Gay Rwanda News & Reports 2003-10

Also see:
Behind the Mask LGBT African website
Gay Rwanda: Horizon Community Association of Rwanda (HOCA) reports

1 The tough life of being a transvestite in gay-hating Rwanda 9/03

2 Rwandan gay and lesbian people are short 6/05

2a New Law Criminalizing Same-Sex Conduct Proposed in Rwanda 1/07

3 Africa, Offline: Waiting for the Web 7/07  (background story)

3a Gay Africans and Arabs come out online 2/08

4 African lesbian conference demands equal rights 2/08

5 Homosexuality in Rwanda? Yes, it lives 3/08 (Highly biased anti-gay report)

6 Two Lesbian Rwandan Human Rights Activists Released on Bail 3/08

7 Rwandan priest gets life imprisonment for 1,500 dead  3/08  (background story)

8 Rwanda: End Bar on Human Rights Watch Staff Member 12/08 (background story)

9 Truth On Homosexuality In Rwanda 2/09

10 Conference Announcement 3/09

11 Gays mistreated in Rwanda – AI 5/09

12 Rwanda’s Silence On Gay Rights Impacts On LGBTI Activism 7/09

13 Research Puts Rwandan Gays Under Spotlight 8/09

14 HOCA Opens Homosexuality Debate In Rwanda 10/09

15 Exploring HIV Risk among MSM in Kigali, Rwanda 10/09

16 Rwandan Gays Disappointed As Antigay Bill Is Tabled 10/09

17 Rwandan predicts quiet decriminalization 12/09

18 Lawmakers seek to scrap article on homosexuality 2/10

19 This report presents findings from a behavioral surveillance study 5/10

20 Rwandan Lesbians Vow To Fight For Their Rights 10/10

21 Rwanda puts Trinidad & Tobago to shame 12/10

September 17, 2003 – The Mercury (South Africa)

1
The tough life of being a transvestite in gay-hating Rwanda

by Declan Walsh Nairobi
At first glance, Tamara cuts the figure of a striking African woman. She is tall and slender with dark, ebony skin. Long black tresses fall to her shoulders, and a lipstick-coated cigarette dangles from fingers coated in violet nail varnish. Perched cross-legged on her seat, the 27-year-old flicks through a ragged copy of Hello! magazine and enthuses about clubbing, gossip and the merits of "strong men". But it is a deception. Under the made-up cheeks lies a pale shaving shadow. Her voice has a creaky, high pitch and there is a modest bulge in her jeans.

Because beneath the perfumed, feminine gloss, Tamara is a man. In many African societies, homosexuality is seen as a devilish aberration. If possible, transvestites are regarded as even worse. Whereas in Britain she might be accepted as a transsexual, in Africa Tamara – not her real name – betrays her secret only to friends and lovers. Carelessness has a cost – being hounded down dark streets, stripped, shaved, beaten and jailed. It is a tough life, but not one of her choosing, she says. As the son of Rwandan Tutsi refugees exiled in Burundi, childhood was confusing. The young boy found he preferred dolls to balls; later he attended matches only to sneak a peek at the players’ muscular legs. When Tamara started experimenting with wigs and dresses in her teens, relatives were scandalised.

But her mother, after some pain, has accepted her. "She loves me so much," Tamara says with a smile. Not everyone else does, as she has discovered in subsequent travels around East Africa. At 20, she left home. In Zanzibar, policemen denounced her as "sick" and threw her in prison, where they shaved her head and confiscated her dress and jewellery. Inside the grimy jail, her saviour was a sympathetic and "rather handsome" warden who saved her from beatings and shared his food. A month later she got out, after a Norwegian boyfriend greased the magistrate’s palm with $200.

Returning to her parents’ homeland, Rwanda, there was also trouble. Officials delayed her passport application for two years, scorning her as a "queer". Soldiers threatened to kill her. One night, police hauled her from a hotel bar and beat her to a pulp. As she languished in prison, her father died. They released her the day after his burial. Now she dresses as a man when she is in the capital, Kigali. "You don’t play with the Rwandans," she says.

"For them, you are nothing." In contrast, the folk across the border in war-torn Burundi are more tolerant, she adds. White men make the best boyfriends, because they are more "civilised". For a time, Tamara lived with a French aid worker in Uganda. But Africans are bad news. "They are hypocrites," she says. "They can make love to you at night but the next day they won’t look at you." A few times men have chatted her up, believing she was a woman. On discovering the truth, some have accepted her identity calmly, others with violence.

"Usually I tell them the truth at first. But not always," she says coyly. Tamara feels complete only when dressed as a woman. Every day she softens her skin with creams and almond oil. She shaves carefully, masking the shadow with foundation. The appearance of breasts comes from a special bra filled with water. She makes money from trading clothes and makeup, and from the men she dates. Wealthy businessmen pay for beach holidays, rent and food. An elderly Englishman living in an upmarket Nairobi suburb is a current boyfriend. There are others, too. But more often than not, it is a lonely existence. A circle of friends offers support, but Tamara’s happiest moments are alone. "I often feel closed in, not at peace in my heart. I love being on my own, with music. That’s how I feel alive."

She wants to flee to Europe, where she feels she will find acceptance and perhaps that elusive sex-change operation. "I want to be a girl. I dream of it in my sleep," she says. A friend is helping her apply for a visa, but there are many complications. Yet Tamara is hopeful. "If I leave I’m never coming back here," she says. "I want to live in another world."

June, 27, 2005 – Behind the Mask

2
Rwandan gay and lesbian people are short-changed due to a repressive environment

We turned our attention to HIV/Aids and he said the problem is that many people don’t want to speak about it. Some NGOs are keen to avoid the subject at best of times. " I know that many gays are engaged in risky sexual practices because they haven’t been taught. We need health organisations who can teach people, because the more people don’t speak about it the more people die. Many LGBT people are afraid to be tested, because of the automatic blame," said Eric. Uncharacteristic of someone who is living in relative enclosure from homophobic attacks because of his marital status, Eric has a strategic plan for Rwandan LGBTI community. He cites lack of human rights groups, unbalanced media coverage, weak local NGOs (and those that deal with HIV/Aids) as the reasons why mobilization of the LGBTI sector in his country has not materialized.

January 23, 2007 – Paula Ettelbrick, Executive Director, IGLHRC
Phillip Braun & Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, Secretaries General, International Lesbian and Gay Association

2a
New Law Criminalizing Same-Sex Conduct Proposed in Rwanda

We would welcome a dialogue with you or other members of your government about this issue. IGLHRC’s Africa program can be contacted at cjohnson@iglhrc.org.
Yours sincerely,
Paula Ettelbrick
Executive Director
IGLHRC
Phillip Braun & Rosanna Flamer-Caldera
Secretaries General
International Lesbian and Gay Association

July 22, 2007 – New York Times

3
Africa, Offline: Waiting for the Web

by Ron Nixon
On a muggy day in Kigali in 2003, some of the highest-ranking officials in the Rwandan government, including President Paul Kagame, flanked an American businessman, Greg Wyler, as he boldly described how he could help turn their small country into a hub of Internet activity. Mr. Wyler, an executive based in Boston who made his fortune during the tech boom, said he would lace Rwanda with fiber optic cables, connecting schools, government institutions and homes with low-cost, high-speed Internet service. Until that point, Mr. Wyler, 37, had never set foot in Africa — he was invited by a Rwandan government official he had met at a wedding. Mr. Wyler never expected to start a business there; he simply wanted to try to help the war-torn country.

Even so, Mr. Wyler’s company, Terracom, was granted a contract to connect 300 schools to the Internet. Later, the company would buy 99 percent of the shares in Rwandatel, the country’s national telecommunications company, for $20 million. But after nearly four years, most of the benefits hailed by him and his company have failed to materialize, Rwandan officials say. “The bottom line is that he promised many things and didn’t deliver,” said Albert Butare, the country’s telecommunications minister. Mr. Wyler says he sees things quite differently, and he and Rwandan officials will probably never agree on why their joint venture has been so slow to get off the ground. But Terracom’s tale is more than a story about a business dispute in Rwanda. It is also emblematic of what can happen when good intentions run into the technical, political and business realities of Africa.

Attempts to bring affordable high-speed Internet service to the masses have made little headway on the continent. Less than 4 percent of Africa’s population is connected to the Web; most subscribers are in North African countries and the republic of South Africa. A lack of infrastructure is the biggest problem. In many countries, communications networks were destroyed during years of civil conflict, and continuing political instability deters governments or companies from investing in new systems. E-mail messages and phone calls sent from some African countries have to be routed through Britain, or even the United States, increasing expenses and delivery times. About 75 percent of African Internet traffic is routed this way and costs African countries billions of extra dollars each year that they would not incur if their infrastructure was up to speed. “Most African governments haven’t paid much attention to their infrastructure,” said Vincent Oria, an associate professor of computer science at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a native of the Ivory Coast. “In places where hunger, AIDS and poverty are rampant, they didn’t see it as critical until now.”

Africa’s only connection to the network of computers and fiber optic cables that are the Internet’s backbone is a $600 million undersea cable running from Portugal down the west coast of Africa. Built in 2002, the cable was supposed to provide cheaper and faster Web access, but so far that has not happened. Prices remain high because the national telecommunications linked to the cable maintain a monopoly over access, squeezing out potential competitors. And plans for a fiber optic cable along the East African coast have stalled over similar access issues. Most countries in Eastern Africa, like Rwanda, depend on slower satellite technology for Internet service. The result is that Africa remains the least connected region in the world, and the digital gap between it and the developed world is widening rapidly. “Unless you can offer Internet access that is the same as the rest of the world, Africa can’t be part of the global economy or academic environment,” said Lawrence H. Landweber, professor emeritus of computer science at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, who was also part of an early effort to bring the Web to Africa in the mid-1990s. “The benefits of the Internet age will bypass the continent.”

Rwandan officials were especially interested in wiring primary and secondary schools, seeing information technology as crucial to modernizing the country’s rural economy. Some 90 percent of the country’s eight million people work in agriculture. But as of mid-July, only one-third of the 300 schools covered in Terracom’s contract had high-speed Internet service. All 300 were supposed to have been connected by 2006. Over all, less than 1 percent of the population is connected to the Internet. Rwandan officials say the company seems more interested in tapping the more lucrative cellphone market than in being an Internet service provider. (In November, Mr. Wyler stepped down as chief executive of Terracom, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family; he still serves on the board.) In a telephone interview from his home in Boston, Mr. Wyler said he would not address the government’s criticism, saying he did not want to be quoted as saying anything negative. But he said there were some things he had not anticipated, particularly the technical challenges of linking Rwanda’s Internet network to the rest of the world. The only way to do it is to buy bandwidth capacity on satellites, but there are not enough satellites to meet demand. Mr. Wyler also says he believes that Terracom suffers from unrealistic expectations. “Terracom has done everything it can, “ he said. “Because of the technical challenges, the Internet service is as good as it’s going to get. But given what we started from, I still think we have accomplished a lot. In the beginning there were a few people with Internet service; now there are thousands.”

The Rwandan government had hoped that the number of Web surfers would be much higher by now. Rwanda, which is about the size of Maryland, has little industry, and its infrastructure is still being rebuilt after being left in shambles by a 1994 genocide in which 800,000 to a million people were killed. “We have almost no natural resources and no seaports in Rwanda, which leaves us only with trying to become a knowledge-based society,” said Romain Murenzi, the minister of science, technology and scientific research. Officials saw Terracom’s investment as crucial to its transformation. Unlike many African governments, Rwanda’s was eager to privatize the national telecommunications company, which had outdated equipment, high prices and few subscribers. But from the start, government officials say, there were problems with Terracom. Mr. Butare, the telecommunications minister, said the government had trouble getting basic information from the company. Complicating the situation, Mr. Butare said, was that Mr. Wyler tried to run Terracom from the United States, visiting Rwanda just a few weeks at a time. He left day-to-day management to a poorly trained staff, Mr. Butare said.

“There were spots where they did some things here and there,” Mr. Butare said. “But over all they have failed to do what they promised.” Internet rates have been lowered, from about $1,000 a month when Terracom arrived in 2003, but most people still can’t afford it. The average Rwandan makes about $220 a year, and a fixed-line Internet hookup costs about $90 a month. Basic wireless Internet is about $63 a month. Those rich enough to pay the fees complain about poor service. Government officials say the company has spent more time marketing and signing up cellphone customers than on expanding Internet service. According to government figures, Terracom has 30,000 to 40,000 mobile phone subscribers and about 20,000 Internet customers. The situation came to a head late last year, when government officials contended that Terracom secretly tried to trade its shares in the Rwandan telecom to GV Telecom, a regional African telecommunications company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Rwandan officials were furious, saying this was a violation of the contract signed by the two parties. The plan was scrapped and Mr. Wyler was widely criticized. In June, the government fined Terracom nearly $400,000 for failing to comply with its licensing obligations, failing to provide information about its operations and failing to pay several fees.

“We decided to penalize Terracom after they failed to fulfill their obligations for a long time,” said Beatha Mukangabo, legal officer for the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency. Terracom said it has paid the fines and is working with the government to meet all of its obligations. Mr. Wyler said he has not been involved in Terracom for nearly 10 months and could not comment on its current operations. Christopher Lundh, Terracom’s new chief executive and a former executive of Gateway Communications in London, has worked in several African countries. He now lives and works full time in Rwanda, and many government officials say Terracom’s performance has improved under his leadership. Mr. Lundh acknowledged that there were problems with the company’s operations in the past. “The former management did make some promises that they were not able to keep,” he said. “That’s why I was brought in to professionalize things.” He also said that the company could have better handled the matter with GV Telecom but that he thinks the government overreacted. He said the Rwandan government is to blame for some of the delays. “We would get to schools that don’t even have electricity or computers,” he said. “That is not our fault.” In addition, he said that many of the complaints about the company concerned things beyond its ability to control. Getting adequate bandwidth remains a constant challenge.

Like most telecommunications companies in eastern Africa, Terracom depends on satellites for Internet service. Satellite service is much slower than cable because of delays in the signals. Satellites also provide less bandwidth than cable. Adding to the problem is that most of the satellites serving Africa were launched nearly 20 years ago and are aging or going out of commission. A satellite set to go into service last year blew up on the launching pad. Power is also an issue, as intermittent power failures in Rwanda hamper efforts to provide a steady electricity source.

Despite these limitations and earlier setbacks, Mr. Lundh says Terracom is moving ahead with plans to give Rwanda the most advanced Internet infrastructure in Africa. A nationwide wireless connection should begin operating near year-end, he said, about the time a nonprofit group, One Laptop Per Child, based in Boston, is to introduce a $100 laptop in the country. And Terracom is continuing to lay fiber optic cables to connect Rwanda to several other African countries, eliminating a need for phone calls and Internet traffic to be routed via European or American networks. The government, meanwhile, is moving forward with its own plans to build a fiber optic network. It also has granted Internet service licenses to South African companies and plans to issue several more. “We think we are going to have a healthier market pretty soon,” said Nkubito Bakuramutsa, director general of the Rwanda Information Technology Authority. “We have learned from past experience.” Mr. Bakuramutsa said he hopes to bring the price of Internet service down to about $10 a month.

Mr. Lundh said his company welcomes the competition. But, he added, getting necessary bandwidth remains an issue and no matter what company supplies Internet service, speed will be a problem. “Eventually you reach a point of diminishing returns,” he said.“Unless there is a new undersea fiber optic cable built or a new satellite launched, it’s going to be difficult.”

Magnus K. Mazimpaka contributed reporting from Rwanda.

February 19, 2008 – The Guardian, Nairobi, Kenya
Reuters

(Editing by Andrew Dobbie and Sara Ledwith)

27th February 2008 – PinkNews

4
African lesbian conference demands equal rights

by PinkNews.co.uk staff writer
Lesbians from across Africa have held a conference in Mozambique to highlight the homophobia and prejudice they face across the continent. Most nations in Africa criminalise same-sex relationships and in some countries gay people can be put to death. The Coalition of African Lesbians conference was attended by more than 100 delegates.

Women from 14 African countries gathered in Namibia’s capital Windhoek in August 2004 to develop the Coalition of African Lesbians. Lesbian organisations and a number of individual women from Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia are members of the organisation. "Our main goal is that lesbian and homosexuality can no longer be seen as a criminal offence," the group’s director and conference spokeswoman Fikile Vilakazi told Reuters. "You should not be arrested and charged for how you use your own body."

The coalition lobbies for political, legal social, sexual, cultural and economic rights of African lesbians by engaging strategically with African and international structures and allies and to eradicate stigma and discrimination against lesbians. South Africa, one of the few countries on the continent where gay men and lesbians are allowed to marry and legally protected from discrimination, has been rocked by several murders of prominent lesbian activists.

Sizakele Sigasa, 34, an activist for HIV/AIDS and LGBT rights, and Salome Masooa, 24, were discovered dead at field in Soweto, Johannesburg, on July 8th. They had both been shot and, it is suspected, raped. On 22nd July Thokozane Qwabe, 23, was found in a field in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal with multiple head wounds. She was naked and it is thought she was also raped.

March 9, 2008 – New Times Kigali, Rwanda

5
Homosexuality in Rwanda? Yes, it lives (Highly biased anti-gay report/diatribe from the Kigali newspaper)

The Rwandan youth get friends online (internet),who later on come to visit them in Rwanda and end up teaching them homosexuality. We have homosexual cases, mainly in urban areas, but it is generally still at a low level. However, we should not forget that Rwanda is gaining big momentum in technology and the use of internet. This may increase the number of homosexual cases as young men and girls try to discover the new world.

Cybercafés in Rwanda should put strong restrictions on pornography websites. Children go to internet mainly to watch these sites and others related to them. Parents too should control their children and protect them from watching pornographic movies at home. Otherwise, we risk having children engaged in such unwanted sexual behaviour. The prisons in Rwanda are said to have the largest number of homosexuals according to the survey done.

There are in fact very many reasons that call us to worry about homosexuality. These reasons go beyond the fact that homosexuality goes against the Rwandan cultural norms and morals. Homosexuality is harmful for society since it does not engender reproduction, thus threatens the survival of society. It poses a great threat to children, and leads to depressing and miserable lifestyles. Generally, homosexuals are obsessed with a sexual lifestyle that is unnatural, and so the society should stand warned well in advance.

March 12, 2008 – Behind the Mask

6
Two Lesbian Rwandan Human Rights Activists Released on Bail

by Abeli Zahabu (BTM French Reporter)
Two Rwandan human rights activists were released on bail early this week and are subjected to report to a Kigali prosecutor every Thursday following their arrest two weeks ago. The two women are in addition confined within Kigali’s boundaries as one of the conditions of their bail. Nyirahabimana Salma and Umutoni Fatoumata were arrested at Kanombe International Airport in Kigali on their way to Maputo in Mozambique to attend a 3rd Leadership Institute conference organised by Coalition of African Lesbians (CAL) two weeks ago.

The release of the two activists was met with joy and a sense of relief at HOCA though “the girls are still very terrified”, Ruzindana added. Asked if the organisation is planning any action, Ruzindana said they are waiting for instructions from the lawyer about way forward.

March 13, 2008 – Associated Press

7
Rwandan priest gets life imprisonment for 1,500 dead

Arusha, Tanzania – A U.N. tribunal has extended the sentence of a priest to life in prison after upholding his war crimes conviction for ordering militiamen to burn and bulldoze a church with 1,500 people inside during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda‘s ruling came after Rwandan Roman Catholic priest Athanase Serombawar appealed his 2006 conviction, a tribunal statement posted on its Web site late Wednesday said. He was originally sentenced to 15 years in prison. The tribunal is trying the alleged masterminds of the 100-day Rwandan genocide in which more than 500,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu extremists.

Priests, nuns and followers were implicated in the killings and some churches were sites of notorious massacres. The Rwanda war crimes tribunal has delivered 32 judgments, including five acquittals, since the U.N. Security Council established it in November 1994. There are 27 trials under way.

December 23, 2008 – hrw.org

8
Rwanda: End Bar on Human Rights Watch Staff Member (non-gay background story)

New York – The Rwandan government should reverse its decision barring Human Rights Watch’s senior adviser on Africa, Dr. Alison Des Forges, from Rwanda, Human Rights Watch said today. Rwanda has not previously excluded any Human Rights Watch staff member from the country since the organization began monitoring its human rights actions in 1991. Des Forges, who has been working to promote human rights in Rwanda for Human Rights Watch for 17 years, won the prestigious MacArthur Award for her reporting on the 1994 genocide.

"A nation like Rwanda, which has seen such deadly violations of human rights, should show the world that it welcomes review of its record," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "We’ve asked Rwandan authorities why they have excluded this highly respected human rights advocate but haven’t gotten any official response. Unofficially the only explanation we have been given is that they don’t like our criticism." The Rwandan government first refused Des Forges entry to Rwanda at a border crossing with Burundi on September 4, 2008. She was refused a second time on December 2, when she flew to Rwanda to attend an international conference on legal aid for the poor. On that occasion, Rwandan officials prevented her from leaving the plane, and she returned to Belgium.

On December 3, the Rwandan authorities delayed for a day another Human Rights Watch staff member at the Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, border crossing. She finally received permission to enter Rwanda in the evening. In October, the US government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation gave Rwanda a US$25 million grant to support its efforts to strengthen civic participation, promote civil liberties and rights, and improve the judicial system. "Rwandan officials see the awarding of a Millennium Challenge Corporation grant as a victory," said Roth. "But they should also see it as a call for needed improvements in their policies."

In addition to monitoring human rights, Human Rights Watch has worked to see justice delivered on behalf of victims of the 1994 genocide and of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Rwanda. Des Forges has provided expert testimony in 11 genocide trials at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), including that of Col. Theoneste Bagosora and two others found guilty on December 18. She has testified also in genocide trials in national courts in Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Canada.

On several occasions, most recently on December 12, Human Rights Watch called on the prosecutor of the tribunal to ensure it carries out its full mandate by examining alleged cases against the Rwandan Patriotic Front, the dominant force in the current government of Rwanda. In the past, staff members of other international organizations, journalists, and academic specialists thought to be critical of the government have also been refused permission to enter or work in Rwanda. "By barring one of our staff, the Rwandan government is sending a message to others seeking to promote human rights in Rwanda that if you do your job too well, you also risk being kept out of the country," said Roth. "That’s not the way for a government to improve its human rights record."

23-26th February 2009 – From Umuseso, (bi-weekly local indpendent newspaper)

9
Truth On Homosexuality In Rwanda

Kigali,Rwanda – The word “homosexuality “ which means the sexual act between people who have sexual relationships with people of the same gender (man and man are gays, woman and woman are lesbians ), triggers fear to many people. At the moment, there is an open struggle across the world for those who demand that homosexuality be accepted to the extend of granting the rights of marriage to people of the same gender.

Religious bodies, politicians and people from many walks of life are involved in this debate..
What is the situation regarding this in Rwanda? Most Rwandans would tell you that homosexuals should be banned from society. However, like everywhere else in the world, those who adhere to this philosophy fail to address one important issue before stating their opinion on homosexuals: the principal that nobody should be penalized for his or her inborn moral identity. Furthermore, homosexuals ( as well as experts and international health organizations ) state that this sexual behavior is inborn, and that it cannot be modified.. The debate that remains is whether customs prevails above the inborn nature so that our brothers and sisters should be persecuted.

The author of this article had an opportunity to meet and converse with a few LGBT (acronym that labels lesbians, gay, bisexuals and transsexuals) in Rwanda. In their testimony, most of them declare that when their families realized that they were born homosexuals (meaning men whose feelings and sexual attraction can be considered similar to those of women) and lesbians (meaning women whose feelings and sexual attraction can be considered similar to those of men), they were rejected from their homes, disrespected, and that their neighbors, friends and government institutions made difficult for them.

One of them, eighteen-years-old (we do not wish to publish their names even though they did not ask us to keep them hidden) declared: “When my family learned about my sexuality, , I encountered problems. Only one older brother accepted it. Now I live on my own, with my girlfriend (this person is a girl). I have left them to live my life because I can’t change my nature. One of her friends, a man who prefers love with men, was jailed, and his case was published on national television because of his inborn nature. Among those 15 Rwandans, most of them aged between 18 and 30 years, , there isn’t one who hasn’t met difficulties due to their inborn nature. Aline (not her real name), applied for a job in a large institution here in Rwanda (we won’t reveal its name), was accepted, and then was sacked after a few days because of her nature. According to her statement, some girls who worked for the same institution knew her identity and her nature, initiated intrigues about her and told the managers that they didn’t want to work with her because they feared that she would try to date them. Thus, the management sacked her.

Until now, she has difficulties to find a job. She said with sadness in her voice: “It would be ok if I work somewhere I am not known, or with people who know me but wouldn’t hold it against me “She has no idea how she will find such a place.

There is also a young man (who may be mistaken for a lady because of his appearance) who could not proceed with his education until completion. He declared to Umuseso, our newspaper, that his is pursuing secondary education in a boarding school, but at some point he sat idle for one year because his schoolmates harassed him. For him to be able to pursue his education, he had to make some difficult changes, but problems persist until now.

However, even though these some of them encounter those problems, homosexuals are found in all levels of society, as those we talked to informed us: in high levels of national leadership, in the military leadership, among powerful investors and business people, among people’s representatives, and they do not wish to be revealed ( some have families, i.e. wives and children ), born with such sexual nature although they still can have children. Among those we talked to, some have friends among such personalities, but they cannot reveal the identity of those personalities because these have asked them not to put them at jeopardy while they depend on those personalities.

The Law in Rwanda doesn’t penalize or forbid homosexuality, but there is a law that stipulates that regarding marriage, it can only be concluded between people of different gender. Opinion from the public is that homosexuality goes against culture. To this, the young men and women we talked to answer that there is no culture that can overcome inborn nature. This is confirmed by the statements from the World Health Organization which declares that homosexuality is inborn and cannot be altered.
In neighboring Burundi, those who promoted the ban of homosexuality lost the battle. Such a strong debate hasn’t occurred yet in Rwanda, but the young men we talked to form an association through which they can address their problems and plan how to deal with the consequences of their sexual nature. This was not easy, but they are committed.

For their life hood, those we discussed with say that after being rejected by their families, some of them organized to earn a living, while others chose to form friendships with wealthy people who can support them financially (i.e.: a girl can have a relationship with a lesbian and support her, or a wealthy man can have a relationship with a young gay man and support him).
They assert that their relationships and friendships are strong, and that even though they should be pushed to leave most ordinary people’s lives just to have peace, their relationships are filled with true love that surpasses ordinary love.

March 2009- ratn.org

10
Conference Announcement

Theme: HIV and AIDS Training and Capacity Building: Trends & Challenges
Dates: 24th to 25th June 2009
Venue: Kigali, Rwanda

Presented by: Regional AIDS Training Network (RATN) in Collaboration with Kigali Health Institute (KHI)

Introduction
The HIV Capacity Building Conference aims to provide an opportunity for organizations and institutions engaged in capacity building and training for Response to HIV & AIDS to share and exchange ideas and experiences.

The aim is to facilitate the development of synergistic relationships between policy makers, researchers, activists and practitioners from Government, academia and civil society in the Eastern and Southern African region. One of the challenges facing HIV training and capacity building initiatives is how to ensure quality and standards of training programmes by different actors and how to ensure that training impacts or leads to improved service delivery.

Through sharing of experiences and lessons learned, the conference will facilitate agencies to build consensus on current gaps in research and capacity as well as innovative and practical approaches and strategies which can be adapted to address those gaps.

Conference Format:
The conference will be organized around oral and poster presentations. The conference technical committee will review abstracts and select papers based on set criteria. The participatory nature of the conference will allow a consensual set of recommendations to be communicated to governments, NGOs, and international organizations.

In addition to abstract presentations, keynote addresses will be made by renowned international experts in the areas of HIV and AIDS and capacity building. The conference will be hosted with support of Kigali Health Institute (KHI), a Member Institution of the Regional AIDS Training Network (RATN) in Rwanda.

Call for Submission of Abstracts and Papers:
RATN announces a Call for Abstracts and Papers which is open to individuals or groups from RATN Members Institutions, Training Organizations, Universities, and NGOs etc on issues relating to training and capacity building for HIV and AIDS. Papers accepted will be presented during a 2-day conference in Kigali, Rwanda on 24th and 25th June 2009.

More further information

28 May, 2009 – afrol News

11
Gays mistreated in Rwanda – AI

by staff writer
Amnesty International has said Rwandan gays and lesbians face serious hostilities, harassment and intimidation in the East African state. According to the Amnesty International 2009 report, the treatment of the lesbian community is not isolated but indicative of general short-fall in the respect of human rights, saying the Rwanda government reacted with hostility to criticism on gay and lesbian community. It also criticises Rwanda’s donor community which did not dare to challenge and or criticise the government for its violation of rights for gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

“Freedom of expression was limited and civil society and the media were under close scrutiny by the government,” the organisation said in the report. The report cited that in March, two female LGBT activists were accused of forging documents and detained for two weeks after attending a LGBT conference in Mozambique. “They were subsequently released two weeks later after prosecution withdrew the case citing lack of evidence,” the report stated.

Amnesty International has also warned that the global economic crisis is exacerbating human rights abuses, stating that rising prices meant millions were struggling to meet basic needs in Africa and other part of the world. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch remain in a frosty relationship with Kigali that in 2007, President Kagame slammed the two organisations of “deliberately refusing to see anything good in Rwanda”.

28 July 2009 – Behind The Mask

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Rwanda’s Silence On Gay Rights Impacts On LGBTI Activism

By Jerina Messie (French Reporter)
Rwanda – Two years after the parliament brought, for debate, a Bill criminalising homosexuality, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) organisations in Rwanda, are still uncertain about their future since they are presently not protected by law. For Naome Ruzindana, Director of Horizon Community Association (HOCA), an LGBTI organisation in Rwanda, absence of the law protecting homosexuals is frustrating as they do not know if they are stepping on anybody’s toes by doing their work.

Ruzindana says initially Rwanda did not have law criminalising homosexuality until parliament proposed the anti-gay bill in 2007, which “up to now it’s still being debated upon.” “If the Bill is passed it will be almost impossible for us to operate, if it stays the way it’s portrayed without being amended, we will be doomed.” Ruzindana further states that with or without law, things have always been difficult for LGBTI people and organisations in Rwanda due cultural influence and religion.

Meanwhile, recently the Rwandan government has proposed a Bill demanding compulsory HIV testing before marriage and forced sterilization for women deemed as mentally ill, laws that, according to human rights activists, are a clear indication of that country’s disrespect of human rights. Under the proposed Bill, all individuals will be required to have HIV testing and provide a certificate before getting married and married individuals could also be required to be tested for HIV/AIDS upon request one of the spouses in a marriage.

The World Health Organisation alongside the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights have condemned this Bill arguing that compulsory HIV testing and disclosure of results could put women at increased risk of abuse while undermining public trust in the health care system.

August 3, 2009 – Behind The Mask

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Research Puts Rwandan Gays Under Spotlight

by Mongezi Mhlongo (BTM Reporter)
Rwanda – Research conducted by the Rwandan Ministry of Health together with UNAIDS and the Centre for Non Linear Studies has revealed a high number of men who have sex with men (MSM), a study that closes a gap of lack of information about this group in Rwanda. The research, according to Naome Ruzindana of Horizon Community Association (HOCA), shows a large number of gays and heterosexual men, some married with children, who have tendencies of having sex with men.

Ruzindana says this research has put the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community at a positive forefront in Rwanda. “It really means a lot to all LGBTI people of Rwanda because it increased our visibility and awareness.” MSM are, according to a 2006-2007 HIV and AIDS report by UNAIDS to the UN General Assembly Special Session, a group that has long been overlooked with no documented evidence to confirm their existence, particularly in Rwanda.

Reports indicate that in 2007 Rwanda was ranked number 20 on the top 20 African countries with large numbers of people living HIV and AIDS. Currently Rwanda has about 150.000 people living with HIV and AIDS while South Africa tops the list with 5,700,000 people infected. Despite the absence of specific laws regarding homosexuality in Rwanda, LGBTI people seem to be silent on their rights too, something that could be attributed to society’s hostility towards homosexuals.

“Lots of debates have been done, articles have been published about the general situation of LGBTI, there’s a mixture of negative and positive attitude from the public”, says Ruzindana. She also says that “there’s no study that has been carried out about the WSW”, a group that remains marginalised on HIV and AIDS prevention strategies across Africa. Even though there are no laws criminalising homosexuality in Rwanda Section 322 of the Penal Code prohibits sexual relations with persons under the age of 18.

October 9, 2009 – Behind The Mask

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HOCA Opens Homosexuality Debate In Rwanda

by Simangele Mzizi (BTM intern)
Rwanda – A public admission by the Director of Horizon Community Association (HOCA), Naome Ruzindana, that homosexuality does exist in Rwanda has sparked controversy in that country, with public figures dubbing it an abomination that contradicts the Rwandan culture. In an interview with Izuba Rirashe a Rwandan newspaper, Ruzindana said they are ready to be visible and operate in an open space for society and the state to know their existence and to fight for their freedom and right to existence.

“Its in this sense, we thought it was necessary for some of us to come out, I felt it was necessary to be out spoken about homosexuality, for people not to pretend that we do not exist”, said Ruzindana. “We are here to fight against the new penal code that is being debated upon to be put into law”, she added. Despite the emergence of movements that have began advocating for the rights of sexual minority groups, many people in Rwanda continue to deny the existence of homosexuality in the country.

Joseph Habineza, Minister of Sports and Culture in Rwanda said, “that is an abomination that contradicts the Rwandan Culture, and if these people are ready to be visible let them know, that the state is also ready to confront them for whatever reasons.”

