community shall be prevented from providing religious instruction for persons of that community.” It does not make reference to non-theist communities.

There are both public and private religiously affiliated schools. Parents are free to send their children to the school of their choice. Religious education is compulsory in all private schools with a religious affiliation. All students attending a private school of religious affiliation must participate in religious education, regardless of a student’s religious beliefs. There is no religious education in public schools, regardless of whether the school is religiously affiliated. Most public schools’ religious affiliations are Anglican or Methodist.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-report-on-international-religious-freedom/guyana/[/ref]

However, a Christian-orientated prayer that is premised on monotheism is often recited in public schools.[ref]https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2015/10/20/government-to-review-christian-prayers-in-public-schools/[/ref] In 2015, the then Minister for Education, proposed a “universal prayer” to replace Christian prayers practised in public schools.[ref]https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2015/12/23/consultations-on-a-universal-prayer-for-public-schools-underway/[/ref] As of 2018, it appeared that Christian prayers may still have been being practised in at least some schools regardless of the individual student’s beliefs,[ref]https://guyanatimesgy.com/complete-separation-of-religion-and-education/[/ref] in violation of provisions within the Constitution.

Family, community and society

Discrimination

According to Freedom House, laws barring discrimination on the basis of race, gender, and other categories are not effectively enforced.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/guyana/freedom-world/2020[/ref] Women face particular discrimination in the workplace, while indigenous communities continue to face disparities in access to healthcare, education and justice.[ref]https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=24826&LangID=E; http://www.forestpeoples.org/en/node/50447; https://www.iwgia.org/en/guyana/3623-iw-2020-guyana.html [/ref]

Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression are not currently protected under the Prevention of the Discrimination Act,[ref]https://www.stabroeknews.com/2020/02/05/news/guyana/lgbtq-community-seeks-repeal-of-gay-sex-laws-protection-from-discrimination/[/ref] and as such the LGBTQ+ community face considerable discrimination in the country. Under articles 351-353 of Chapter 8:01 (Criminal Law Offences), sex between men is criminalized. While men convicted of committing an act of ‘gross indecency’ may be liable to imprisonment of up to two years, the crime of ‘buggery’ is considered a felony punishable by life imprisonment.[ref]https://www.oas.org/juridico/spanish/mesicic2_guy_criminal_law_act.pdf[/ref] However, in practice, such laws appear to be used by police to intimidate and prosecutions are rare.[ref]https://www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/guyana/[/ref] The country’s first Pride march took place in July 2018; the same year in which colonial-era law banning cross-dressing was struck down.[ref]https://www.washingtonblade.com/2018/11/14/guyana-law-that-criminalizes-cross-dressing-struck-down/[/ref]

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

Freedom of expression and media freedom are guaranteed by the Constitution and generally respected in practice.In its 2020 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Guyana 49 of 180, noting that while freedom of the press is largely guaranteed, the ongoing criminalization of defamation, as well as the appointment of the head of the media regulatory authority by the president remain cause for concern.[ref]https://rsf.org/en/guyana[/ref]

The government largely respects freedoms of assembly and association, and nongovernmental organizations operate freely.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/guyana/freedom-world/2020[/ref]

Blasphemous libel

The law requires a prison term of one year for a blasphemous libel conviction, with an exemption for religious expression made in “good faith and decent language”. The government does not appear to enforce the law.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-report-on-international-religious-freedom/guyana/[/ref]