Criminalization of Homosexuality and Eight Years in Prison

by Michael Jones · 2009-01-15 15:02:00 UTC
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SenegalLast week we wrote about the gross violation of human rights stemming from Senegal, where nine gay men were thrown in jail for eight years simply for being gay, and helping to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS by distributing condoms.  Eight years.  That's a longer prison sentence than was given to organizers of genocide in Rwanda.

It might be tempting to think that what happens in Senegal stays in Senegal.  But the truth is, more than 80 countries currently criminalize homosexuality - some with punishments as severe as death.  What's needed is a worldwide voice to combat criminalization.

Enter United Nations, stage left.  UN officials today announced that they are starting to work with a coalition of human rights groups to lobby Senegalese leaders for the release of the nine gay men.  And they're using public health as a starting point of dialogue.

According to UN officials, criminalization of homosexuality, like the kind we're seeing in Senegal, is a huge hindrance to promoting public health, especially when it comes to the prevention of HIV/AIDS.  "There is no place for homophobia," says Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS. "Universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support must be accessible to all people in Senegal who are in need—including men who have sex with men. This will only happen if the men convicted are released and steps taken to rebuild trust with affected communities."

Sidibé is right.  Nothing pushes LGBT people back into the closet like the threat of death or imprisonment.  And it's a lot harder to promote public health when a large chunk of the population stays underground.

Navi Pillay, the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said a couple weeks ago that laws that criminalize homosexuality are equivalent to Apartheid.  It looks like Senegal just proved her right.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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