Dr Raphael Gasinzigwa also told, Izuba Rirashe (Rwandan newspaper) that, homosexuality is “total deviation, sicknesses, and that such people are mentally disturbed and need treatment.” According to Ruzindana coming out and speaking about homosexuality in Rwanda has helped in creating awareness that it does exist. “It has caused a debate on all radio stations, and I am sure people are more aware about homosexuality now as opposed to when there was silence about it”, she said. Even though there are no laws criminalising homosexuality in Rwanda, Section 322 of the Penal Code prohibits sexual relations with persons under the age of 18.

However many individuals find themselves harassed, threatened, imprisoned or abused because of their sexual orientation as a result many gays and lesbians live a secretive life. The Rwandan government and society has for a long time seemingly preferred to deny and ignore the existence of the gay and lesbian community. HOCA is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) rights organisation based in Rwanda aimed at sensitising society to the challenges that gays and lesbians face.

October, 2009 – apla.convio.net

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Exploring HIV Risk among MSM in Kigali, Rwanda

Executive Summar
This report presents findings from a behavioral surveillance study (BSS) of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Kigali carried out in 2008-2009. The aim of this study was to describe the population of MSM in Kigali and explore the nature of sexual activity between MSM.

Read entire article here

October 15, 2009 – Behind The Mask

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Rwandan Gays Disappointed As Antigay Bill Is Tabled

by Mongezi Mhlongo (BTM Senior Reporter)
Rwanda – As the Rwandan government sums up the process of reviewing that country’s draft penal code, the Civil Society Coalition on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people’s rights has expressed concerns about article 217 of the legislation which criminalises homosexual conduct.

This law which also seeks to bar any initiatives aiming to protect LGBTI rights has been strongly condemned by civil society groups in that country. According to the Civil Society Coalition on LGBTI rights, a coalition formed to advocate for the removal of article 217 in the draft penal code, this section of the penal code is contradictory to the Rwandan Constitution and it is a violation of human rights.

The coalition also stated that article 217 is a “betrayal” of Rwanda’s recent history and the political drive of national unity, tolerance, inclusiveness and dialogue among the Rwandan citizens without discrimination. Early this year, the parliament of Rwanda adopted Article 191 which states that any person who encourages or sensitises people of the same sex, to sexual relations or any sexual practices, shall be liable for a term of imprisonment ranging from five to ten years and a fine from 50 000 to 500 000 Francs.

Commenting about the Bill, Naome Ruzindana, Director of Horizon Community Association (HOCA) stated that LGBTI people are law abiding citizens who deserve peace and respect like any other Rwandan citizens. “We feel very disappointed to be marginalized by our people, own country, state, society, community, civil society, stake holders, and our own families”, she said.

Meanwhile President Paul Kagame of Rwanda revealed plans to include a provision that would penalise homosexual conduct which appeared in Article 158 of the draft penal code of 2007 but was not passed into law. Over the years Rwandan government has been mum about LGBTI issues, and the current bill comes as major blow for the LGBTI community in Rwanda.

December 29th, 2009 – Box Turttle Bulletin

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Rwandan predicts quiet decriminalization

by Timothy Kincaid
Joseph Rwagatare writes in AllAfrica.com

The New Times reported on Wednesday December 23 that the parliamentary committee on poitical affairs had recommeneded the removal of homosexuality from the penal code. One would have expected an avalanche of protests from anti-gay groups. None has come. The proposal will probably go without much public notice and debate. The penal code will be amended and homosexuality will be decriminalised. He predicts that as most people don’t much care one way or the other, this change in the penal code will quietly be but in place. He further predicts that it will have virtually no impact on society.

13th February 2010 – The New Times

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Lawmakers seek to scrap article on homosexuality

by Nasra Bishumba
Kigali – After months of speculation, the Political Affairs Committee in the Lower Chamber of Parliament has requested fellow law makers to consider scrapping the article on homosexuality from the penal code in conformity with the International Charter on Civil rights , The New Times can exclusively reveal. The President of the Political Affairs committee; Bernadette Kanzaire told parliament yesterday that the United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS) council had requested the government to scrap the article pointing out that it was contrary to articles 16 and 26 of the United Nations Convenant on Civil and Political Rights that seek protection of all citizens with disregard to sex, religion and others.

All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law. In this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,” artcle 26 of the Convenant says. Kanzaire’s six-man team is charged with reforming of Rwanda’s 33- year old penal code.

However, Kanzaire informed lawmakers that several opinions gathered during consultations indicated that homosexuality shouldn’t be tolerated in Rwanda since it was against the cultural norms of the nation. She said it was important to support the authorities in educating the youth to adhere to the cultural values which discourage homosexuality. Kanzaire said that the draft article within law, which is still under debate, proposes to punish those who use their sexual orientation to spread the gay gospel to minors. She said the proposal does not in any way spell out any punish for those directly engaed in the act.

Minister for Justice, Tharcisse Karugarama, who was present at the parliamentary discussions said that contrary to different opinions and suggestions, government had no intentions to criminalise gay people for what their sexual orientation. Karugarama emphasied Kanzaire’s point that the government did not have any intention to categorise any homosexual as a criminal unless he or she has sexually violated a minor.

“I think there was some kind of confusion on this particular article and yet the Law is clear. Anyone, whether homosexual or heterosexual, who involves a child in any sort of sexual activity will be held accountable by the courts of law. It doesn’t matter if you are gay or not,” Karugarama said

Karugarama said that the idea to criminalise homosexuality was a suggestion that came in a public request. “There has been a lot of speculation. What people don’t realise is that the discussion about draft laws are open to the public. The criminalisation rumours stemmed from such open debates where everything is tabled and discussed openly,” he said

The members of the gay and lesbian community worldwide under their Umbrella Organisations; the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) had previously petitioned President Paul Kagame to reconsider plans to include a provision that would penalize homosexuality as part of an overall revision to the Rwandan penal code The Penal code reform talks are still ongoing and will end tomorrow. Upon revision, the Penal Code will clearly specify on the prosecution and subsequent punishment of culprits, rendering the work of prosecution easier and fairer.

December 29th, 2009 – Box Turttle Bulletin

17
Rwandan predicts quiet decriminalization

by Timothy Kincaid
Joseph Rwagatare writes in AllAfrica.com

The New Times reported on Wednesday December 23 that the parliamentary committee on poitical affairs had recommeneded the removal of homosexuality from the penal code. One would have expected an avalanche of protests from anti-gay groups. None has come. The proposal will probably go without much public notice and debate. The penal code will be amended and homosexuality will be decriminalised. He predicts that as most people don’t much care one way or the other, this change in the penal code will quietly be but in place. He further predicts that it will have virtually no impact on society.

