Fridae

The decision to retain Singapore's Section 377A (which criminalizes sex between men) was discussed in a report sent to the UN in October, but released by the Government on Friday.

The Government said the choice was a “carefully considered and finely balanced decision" and that "each country should be allowed to deal with such sensitive issues in its own way, taking into account its evolving social and cultural context.”

Pointing to the multi-religious society, the report said the Government's approach is to “accommodate the sensitivities of different communities so that there is room for all to exist harmoniously together.”

The report noted that elements of society “continue to hold strong views against homosexuality for various reasons, including religious convictions and moral values."

It also said that the statute was not proactively enforced and that all citizens, of whatever sexuality, are free to pursue whatever activities stye like in their private space.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) establishes the state of human rights in a member state every four and a half years. The last one, in 2011, found that Singapore supported in-whole or in-part 84 of 112 recommendations on guaranteeing human rights.

The report also stated that the Singapore Government takes "a practical, not an ideological, approach to the realisation of human rights.”