Dear All,
With high esteem LEGAL extends its greetings to you all. LEGAL like to bring to your attention the ordeal of one of the members of the LGBTIQ Community within its sisterly Country, the Republic of Sierra Leone.
Mary Conteh is an aspirant in the Sierra Leone General and Presidential Elections. She reported to LEGAL that she is under threat according to her story.
As we speak for Political participation and claiming our space #TimeIsNow #ClaimYourSpace #MeToo campaign in our different localities in Africa has been threatened on many occasions as the result of her sexuality and now this is her case as she wrong and attached.
We kindly asks for an assistance from all to safe or help our sister during this challenging, painful and discriminatory experience she is faced with in her own Country and support a sage house and all projects that gear towards enhancing the rights and protection of the LGBTIQ Community I Liberia and Africa.
Let us not take it for granted, Sierra Leone is a Country where an LBTQ Feminist Activist was killed and up till now there no arrest of who that did the crime. We can not continue to see such in our human race.
One of LEGAL’ members who was attacked and wounded badly and his hand got broken. As we speak the case was intercepted and investigated upon by the Liberia Police service and the perpetrator was charged for aggregated assault that is punishable and requires jail sentence under the law of Liberia.
This issue makes it the second incidents that have happened to some members of the LBGTIQ community in Liberia. As we speak also some members of the LGBTIQ Community are being giving notice to leave the homes which they live and experience violence, abuse, attack at the community level and experience bulling in schools and collages in Liberia.
On the flip side, LEGAL’s stakeholder Convening on Human Rights Advocacy was successful and it brought together members of the Religious Community, the Traditional Representation from Rivercess, the County Authority health Team, the GBV Taskforce and and Some members of the Liberia National Police(LNP) from Montserrado, Margibi, Grand Bassa and River Cess Counties.
Lesson learned from the meeting and key issues discussed are; Awareness through trainings and dialogues for capacity and alliance building at the community and national levels with all Duty Bearers, Policy Makers and place them as the lead in the advocacy, using the human rights based approach, the constitution and the international instruments or treaties bodies at the UN level.
Though the environment in Liberia, still homophobic and challenging where some members of the LGBTI community experience violence and hate crime speeches and some are still in Prison without proper trail on same sex rape or sodomy cases. In the midst of these challenges, there is still hope and succuss for social change. As our President said, Hope for Change for all Liberians. If we want to achieve our goals, the rights based approach through health, tradition and religion etc is the best way forward.
Yesterday late morning hours, it was said on one of the radio stations that, there should be a law that will say kill all LGBTIQ People in Liberia.
We see this as a threat and call on the Liberia government not to pass such a law, because it forbidding and institute policy that will address issues affecting LGBTIQ Community in Liberia and Africa.
We all are God’s Children and also part of the human race and the Country’s population, not by ourselves, but by The Holy Spirit, Our Heavenly Father, The Creator!!! God Save Us And Bless Us!
In Solidarity,
LEGAL
Anglophone Rep. WACA Feminist Movement for CAL in Africa
WhatsApp+231880741192
Facebook:LEGAL@LEGAL2012
Skype:gford83
Source – LEGAL (Lesbians and Gay Association of Liberia)