13th February 2010 – The New Times

18
Lawmakers seek to scrap article on homosexuality

by Nasra Bishumba
Kigali – After months of speculation, the Political Affairs Committee in the Lower Chamber of Parliament has requested fellow law makers to consider scrapping the article on homosexuality from the penal code in conformity with the International Charter on Civil rights , The New Times can exclusively reveal. The President of the Political Affairs committee; Bernadette Kanzaire told parliament yesterday that the United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS) council had requested the government to scrap the article pointing out that it was contrary to articles 16 and 26 of the United Nations Convenant on Civil and Political Rights that seek protection of all citizens with disregard to sex, religion and others.

All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law. In this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,” artcle 26 of the Convenant says. Kanzaire’s six-man team is charged with reforming of Rwanda’s 33- year old penal code.

However, Kanzaire informed lawmakers that several opinions gathered during consultations indicated that homosexuality shouldn’t be tolerated in Rwanda since it was against the cultural norms of the nation. She said it was important to support the authorities in educating the youth to adhere to the cultural values which discourage homosexuality. Kanzaire said that the draft article within law, which is still under debate, proposes to punish those who use their sexual orientation to spread the gay gospel to minors. She said the proposal does not in any way spell out any punish for those directly engaed in the act.

Minister for Justice, Tharcisse Karugarama, who was present at the parliamentary discussions said that contrary to different opinions and suggestions, government had no intentions to criminalise gay people for what their sexual orientation. Karugarama emphasied Kanzaire’s point that the government did not have any intention to categorise any homosexual as a criminal unless he or she has sexually violated a minor.

“I think there was some kind of confusion on this particular article and yet the Law is clear. Anyone, whether homosexual or heterosexual, who involves a child in any sort of sexual activity will be held accountable by the courts of law. It doesn’t matter if you are gay or not,” Karugarama said

Karugarama said that the idea to criminalise homosexuality was a suggestion that came in a public request. “There has been a lot of speculation. What people don’t realise is that the discussion about draft laws are open to the public. The criminalisation rumours stemmed from such open debates where everything is tabled and discussed openly,” he said

The members of the gay and lesbian community worldwide under their Umbrella Organisations; the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) had previously petitioned President Paul Kagame to reconsider plans to include a provision that would penalize homosexuality as part of an overall revision to the Rwandan penal code The Penal code reform talks are still ongoing and will end tomorrow. Upon revision, the Penal Code will clearly specify on the prosecution and subsequent punishment of culprits, rendering the work of prosecution easier and fairer.

May 2010 – phishare.org

19
This report presents findings from a behavioral surveillance study (BSS) of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Kigali carried out in 2008-2009. The aim of this study was to describe the population of MSM in Kigali and explore the nature of sexual activity between MSM.

This study utilized a snowball sampling strategy involving peer recruiter/s with a double-incentive structure. That is, men completing the questionnaire were asked to recruit their friends, acquaintances and sexual partners into the study and they received a small incentive for completing the study and for each eligible respondent that they recruited. The questionnaire was interviewer-administered and took approximately one hour to complete.

Ninety-eight (98) MSM aged 18 to 52 years, participated in the study. Key results include:

• Ninety-four respondents reported previous anal sex with another man, and 88 reported anal sex with another man in the 12 months prior to survey. Men reported an average of two male sexual partners in the 12 months prior to survey (median; mean=3.4; range: 1 to 36).

• Thirty-seven respondents reported casual sex in the one month prior to survey and 18 of these men reported unprotected sex with a casual sex partner in this timeframe.

• MSM have wide sexual networks. Sex with men whilst traveling outside Kigali was commonly reported. One-quarter of respondents reported sex with a woman in the year prior to survey and one in seven men reported commercial or transactional sex with a woman in the same timeframe.

• Condom use among MSM in Kigali is low. Thirty- four respondents reported that they had never previously used a condom with a male or female sexual partner. Among men reporting sex with another man in the 12 months prior to survey, one-third reported consistent condom use with all male partners. One-third of respondents reporting sex with a female partner in the 12 months prior to survey reported condom use at last sex with a female partner.

• A high proportion of MSM in Kigali may engage in commercial and/or transactional sex: one in ten respondents reported exchanging sex for money in the year prior to survey.

• MSM may be at heightened risk for HIV/STI transmission due to high alcohol consumption. Nearly one-quarter of respondents reported drinking alcohol every day during the month prior to survey. Reported drug use was limited; however, one respondent reported injecting drugs in the 12 months prior to survey.

• Twenty-seven respondents reported experiencing at least one STI symptom previously and 13 respondents reported a prior STI diagnosis.

• Fifty-five respondents reported a previous HIV test for which they obtained their results.

• Respondents expressed a need for psychosocial services and safe sex tools such as condoms and lubricant.

This study has provided introductory data as a first step to shaping the HIV response for MSM. However, much information is still lacking. We suggest that further research is urgently needed to assess HIV/other STI prevalence among MSM. We also recommend further
research into MSM sexual networks (i.e., commercial and transactional sex, sex with women, sex and travel). The results of this exploratory study suggest MSM in Kigali are at elevated risk for HIV infection compared to the general population, and require specific HIV/STI prevention services/support. Specific programmatic recommendations include:

• Within a sensitive human rights framework, HIV/ STI awareness-raising campaigns targeting MSM should be carried out in a method that maximizes privacy and safety, and avoids any unintended population-directed stigma and discrimination.

• Health services should be reoriented to ensure that they are MSM-friendly and focused on the specific sexual health needs of MSM. Most
urgently, efforts should be made to improve access to sexuality-sensitive psychosocial services, e.g., counseling, for MSM.

• Safe sex tools, such as condoms and appropriate lubricants, should be procured and distributed.

Read Report

October 2010 – Behind The Mask

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Rwandan Lesbians Vow To Fight For Their Rights

A new research study titled Lived Realities of Open Lesbians living in Kigali has revealed that Rwandan lesbians are still harassed and stigmatised due to their sexual orientation, causing a “profound impact on their quality of life.” The objective of the research was to recognise problems faced by lesbians in Rwanda since 2004, following homophobic attacks and arbitrary arrests that took place in Kigali, conducted between February and June this year by Naome Ruzindana, Director for Horizon Community Association (HOCA), a gay rights organisation in Rwanda. In the research sixteen lesbians being were interviewed through questionnaires.

“The major intent of this research was to document the lived realities of out lesbians, willing to give their testimonies, create an understanding of the background and experiences of lesbians in Kigali (Rwanda) and also to identify the mechanism for lesbians to engage with the mainstream Rwanda and get their formal fundamental rights, as many cases of harassments against lesbians are overshadowed”, said Ruzindana.

A participant, known only as Nusher, said discrimination and harassment are the most common issues they face almost on a day to day basis. “Everyone has experienced discrimination and harassment, I’m having difficulties with the local authorities because I live with my partner in the same house and people have reported us to the local authorities. People surrounded us and wanted to bring in the media to expose us, but I wasn’t threatened”, she said. “We’ve been publicly harassed at nightclubs and bars, and many men approach us and ask us how we have sex and how we can satisfy our partners, we are called cruel words and beaten in bars and clubs in most occasions”, she added.

According to Ruzindana lesbians do exist in Rwanda, are completely ignored and misunderstood, and as a result suffer because the mainstream culture has, to date, been intolerant as, even in traditional society, lesbians used to be there but it was never accepted. “The situation may be caused by the lack of friendly families and society. Similarly the mainstream culture has, to date, been intolerant, the church’s involvement, weakness of human rights organisations, misconception and rights might have a greater contribution to make the situation more difficult. Avoiding cases of horrific experiences against lesbians in Kigali (Rwanda) depends on rightful information, settings, state involvement”, she said.

Currently in Rwanda there is no law criminalising homosexuality but there is a bill currently being tabled that could see homosexuality being criminalised. However many individuals find themselves harassed, threatened, imprisoned or abused because of their sexual orientation. Discrimination, and even physical violence, is a daily reality for those who are open about their sexual orientation, and as a result, many gays and lesbians live secretive lives, unable to tell their families or friends about their sexual orientation.

“Many lesbians in Rwanda are treated as sexual deviants and they are misunderstood and have gone through a lot of experiences. Rwandese Society itself was and remained closed with regard to discussion of sex and sexuality”, added Ruzindana. Meanwhile late last year following interventions from Rwandan civil society as well as the international community and governments, the Rwandan Government indicated that Article 217 which, if included, would criminalise homosexuality for the first time in Rwanda, will not be a part of the final text of the penal code revisions.

However Ruzindana maintains that legislative activity in Rwanda last year failed to move towards the greater compliance with the state mandate to protect the individual rights regardless of the sexual orientation. “Rather last year’s amendments demonstrated the lack of commitment by state to protect the Lesbian, Gay ,Bisexual,Trangender and Intersex (LGBTI) individuals and this has also inspired the families and the general community to regard them as disgraced people and outcasts to the culture and Rwanda social norms”, Ruzindana retorted.

Maddox, also a participant in the study expressed her worry about the pending penal code saying, “We need some lobbying and advocacy to stop the acceptance of this. We are very traumatised because we don’t know where and how to exercise our rights, there are things that we are afraid to do because of the impending law.” Ruzindana concluded that the study led to the realization of the terrible and stigmatised lives of the LGBTI community in Rwanda as cultural and religious beliefs remain the grounds in which homosexuality is condemned in Rwanda and have been major causes of the hatred of homosexuals,fueling homophobia, discrimination and harassment.

“There is a need for more sensitization, lobbying and advocacy to better the livelihood and well being of the LGBTI community”, she said. Jane who also participated in the study said in order to improve the lives of LGBTI people in Rwanda, “The process should start with us, we must be out, united and visible as HOCA members before we can advocate to others. Visibility is worth the risks, you can’t fight a battle when you are hidden, we need to come out and fight for our rights and respect.” “People need to get to know us, we are all human beings and we deserve equal rights and treatment”, she added.

HOCA is a Rwandan community organisation that advocates for LGBTI rights and working towards a society that wants to be liberated from oppression, stigma, and hate crimes.

22 December, 2010 – gspottt

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Rwanda puts Trinidad & Tobago to shame

We wrote our Government. We faxed. We called. We e-mailed. The Foreign Ministry. The UN mission. We thought we could rely on the People’s Partnership campaign promise that “foreign policy and its implementation must be guided by the principles of good governance, i.e. transparency, accountability, participation and effective representation”. Or their commitment to foreign policy objectives that pursue “the sustainable human development and human security of all the people of T&T”. Or their plan to pursue six targeted priorities at the UN, one of them human rights.

But no one could tell us how our country would vote when the UN decided yesterday whether to restore a reference to sexual orientation in a resolution about protecting people from being killed for who they are. A bloc of Arab and African nations had got narrow support to remove the specific reference in a committee vote in November. Trinidad & Tobago had abstained then. The vote had received a lot of negative attention.

Other than St. Lucia, every other country in the region changed its vote on the issue in a positive direction when pressed to take a stand for the second vote yesterday. A majority of Caribbean nations – Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada and St. Kitts-Nevis – voted Yes to including attention to sexual orientation in the resolution! And Jamaica and Belize sent clear messages to their GLBT communities well before the vote that they would not oppose the inclusion of sexual orientation. Aren’t you proud? Of Caribbean governments. And of the calibre of GLBT advocacy in the region.

But we’re a bit ashamed of our own government. The nation with one of the most vibrant GLBT communities in the region – and, we’re sure, gay Members of Parliament – sat on the fence and abstained, again. What reason could we have; and who will explain it? However, to our delight, an African nation has a lesson for us. Rwanda understands how critically important human rights are, and what extrajudicial executions mean. And their UN delegation told their colleagues what cynically leaving sexual orientation out of the resolution for political or “cultural” reasons would do. Imagine if our Government had shown international leadership like that: sigh! Read below or listen at 01:16:39. Thank you, sir, for giving me the floor. Rwanda would like to explain its vote on this amendment submitted by the United States.

Sexual orientation, sir, is a concept which sparks very animated debate in the international level, at the national level, even within our families. It relates to our respective cultures, our way of living, or our religions. This debate generally relates to the definition of this concept of sexual orientation, also the criminalization of such practices, and family rights that have to be granted to people who have a different sexual orientation. This is a complex issue, and no definitive decisions have been taken internationally, and within states or even continents there are very conflicting, seemingly irreconcilable positions. Rwanda feels that sexual orientations of our compatriots is a totally private matter where states cannot intervene, either to award new rights or to discriminate or criminalize those who have such an orientation.

But the matter before us now is very different, sir. Here the General Assembly of the United Nations is called upon, not to grant family rights to people with a different sexual orientation, not to give an opinion on the criminalization of such practices, but to decide whether such men and women have the right to life. Sir, in listing specific groups such as national or racial or ethnic or religious or linguistic or even political or ideological or professional groups, the authors of this resolution on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary execution have clearly wished to draw attention to high-risk groups that are frequently the target of murder, assassination or execution. We wish to alert states to the vulnerability of such groups and the reality of the crimes committed against them, and to call for prosecution of authors of such acts. Whether or not the concept is defined or not, whether or not we support the claims of people with a different sexual orientation, whether or not we approve of their sexual practices – but we must deal with the urgency of these matters and recognize that these people continue to be the target of murder in many of our societies, and they are more at risk than many of the other groups listed. This is unfortunately true, and recognizing this is not a call to give them special rights; it’s just recognition of a crime, that their fundamental rights, their right to life should not be refused. But to refuse to recognize this reality for legal or ideological or cultural reasons will have the consequence of continuing to hide our heads in the sand and to fail to alert states to these situations that break families. Believe me, sir, that a human group doesn’t need to be legally defined to be the victim of execution or massacre, since those who target their members have previously defined them. Rwanda has experienced this sixteen years ago indeed, and for this reason our delegation will vote for the amendment, and calls on other delegations to do likewise.

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