Joyce Banda Intends to Decriminalize Homosexuality in Malawi

via pisnews.net, by Monica Tabengwa

Jun 14 2012 (IPS) - At a news conference shortly after she was sworn in as Malawi’s president, Joyce Banda announced her government’s intention to decriminalise homosexuality. It is unclear how she will achieve this, but the move is in stark contrast to the approach of her predecessor, Bingu wa Mutharika, who openly condemned it.

In a region in which lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights have often been rejected in the name of traditional values, Banda’s stance is bound to attract attention. Hopefully, it will bring about some rethinking of policies that discriminate against LGBT people and often even criminalise homosexual practices.

In fact, Banda has taken a series of brave stands since she took office. Her refusal last week to host the African Union summit in July because the AU insists on having President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan there, despite his outstanding arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, is just one of them.

And amending LGBT rights is another indication of her determination to lead Malawi back onto the path of being a forward-looking democracy and a state that respects universal human rights and global bodies such as the ICC over and above parochial interests.

Banda, the former vice president, inherited a grim economic situation when she took office in April, the first woman to become a head of state in the southern African region. Soon after taking office, she announced that she intended to repeal repressive laws and policies, some of them passed under Mutharika’s rule, including the laws criminalising same-sex acts.

The repeal of these repressive laws would be good news for Malawi and for Africa. It would not only spare members of the LGBT community the fear of prosecution, but would also negate the legitimisation of violence, abuse, and discrimination based on sexual orientation.

It would also be the first time since 1994 that an African country has repealed anti-LGBT legislation, and would add renewed impetus to global efforts toward decriminalisation of same-sex conduct.

Read the rest.


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African Girls Getting World Bank Cash Deters Sex With 'Sugar Daddies'

Via Bloomberg, by Simon Clark

Young women in sub-Saharan Africa have HIV infection rates up to three times higher than their male peers, largely because of relationships with older "sugar daddies" who give them money in exchange for sex.

The phenomenon contributes significantly to HIV's spread, said Ester Etkin of loveLife, South Africa's largest anti-AIDS group.

A World Bank study in Malawi examined cash incentives among approximately 3,800 females ages 13-22. One group received roughly $10 a month and payment for school fees if they regularly attended class, while the control received no incentives. HIV infection rates at 18-month follow-up were 60 percent lower among girls who were given cash: 1.2 percent, compared with 3 percent. The study also showed a delay in the start of sexual activity among beneficiaries and a decline in the number of partners among those who were sexually active.

Though the study's results are being assessed by a peer-reviewed journal, plans are underway to repeat the experiment elsewhere in Africa, said Mayra Buvinic, director of gender and development at the World Bank. "The potential could be huge to reduce HIV rates in teenage girls," she said.

But some experts question whether cash payouts are an appropriate strategy. "We could end up creating an environment of dependency that cannot be sustained," warned Peter Lamptey, a Family Health International physician practicing in Ghana. "Paying people to influence their sexual behavior won't solve the wider problems of abuse, esteem, neglect and inequality that cause them to get HIV," said Sophie Harman, a senior lecturer at London's City University who has studied World Bank AIDS policies.

Read the rest
 
[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

LGBT Africans Face Blackmail and Extortion on a Regular Basis

via International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission

Antiquated laws against same-sex sexual activity as well as deeply ingrained social stigma result in the all-too-frequent targeting of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Africa for blackmail and extortion, said the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) in a report launched today.

The report, Nowhere to Turn: Blackmail and Extortion of LGBT People in Sub-Saharan Africa, illustrates how LGBT Africans are made doubly vulnerable by the criminalization of homosexuality and the often-violent stigmatization they face if their sexuality is revealed. Based onresearch from 2007 to the present, the volume features articles and research by leading African activists and academics on the prevalence, severity and impact of these human rights violations on LGBT people in Cameroon, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe.

"The tragic reality is that blackmail and extortion are part of the daily lives of many LGBT Africans who are isolated and made vulnerable by homophobic laws and social stigma," says IGLHRC's Executive Director, Cary Alan Johnson. "The responsibility clearly lies with governments to address these crimes and the underlying social and legal vulnerability of LGBT people."

The report's authors vividly depict the isolation, humiliation and manipulation to which LGBT people are subjected by blackmailers and extortionists and describe the threats of exposure, theft, assault, and rape, that can damage and even destroy the lives of victims. Vulnerability to these crimes is faced on a regular basis and families and communities are not safe havens. For example, according to research conducted in Cameroon and featured in the report, "the bulk of blackmail and extortion attempts were committed by other members of the community - 33.9% by neighbors, 11.8% by family members, 11.5% by classmates, and 14.1% by homosexual friends. Police were often complicit in this - either by ignoring or dismissing it or, in 11.5% of cases, directly perpetrating it."

Nowhere to Turn explores the role the State plays in these crimes by ignoring blackmail and extortion carried out by police and other officials by failing to prosecute blackmailers, and by charging LGBT victims under sodomy laws when they do find the courage to report blackmail to the authorities.

IGLHRC urges States to take concrete steps to reduce the incidence of these crimes by decriminalizing same-sex sexual activity, educating officials and communities about blackmail laws, and ensuring that all people are able to access judicial mechanisms without prejudice.

A PDF version of Nowhere to Turn is available here. To obtain a hard copy of the volume, email iglhrc@iglhrc.org

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Malawi refuses ‘homosexuality’ aid condition

via NY ASA Times

Malawi government on Wednesday took a strong stand against bilateral donors saying it cannot compromise its sovereignty to legalise homosexuality in order to get aid.

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Dr George Chaponda led a team of Presidential spokesperson Hetherwick Ntaba, Information and Civic Education Minister Symon Vuwa Kaunda and Gender, Women and Children Welfare  Minister Tereza Mwale in addressing a news conference in the capital Lilongwe.

During the news conference, the officials were reacting to reports that Germany government has cut aid following Malawi’s failure to repeal laws that criminalize homosexuality and its enactment of laws seen as restricting media freedom.

Ntaba: Immoral to force Malawi to be a homosexual nation just to give us aid

And the United States of America government has delayed to release $350 million grants amid concerns of new laws to curb individual freedoms in the southern African nation.

Justice Minister said although Malawi has strict laws against same sex relationships “the international community should note that since such acts occur in private and that Malawi laws on privacy are enriched in the constitution it is very difficult to prosecute homosexuality.”

“We are not ready to change the laws to satisfy donors. We have to understand that as a country you need to have certain principals for the benefit of the country,” said Chaponda.

Read the rest.


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

US aid deal for Malawi delayed

via Washington Post, by Raphael Tenthani

A planned deal to give Malawi $350 million in U.S. aid will not be signed this week because more talks are needed amid international concerns new laws curb individual freedoms, officials said Monday.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation announced the power projects in January.

U.S. Embassy spokesman Benjamin Canavan said officials from the program - which dates from George W. Bush's United States presidency - and the Malawi government have been working for three years "to develop a much-needed investment for Malawian people in the power sector."

Caravan did not say what was holding up the agreement nor when it would be finalized.

The delay comes after the German government announced it was decreasing aid to Malawi following Malawi's failure to repeal laws that criminalize homosexuality, and its enactment of laws seen as restricting media freedom.

Read the rest.

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Stigma, Health Care Access, and HIV Knowledge Among MSM in Malawi, Namibia, and Botswana.

 AIDS Behav. 2010 Dec 10. [Epub ahead of print]

Fay H, Baral SD, Trapence G, Motimedi F, Umar E, Iipinge S, Dausab F, Wirtz A, Beyrer C.

Abstract

Same-sex practices are stigmatized in much of sub-Saharan Africa. Cross-sectional relationships between discrimination, access to and use of health care services, and HIV knowledge among men who have sex with men (MSM) were assessed in Malawi, Namibia, and Botswana. A survey and HIV screening were used to explore these variables and the prevalence of HIV. Overall, 19% of men screened positive for HIV infection. Ninety-three percent knew HIV is transmitted through anal sex with men, however, only 67% had ever received information of how to prevent this transmission. Few (17%) reported ever disclosing same sex practices to a health professional and 19% reported ever being afraid to seek health care. Men reported ever been denied health care services (5%) and 21% had ever been blackmailed because of their sexuality. Strong associations were observed between experiences of discrimination and fear of seeking health care services. Characterizing the relationship between stigma and health care seeking practices and attitudes can inform the development and implementation of HIV interventions for African MSM.

[Thanks to the Global Forum on MSM and HIV for putting this on our radar.]


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

The British legacy of homophobia

via New Statesman, by Philip Dayle

Excerpt:

Eric Heinze, professor of law at Queen Mary, University of London, believes that there is a "manufactured sensitivity" in pressing human rights relating to sexual orientation. Why shouldn't gay rights attract the same moral revulsion as the fight against racism or violence against women? Can the UK call out its former colonies on this issue? What kind of deference is shown to culture or religion in this type of human rights activism?

Not surprisingly, the colonial history of many developing countries makes them resistant to calls for reform from metropolitan centres in Europe. Activism that is viewed as patronising harks back to the days of empire, when important decisions were made in London and force-fed back to the colonies. These seemingly symbolic considerations are as important as substantive arguments in advocacy for change in this regard.

Read the full article.


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

HIV, Human Rights, and Men who Have Sex With Men

Via The Lancet, Kathryn Senior

The issue of human rights for men who have sex with men and how national and local attitudes can affect the spread of HIV and AIDS was highlighted last month when Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, a male couple in Malawi, were sentenced to 14 years hard labour for sodomy, after they held the country's first known same-sex commitment ceremony. International outcry followed, and after pressure from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during a visit to the country, Malawi's president, Bingu wa Mutharika, granted an unexpected pardon. "This was a very courageous decision by President Mutharika. I highly applaud the President's leadership. Distinguished members of the Parliament, I am confident that you will take appropriate steps to update laws discriminating based on sexual orientation in line with international standards", Ban announced at a press conference shortly afterwards.

For the full article please contact us.

Malawi Couple Split Under Homophobic Pressure

via PeterTatchell.net

“The couple had been subjected to many death threats and the government had threatened to re-arrest them if they got back together,” said London-based human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell, spokesperson for the LGBT rights group OutRage! He supported the couple in prison and campaigned, along with many other people, for their release.

For the full article click here.

Picking up the pieces in Malawi

via Huffington Post, by Mark Canavera

Before the outsized international human rights outcry. Before the world had even heard of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga. Before their chinkhoswe ceremony - akin to an engagement ceremony although more complex - landed these two in prison, then convicted for "indecent practices between males," and finally sentenced to 14 years of hard labor. Before the President of Malawi reluctantly pardoned the convicted parties. Before all of this, activists were acting up in Malawi.

"Our organization was born out of the need to fill major gaps in HIV service delivery," explains Gift Trapence, the director of the Lilongwe-based Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP), a human rights organization working on behalf of at-risk minority groups, including people in same-sex relationships, sex workers, and prisoners. When Monjeza and Chimbalanga were arrested in December, this relatively young organization, founded only in late 2005, was propelled to the forefront of a movement whose butterfly wing flaps would create maelstroms around the world. "Steven and Tiwonge's case has brought a lot of attention," modestly admits Trapence, whose organization has been balancing the pressures of high-level international advocacy with their need to ensure ongoing services to its target populations of marginalized individuals.

Read the rest.

Malawi: Judge convicts gay couple

via Associated Press, by Raphael Tenthani

BLANTYRE, Malawi — A judge convicted a gay couple in Malawi Tuesday of unnatural acts and gross indecency after a trial that drew worldwide condemnation of this southern African country's colonial-era laws on homosexuality.

