The majority of Commonwealth states criminalise gay sex with laws passed in colonial times. How can that association of nations true the wrongs of the past?The contemporary Commonwealth is a paradox. On the one hand,it is a reminder of the British empire; on the other, a network seeking contemporary relevance to uphold universal values of human rights, and democracy and equal opportunities for prosperity,
The problem is that this is a voluntary association of sovereign states, and while some support its consensus-based decision-making, and others are deeply critical of its reluctance to sanction serious human rights violators. And so the Commonwealth is caught between the human rights agenda being advanced by some member states,and allegations of neocolonialism and an imposition of western values from others.
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Source: theguardian.com