Deep concerns over homosexuality ban

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is calling on Uganda to amend a Bill to ban same-sex relations that it says would violate human rights standards and undermine public health. Parliament last week ‘quietly’ passed the Sexual Offences Bill 2019 which reintroduced a ban on homosexuality. Lawmakers also rejected a proposal that allows an individual, who had consented to a sexual act, to withdraw that consent at any time before or during the performance of the sexual act. The object of the Bill is to enact a specific law on sexual offences for the effectual prevention of sexual violence and to provide protection of victims during sexual offences trials. Voice of America reports that rights activists say they are deeply troubled by this latest iteration, which would criminalise entire groups of people. UN spokesperson Rupert Coleville said other alarming provisions in the Act include mandatory and forced HIV testing of defendants. ‘The fact remains that such relations are still criminalised. This, in a country where stigma, discrimination, and violence against people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity is widespread and often committed with impunity,’ he said. UNAIDS, says it fears people infected with HIV will be driven underground and will undo much of the progress Uganda has made in reducing the impact of the disease.