Save the Date
virtual discussion: "When criminalization makes you sick"
How can medical care be ensured for queer communities in Uganda? Register now to our virtual discussion on Wednesday, Dec 06, 2023, 11:00-12:00 am. 10 December 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world's most groundbreaking global pledges: the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. To commemorate this, the International Human Rights Day is celebrated every year on December 10. This year’s motto is: “Dignity, freedom and justice for all”. For the occasion of the anniversary, we organize a virtual discussion to debate the situation of queer communities in Uganda and how medical care in this situation - can be secured. Register now: https://forms.gle/sx8GNktqHZ4Gsdme9
With the participation of
- Richard Lusimbo, Uganda Key Populations Consortium Sexual Minorities or Uganda Chapter Four Uganda
- Dr. Tanja Rödiger-Vorwerk, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
- Christine Stegling, Deputy Executive Director, UNAIDS
- Edward Mutebi, co-founder of the LGBTIQ* human rights organization "Let's walk Uganda"
Background:
Due to the draconian "Anti-Homosexuality Act", passed by the Ugandan parliament in March 2023, Ugandan LGBTIQ* communities permanently live in mortal danger. For example, so-called "homosexual acts" are punishable by numerous years of imprisonment, and in certain cases even the death penalty. Anyone who is aware of queer fellow human beings is now forced to denounce them. If they do not inform on them, neighbors, landlords, colleagues, and other affiliated people can also be sentenced to prison. In this way, distrust in society, denunciation and blackmail are actively promoted by the state.
The health system also suffers enormously from the increased criminalization of queer communities. Health care workers, prevention workers and non-governmental organizations involved in the care of queer communities are labelled as criminals. Affected persons as well as people seeking protection and those who need life-saving health services are driven underground due to fear of arrest and violence; they do not leave created shelters or flee to other countries if possible. In Uganda, criminalized people and their partners already account for approximately 25% of people with new HIV infections. UNAIDS reports that in countries which criminalize homosexuality, HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men is five times higher than in countries without such laws. In Uganda, a sharp decline in attendance at treatment centers in affected communities has already become visible. The law undermines the international goal of ending AIDS by 2030.
The #Kaminfeuer/#Firesidechat will be moderated by Marwin Meier, World Vision Germany and Elisabeth Massute, Heinrich Böll Stiftung. We will discuss the concrete impact of the law and explore what institutions active in the region, such as UNAIDS and the Global Fund, can do to engage criminalized communities and limit the harmful effects of these laws. What do representatives of queer communities in Uganda expect? What can UNAIDS and the Global Fund do in cooperation with communities on the ground to express the Global Fund's "diplomatic voice" and implement the human right to health for all? What means do parliamentarians in Germany have at their disposal to implement human rights standards, principles of development cooperation and anti-discrimination as well as anti-criminalization measures in order to protect those affected on the ground and to support local and international measures against such discriminatory legislation?
We look forward to an exciting discussion!
#Kaminfeuer; #Firesidechat
Register now: https://forms.gle/sx8GNktqHZ4Gsdme9