page_title: Human rights in Lesotho
section_title: Minority and women's rights
hierarchical_section_title: Human rights in Lesotho / Current issues (2008–) / Minority and women's rights
caption_attribution_description: Lesotho women protesting violence against women at a National Women's Day protest at National University of Lesotho.
context_page_description: Human rights in Lesotho, a nation of 2,067,000 people completely surrounded by South Africa, is a contentious issue. In its 2012 Freedom in the World report, Freedom House declared the country "Partly Free". According to the United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, which produces annual human rights reports on the country, the most pressing human rights issues are the use of torture, poor prison conditions, and the abuse of women and children.
context_section_description: The rights of those with HIV/AIDS is protected by the law. The Lesotho Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS claims that discrimination exists but is on the decline.
  Of the National Assembly's 120 seats, 29 are occupied by women, including that of the Speaker and seven of the 19 Ministers. They also constitute seven of the 33 seats in the Senate. Half of the ten High Court judges are female.
  A sodomy law exists but is reportedly not enforced. Homosexuality is considered taboo, but an LGBT support group, "Matrix", reportedly freely operates throughout the country.
  Child labour is widespread.
caption: Lesotho women protesting violence against women on National Women's Day at the National University of Lesotho.
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