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THE ISSUE IS VIOLENCE Attacks on LGBT People on Kenya’s Coast HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH The Issue is Violence Attacks on LGBT People on Kenya’s Coast Copyright © 2015 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-6231-32736 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org PEMA Kenya is a community organization in Mombasa, Kenya, that provides support to gender and sexual minorities on human rights, health, HIV/AIDS, and economic well-being. SEPTEMBER 2015 978-1-6231-32736 The Issue is Violence Attacks on LGBT People on Kenya’s Coast Glossary ........................................................................................................................... i Terms Related to Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity ............................................ i Kiswahili Terms ................................................................................................................. iii A Note on Terminology ............................................................................................................. iii Summary ......................................................................................................................... 1 Key Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 5 Methodology ................................................................................................................... 6 I. Background .................................................................................................................. 9 The Movement for Human Rights for LGBTI People in Kenya ...................................................... 9 Homophobic and Transphobic Discourse: Politicians, Religious Leaders, and the Media ......... 12 Politicians ........................................................................................................................ 12 Religious Leaders ............................................................................................................. 13 The Media ........................................................................................................................ 15 Discriminatory Laws ............................................................................................................... 16 II. Failure to Protect: Mob Attacks and Individual Acts of Violence on the Coast .............. 19 Mob Attacks and Inconsistent Police Response ....................................................................... 19 Kwale, February 2015: Attacks and Arrests Following the Circulation of Photos ............................ 19 Watamu (Kilifi County), February 2015: Threats Against LGBT Mourners at a Funeral ............ 25 Mombasa, October 2014: Beatings and Threats Following “Pornography” Report .................... 26 Likoni (Mombasa County), February 2012: Attack on an HIV Workshop .................................... 27 Mtwapa (Kilifi County), February 2010: Attacks on LGBT People and a Health Center ........... 28 Malindi (Kilifi County), June 2008: The Closure of an MSM Health Center ................................ 29 Other Acts of Homophobic and Transphobic Violence ............................................................. 30 When “Protectors” are Perpetrators ........................................................................................ 31 Police Discrimination and Refusal to Take Statements from LGBT People ................................. 34 Fear of Arrest as an Obstacle to Justice .................................................................................... 36 Police Failure to Investigate Crimes against LGBT Individuals .................................................. 38 III. The Impact of Anti-LGBT Violence and Discrimination on the Right to Health............. 39 Continuing Stigma in Some Healthcare Facilities ..................................................................... 41 IV. Civil Society Initiatives ............................................................................................. 43 Outreach to Religious Leaders ................................................................................................ 43 Training of Law Enforcement Officials ..................................................................................... 46 Training of Health Care Providers ............................................................................................ 47 V. Kenyan and International Law .................................................................................... 49 Kenyan Law as a Source of Violations .................................................................................... 49 Laws Prohibiting Consensual Same-Sex Conduct ............................................................. 49 Laws Prohibiting Sex Work .............................................................................................. 49 Kenya’s Human Rights Obligations ......................................................................................... 51 Responsibility to Protect under International Law ............................................................. 51 Equality and Non-Discrimination under International Law ................................................. 52 Privacy under International Law ........................................................................................ 52 Prohibition on Forced Anal Examinations .......................................................................... 53 The Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health ..................................................... 54 The Right to Housing ........................................................................................................ 54 Constitutional Rights in Kenya ................................................................................................ 55 Criminal Acts by Kenyan State Agents ..................................................................................... 55 VII. Kenyan Government Response ................................................................................. 57 Recommendations ......................................................................................................... 62 Annex: Kenyan Law Enforcement .................................................................................... 67 Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................... 69 Glossary Terms Related to Sex, Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity Bisexual: Sexual orientation of a person who is sexually and romantically attracted to both women and men. Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: Sexual abuse by an adult or adults with respect to a child or an adolescent – female or male – under 18 years old, accompanied by a payment in money or in kind to the child or adolescent or to one or more third parties. Commercial sexual exploitation of children includes the use, offer, procurement, or provision of a child under 18 years old for sex work, sex trafficking, or pornography. Gay: Synonym in many parts of the world for homosexual; used here to refer to the sexual orientation of a man whose primary sexual and romantic attraction is towards other men. Gender: Social and cultural codes (as opposed to biological sex) used to distinguish between what a society considers "masculine" and "feminine" conduct. Gender Identity: Person’s internal, deeply felt sense of being female or male, both, or something other than female and male. It does not necessarily correspond to the biological sex assigned at birth. Gender Non-Conforming: Behaving and appearing in ways that do not fully conform to social expectations based on one’s assigned sex. Homophobia: Fear of, contempt of, or discrimination against homosexuals or homosexuality. Homosexual: Sexual orientation of a person whose primary sexual and romantic attractions are toward people of the same sex. Intersex: A person born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not seem to fit the typical definitions of “female” or “male.” I SEPTEMBER 2015 Key Populations/ Key Populations at Higher Risk of HIV Exposure: Those most likely to be exposed to HIV or to transmit it. In most settings, those at high risk of HIV exposure include men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who inject drugs, sex workers and their clients, and serodiscordant couples (couples in which one partner is HIV positive and one is HIV negative). LGBT: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender; an inclusive term for groups and identities sometimes associated together as “sexual and gender minorities.” LGBTI: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex. Lesbian: Sexual orientation of a woman whose primary sexual