The verdict is "extremely disturbing," said Michaela Clayton of the Namibia-based AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, saying it could encourage anti-gay sentiment in the region as well as set back the fight against AIDS. Gay people forced underground in Africa are unlikely to seek counseling and treatment for AIDS, she and other activists said.

 

Read the rest.

Update: Imprisoned Malawi Same-Sex Couple Speaks Out

via Edge, by Kilian Melloy

Last December, a male same-sex couple in Malawi who celebrated their engagement to one another were arrested under that country’s "decency" laws. Ever since, Steven Monjeza, 26, and his fiancée, Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, have been held in prison in Blantyre, Malawi, and reportedly have been subjected to intrusive medical examinations to determine whether they have engaged in anal sex.

The couple’s arrest has led to international protests and warnings that Malawi, which relies heavily on international aid, could risk alienating nations that provide crucially needed funds. However, the government has refused to yield in the case, with Information Minister Leckford Mwanza Thoto saying in January that Monjeza and Chimbalanga were "clearly breaking the laws of Malawi," and adding, "As [a] government we cannot interfere in the court process." Thoto went on to say, "We depend on our Western friends, yes, but we are a sovereign country."

Read the rest.

Homophobia divides Africa

via afrol News, by afrol staff

afrol News, 23 March - Homophobic laws in Uganda and an anti-gay court case in Malawi are only two current examples demonstrating a conservative wave regarding sexual minorities in Africa. But in other countries, in particular South Africa, gays and lesbians are enjoying increased freedom.

There is a belt of current conservative reactions to homosexuality spanning from Zimbabwe to Ethiopia, including most of Southern and East Africa. One after another, countries in the region hit international headlines over homophobic actions.

International human rights groups are busy condemning what seems to be a wave of gay bashing in the region. Some northern donor nations, including the UK, Sweden and Norway, have included discrimination against homosexuals in their lists of unacceptable human rights violations, threatening to cut aid if the bashing goes on. Church communities are split in a north-south division over accepting homosexuals. It all looks like a war of values between Africa and Western nations.

But that is only at a superficial level. Indeed, the issue of gay rights in Africa is greatly advancing. Even repressive headlines, such as the Malawi court case against a gay couple accused of "unnatural offences", can be read the other way, as an advance for gay rights.

Malawi is an example of deeply conservative societies, where traditional religion is mixed with Anglican church values formed during the colonial era. In Malawi, a vast majority had not even heard about homosexuality before the young gay couple was arrested in late December. Homosexuality was a non-matter, it did not exist in Malawi, even the more educated people thought.

But now, homosexuality is the big issue of talks in Malawi. While the great majority of Malawians have found they do not approve of this "foreign" thing as it goes against their conservative values, some few indeed defend that homosexuals should not be discriminated. It is the first time this point of view has been heard in Malawi. With time, it may grow stronger.

In Namibia and Botswana, also conservative countries but with a longer tradition of being open to outside impulses and with greater middle classes, many organisations now openly defend gay rights against discrimination and the occasional homophobic statements by political and church leaders. Here, the taboo is about to be broken.

The great taboo breaking in Africa has already happened in South Africa, the first country world-wide to protect sexual minorities explicitly in its constitution. Here, same-sex marriages by now are allowed and increasingly accepted. Here, forceful organisations are based, fighting for gay rights across the African continent.

But interestingly, even South Africans remain conservative regarding homosexuality. A 2006 survey found that more than three-quarters - 78 percent - of South Africans felt that sexual relations between two adults of the same gender were "always wrong". Less than one in fifteen at a national level thought that homosexual relationships were "not wrong at all".

Read the rest.

Date Set in Trial of Malawi Gay Couple

via edge Boston, by Kilian Milloy

When 26-year-old Steven Monjeza and 20-year-old Tiwonge Chimbalanga celebrated an engagement ceremony in the African nation Malawi, it was symbolic of their love. But the legal ramifications that followed have been too severe, say critics of the way that the men were arrested under the country’s decency laws and kept confined for months in a maximum-security prison.

As the case has dragged on, Malawi has become yet another African nation making headlines for its anti-gay laws, along with Uganda, where a proposed law would provide the death penalty for some gays. Earlier this month, the trial of Monjeza and Chimbalanga was postponed, according to a March 22 article at Xtra.com. The judge agreed to allow the defense to use the additional time to gather witnesses. Although the postponement allows the defense more time, Chivuli Ukwimi of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission criticized the court’s decision, saying, "This ruling is the most recent in a line of deeply troubling decisions and actions by the Malawian authorities in this case, including the decision to deny bail to Steven and Tiwonge, claiming that their continued incarceration is for their own safety."

Xtra.com also reported that the men have been forced to undergo intrusive physical examinations in order for authorities to determine whether they have engaged in anal sex.

A protest that took place March 22 in London condemned the months that the men have spent in prison since their arrest late last December. Gay Malawi refugee Edi Phiri spoke at the protest, saying, "I urge my President and government to intervene to release Steven and Tiwonge. These two men don’t deserve the way they are suffering in jail." Added Phiri, "The delay in the trial and the postponed verdict is a sign that the government and judiciary are split. Some officials want to convict and others don’t. They keep on putting off the verdict. It is unfair to treat Steven and Tiwonge like this." Noted Phiri, "Malawi’s anti-gay laws are not African. They were imposed by the British colonizers nearly two centuries ago."

Read the rest.

Malawi man arrested for putting up gay rights posters

via PinkNews.co.uk

Peter Sawali, 21, was arrested last weekend when he was found putting the posters up on a main road in Blantyre.

The posters, said to be expensively printed, read "gay rights are human rights".

Mr Sawali will be charged with "conduct likely to cause breach of peace,", a police spokeswoman told AFP.

If convicted, he may be fined or jailed for up to three months.

Police are investigating how Mr Sawali obtained the posters. They believe he and other gay rights activists in Malawi may be sponsored by international organisations.

Read the rest.

Related:
Malawi Man Arrested for Gay Rights Posters via edge Boston

Married people practicing homosexuality in Malawi says official

Malawi laws, which outlaw sexual intercourse between people of the same sex, contravene the nation’s constitution and international conventions that guarantee equality and non-discrimination based on sexual orientation.

via NYASA Times - Malawi

Secretary to the Office of the President, responsible for HIV/AIDS and Nutrition, Dr. Mary Shaba, has said homosexuality is practiced in Malawi by mostly married people who have “wives and children”.

Shaba was speaking on Capital Radio’s Straight Talk programme on Tuesday evening.

Radio host, Brian Banda who poses no hold-barred questions, asked Shaba if homosexuality exists in the country and what impact it has to HIV/Aids.

Read the rest.

HIV Prevalence, Risks for HIV Infection, and Human Rights among MSM in Malawi, Namibia, and Botswana

In the generalized epidemics of HIV in southern Sub-Saharan Africa, men who have sex with men have been largely excluded from HIV surveillance and research. Epidemiologic data for MSM in southern Africa are among the sparsest globally, and HIV risk among these men has yet to be characterized in the majority of countries.

via PLoS ONE, by:

Stefan Baral^1,7*, Gift Trapence², Felistus Motimedi³, Eric Umar⁴, Scholastika Iipinge⁵, Friedel Dausab⁶, Chris Beyrer¹

1 Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America, 2 Center for the Development of People, Blantyre, Malawi, 3 Botswana Network on Ethics, Law, and HIV/AIDS, Gaborone, Botswana, 4 Department of Community Health, University of Malawi,-College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi, 5 HIV/AIDS Coordinator, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia, 6 The Rainbow Project, Windhoek, Namibia, 7 Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

INTRO:

