A group of South African psychologists has been honoured with an international human rights award for their groundbreaking work advancing the psychosocial well-being of LGBTQIA+ communities in South Africa and across the continent.
On 10 December, International Human Rights Day, the African LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Project received the International Human Rights Award from the International Council of Psychologists (ICP) during an online ceremony.
“This is a significant honour,” said ICP President Polli Hagenaars. “We are delighted to add your name to the distinguished list of ICP awardees who have made outstanding contributions to the field of psychology.”
A Record of Advocacy and Impact
The African LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Project was established in 2012 under the auspices of the Sexuality and Gender Division (SGD) of the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA), the country’s largest professional body representing psychologists.
The project aims to advance LGBTQIA+ mental health by addressing stigma, discrimination and systemic barriers that limit the full enjoyment of human rights, including access to healthcare, dignity and sexual rights.
Among its most significant achievements is PsySSA’s 2013 position statement calling on psychologists to recognise diverse sexual orientations and gender identities as normal variations of human experience.
Groundbreaking Guidelines for Affirmative Care
In 2017, the project released the landmark Practice Guidelines for Psychology Professionals Working with Sexually and Gender-Diverse People. These were the first such guidelines published on the African continent and have influenced psychological practice in several other countries. The guidelines were updated in 2025.
Crucially, the guidelines condemn the practice of conversion or reparative therapy, which seeks to suppress or change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. They describe these practices as not only ineffective but also “dangerous and in conflict with medical ethics”.
The project has worked with university departments, engaged government sectors and fostered regional collaboration by providing technical support and solidarity to professionals in other African countries including Cameroon and Nigeria.
Providing African Leadership
Led by Professor Juan A. Nel, the project team includes psychologists and academics Dr Chris McLachlan, Dr Cornelius J. Victor, Jenna-Lee De Beer-Proctor, Dr Nkanyiso L. Madlala, Dr Sakhile Msweli, Suntosh R. Pillay, Thembi Dlamini and Zindi Venter.
“We are elated with this recognition of our work under the auspices of the Psychological Society of South Africa,” Professor Nel told MambaOnline. “It is indeed an honour, but it also reconfirms how privileged we are to do this work in our context, and our immense responsibility to contribute to bettering the lives of others elsewhere.”
Nel emphasised that the award affirms the importance of safeguarding the mental well-being of queer Africans beyond South Africa’s borders. “South African psychology must provide leadership in advancing understanding of sexual and gender diversity on the African continent. We have work to do, and we are up for the challenge,” he said.
Mental Health Is a Human Rights Issue
Dr Cornelius J. Victor stressed that mental health and LGBTQIA+ human rights are inseparable. While LGBTQIA+ South Africans enjoy constitutional protections, he noted that many still face violence, family rejection and stigma in healthcare settings. He added that many healthcare professionals receive no training in working affirmatively with LGBTQIA+ people.
Pseudoscientific and harmful conversion practices also persist in South Africa, often driven by faith-based or familial pressure and disguised as “therapy”.
“Surveys in South Africa have documented how widespread these practices are within families, religious communities and other social settings, often driven by heteronormative pressures and misconceptions about sexual and gender diversity,” Victor said. “They continue to cause serious psychological harm, stigma, trauma, depression and isolation.”
He explained that closing the gap between constitutional ideals and lived reality requires competent, ethical and affirming psychological care.
In other African countries, these challenges are compounded by criminalisation, fear and limited access to safe mental health support.
“The intersection between mental health and human rights is not only about improving practice,” Victor said, “it is often about survival, harm reduction, and creating any safe space at all for care.” He added that whatever the context, “the principle remains the same: structural injustice produces psychological harm.”
Building Lasting Change
Nel said the project’s work is far from complete. Plans are underway to expand trainings to more universities across South Africa and to advocate for the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ affirmative practice in the Health Professions Council of South Africa’s ethics code and psychology board examinations.
In the longer term, the project aims to establish a Centre of Excellence dedicated to the health and well-being of sexually and gender-diverse people. “This will strengthen our training, ensure our research informs clinical practice, and allow us to mentor and support others working in the field,” Nel said.
While the African LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Project marks this international recognition, its members remain focused on the work ahead. As Victor asserted: “Psychology has a unique role to play. It can either reinforce stigma and silence, or it can actively promote dignity, safety, and well-being.”
