Doug PollardAfrica's Deadly Prejudice
January 24th 2010 03:52
In Africa, gays and lesbians are running for their lives
. SOUTH AFRICA
In South Africa’s Western Cape, one gay rights organisation deals with up to 10 new cases of "corrective rape" – pack-raping and beating a woman to ‘cure’ her homosexuality – every week. Some die.
MALAWI 1
In Malawi, two men face up to 14 years jail for having a relationship. They have suffered abuse, humiliation and violence while on remand, but were refused bail ‘for their own safety’.
After local minority rights group The Centre For The Development of People (CEDEP) Malawi came to their assistance, a staff member was arrested on charges labelling CEDEP's HIV education materials pornographic.
MALAWI 2
Again in Malawi, a woman accused of being a lesbian was driven out of her home by her member of Parliament.
Nellie Somanje was cleared of sexually assaulting and abusing her maids, aged 14 and 18, due to lack of evidence. Nevertheless local MP and Minister for Women Patricia Kaliati declared Somaje "persona non grata" in her constituency, and will appeal the acquittal.
UGANDA
In Uganda, a bill currently before the Parliament redefines homosexual activity – punishable by life imprisonment - as ”touch(ing) another person with the intention of committing the act of homosexuality.” Touching “(a) with any part of the body; (b) with anything else; (c) through anything.”
It creates the crime of “aggravated homosexuality” - punishable by death - for having sex with someone under 18, for HIV-positive people who have sex, for anyone having sex with a disabled person (consensual or not), and “repeat offenders” (anyone who has had a relationship with more than one person, or who has had sex with the same person more than once).
Offering medical treatment to gay people brings 7 years jail. Renting homes to LGBT people nets 5-7 years for running a brothel. Friends or family face up to 3 years jail for not reporting LGBT persons to police within 24-hours.
THE WORLD
The Bill has been publicly condemned by British PM Gordon Brown, Canadian PM Stephen Harper, Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, 12 US Senators, and 90 US Representatives.
In response Uganda has said it might drop the death penalty in favour of life imprisonment.
AUSTRALIA
Our Senate, however, refused Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s motion calling on the Government to actively encourage the Ugandan Government to withdraw the Bill.
Australia’s High Commissioner in Kenya made personal representations to the Ugandan Government over the bill and wrote to the Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament. And that’s it.
Meanwhile 33 British MPs have signed a motion in support of the two men on trial in Malawi.
Hope you had a Happy Australia Day.
This is by no means a complete list of the deadly regimes currently persecuting GLBTI people in Africa: Tanzania, Burundi, Senegal, Gambia, Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria are all actively persecuting gays and lesbians Really Long Link .
ACTION - CONTACT IMMIGRATION & FOREIGN MINISTERS
Contact Immigration Minister Chris Evans to ask what Australia is doing to provide a safe haven for GLBTI African refugees fleeing to Australia.
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Telephone: 02 6277 7860
Fax: 02 6273 4144
Email: minister@immi.gov.au
Senator Chris Evans
PO Box 1322
West Perth WA 6872
Telephone: 08 9481 4844/ 1300 655 388 (WA Country Only)
Fax: 08 9481 4244
Email: senator.evans@aph.gov.au
Contact Foreign Minister Stephen Smith to protest the feeble Australian response to these murderous governments.
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Tel: (02) 6277 7500
Fax: (02) 6273 4112
Email: Stephen.Smith.MP@aph.gov.au
953A Beaufort Street
Inglewood WA 6932
Postal Address:
PO Box 901
Inglewood WA 6932
Tel: (08) 9272 3411
Fax: (08) 9272 3477
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