While southern Sub-Saharan Africa has long been the most HIV/AIDS affected region globally, it has been arguably the most understudied for the risk of HIV associated with male to male sexual contact The crude characterization of these epidemics as generalized and driven by heterosexual risks has obscured the component of Southern Africa's epidemics which may be due to risks among men who have sex with men (MSM). The marked homophobia, discrimination, and criminalization of same-sex behavior in much of Africa have likely limited investigation among these men. Data regarding the prevalence of MSM in the region are among the sparsest globally, but there is evidence that male to male sexual contact is a reality on this continent as on all others To date, there have been published papers from only Senegal and Kenya describing HIV risk and prevalence among MSM in Africa . However, a systematic review found studies from other African countries either not presenting HIV prevalence data or studies that to-date have only been presented as abstracts. These studies suggest that African MSM are at substantial risk for HIV infection, and that they have been markedly underserved and marginalized. Reported HIV rates, where available, have been higher than among other men of reproductive age in the same populations, yet these men tend to have limited knowledge of the health related risks of anal intercourse. The lack of data on MSM and HIV are paradoxically the most marked for the world's highest prevalence zone; the southern region of Sub-Saharan Africa. No published studies have reported HIV prevalence among MSM in Namibia, Malawi, and Botswana, three profoundly HIV/AIDS affected southern states. MSM have not been included in the HIV/AIDS strategies in these countries and same sex behavior among consenting adults is criminalized in all three states in 2008.

Read the entire article on PLoS One.

Increased visibility: more light shed on MSM in Africa and India

via Aidsmap

The majority of men who have sex with men (MSM) in three different African countries and in Tamil Nadu State in India also have sex with women, according to two presentations and a poster at the CROI Conference in Montreal.

In Tamil Nadu, HIV prevalence is substantially higher in MSM than the general population and they could serve as a ‘bridge’ for HIV transmission between minority communities and women, researchers found.

In Africa, in the first-ever surveys of their kind, researchers uncovered communities of men with high levels of HIV risk behaviour, including injecting drug use. They found that the already-noted tendency in Africa to have long-term concurrent relationships with more than one partner – one explanation advanced for the high HIV prevalence there – was the same for MSM, with a high proportion of men engaging in ‘bisexually concurrent’ relationships.

Three African countries Chris Beyrer of the Center for Public Health and Human Rights at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore presented updated findings from a programme of surveys of MSM and HIV in a number of African countries. Preliminary findings from the first of these surveys in Malawi were presented at the pre-World AIDS Conference satellite meeting in Mexico City last year – see this report. Beyrer added data from Namibia and Botswana – other surveys are ongoing in Nigeria and South Africa.

In most of these countries there has hitherto been literally no data on MSM, Beyrer said. Male/male sex is illegal and stigmatised, and until recently surveys of MSM would have been impossible. Recently, however, health ministries in some African countries have become more supportive of research and prevention work among this community and local non-governmental and community organisations have been willing to act as local hosts for the research programme.

Read the rest.

Female Condoms Promoted Through Beauty Salon Initiative in Malawi

[via Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report]

The United Nations Population Fund and Population Services International have introduced a program to distribute female condoms in Malawian beauty salons in an effort to encourage their use and curb the spread of HIV, VOA News reports. Pamela Msukwa, family planning and HIV technical coordinator for PSI/Malawi, said hair salons were chosen for the program because they "provide a very viable and highly targeted market" due to their popularity with women in Malawi. She added, "That's where they get to talk about issues, and there is always somebody they can discuss issues with." A team of women associated with the organization promote and distribute the condoms, and salon staff members are trained on how to talk about the products with their customers.

Although condom use and other methods of preventing pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted infections have been considered the "domain of males," the beauty salon initiative is attempting to change the situation, VOA News reports. A pilot project eight years ago to encourage female condom use failed in part because of a lack of information about the condoms and stigma associated with their use, according to VOA News. Msukwa said the "main goal" of the program is to reduce the rate of new HIV cases and unplanned pregnancies and "increase the adoption of safer-sex behavior through increased and consistent use of the female condom." She added that the successes of the program so far have lead PSI/Malawi to begin to consider ways of targeting men through barber shops. According to VOA News, fifteen PSI country programs distribute female condoms worldwide and more than seven million have been sold to date.