STATUS OF LGBTI PEOPLE IN CAMEROON, GAMBIA, GHANA AND UGANDA 3.12.2015 Finnish Immigration Service Country Information Service Public Theme Report 1 (123) Table of contents Disclaimer .................................................................................................................................................... 3 List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 7 1.1. The colonial legacy of anti-sodomy laws ......................................................................................... 7 1.2. The significance of current laws criminalising same-sex conduct ............................................. 11 1.3. Particularities of the situation of lesbians and bisexual women................................................. 12 1.4. Particularities of the situation of transgender and intersex people ........................................... 14 1.5. Violations of international and regional human rights law .......................................................... 14 2. Cameroon .............................................................................................................................................. 18 2.1. The legal framework ......................................................................................................................... 18 2.2. Application of the law ....................................................................................................................... 20 2.3. Treatment by state actors ................................................................................................................ 23 2.4. Treatment by non-state actors ........................................................................................................ 25 2.5. Access to health care services ....................................................................................................... 29 2.6. The situation of WSW, transgender and intersex people ........................................................... 30 2.7. Protection by the government and internal flight alternative ...................................................... 32 2.8. Organisations working on LGBTI issues in Cameroon ............................................................... 33 3. Gambia .................................................................................................................................................. 35 3.1. The legal framework ......................................................................................................................... 35 3.2. Application of the law ....................................................................................................................... 38 3.3. Treatment by state actors ................................................................................................................ 40 3.4. Treatment by non-state actors ........................................................................................................ 42 3.5. Access to health care services ....................................................................................................... 45 3.6. The situation of WSW, transgender and intersex people ........................................................... 45 3.7. Protection by the government and internal flight alternative ...................................................... 46 3.8. Organisations working on LGBTI issues in Gambia .................................................................... 47 2 (123) 4. Ghana .................................................................................................................................................... 48 4.1. The legal framework ......................................................................................................................... 48 4.2. Application of the law ....................................................................................................................... 51 4.3. Treatment by state actors ................................................................................................................ 51 4.4. Treatment by non-state actors ........................................................................................................ 55 4.5. Access to health care services ....................................................................................................... 64 4.6. The situation of WSW, transgender and intersex people ........................................................... 65 4.7. Protection by the government and internal flight alternative ...................................................... 67 4.8. Organisations working on LGBTI issues in Ghana ...................................................................... 67 5. Uganda .................................................................................................................................................. 70 5.1. The legal framework ......................................................................................................................... 70 5.2. Application of the law ....................................................................................................................... 74 5.3. Treatment by state actors ................................................................................................................ 78 5.4. Treatment by non-state actors ........................................................................................................ 82 5.5. Access to health care services ....................................................................................................... 90 5.6. The situation of WSW, transgender and intersex people ........................................................... 91 5.7. Protection by the government and internal flight alternative ...................................................... 92 5.8. Organisations working on LGBTI issues in Uganda .................................................................... 93 Sources ...................................................................................................................................................... 96 3 (123) Disclaimer This present report is a public document written by the Country Information Service of the Finnish Immigration Service. The report is in line with the guidelines published by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) on researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin. In this report, sexual and gender minorities are referred to by the internationally established abbreviation LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex). In the event that a source text only refers to homosexuals or lesbians, and it is not clear from the text whether the information also applies to other sexual and gender minorities, the term used in the original source text will be used in this report to avoid misstatements. However, where these terms are used, the information may nevertheless apply to all sexual and gender minorities in practice. The available country of origin information (COI) is general, yet the situation of LGBTI people can be heavily influenced by factors such as socioeconomic status, geography, social network, attitude of the family and (non)conformity to the prevailing standards. The information presented in this report is based exlusively on publicly available sources, such as academic articles, studies developed by international organisations (governmental and non-governmental), local organisations, as well as online press articles. All the information has been carefully selected and cross-checked. However, the report does not make the claim of being exhaustive and it cannot be ruled out that part of the information presented is out-of-date, incomplete, or inaccurate. The fact that some occurrence, person, or organisation is not mentioned in the report does not imply that such occurrence never happened or that a person or organisation does not exist. This report should thus not be treated as the exclusive and indisputable reference in relation to decisions on awarding or refusing the refugee status or other forms of international protection. The views and statements expressed in this report do not necessarliy represent any consensus by the Finnish government or its agencies. 4 (123) List of Abbreviations ACHPR African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights ACODEVO Association for Impoverished and Vulnerable Communities of the Coastal Region [Cameroon] ADEFHO Association for the Defense of Homosexuals [Cameroon] ADEPEV Action for Development and Fulfilment of Vulnerable People [Cameroon] AHA Anti-Homosexuality Act 2014 [Uganda] AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome AMSHeR African Men for Sexual Health & Rights APA Agence de Presse Africaine APRC Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction [Gambia] AVAF Association for the Promotion of Women [Cameroon] BBC British Broadcasting Corporation CAHL Coalition Against Homophobia in Ghana CAMEF Cameroon Empowerment Association for Outreach Programs CAMFAIDS The Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS CAMNAFAW Cameroon National Association for Family Welfare CCG Christian Council of Ghana CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms