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Uganda signs anti-LGBTQ bill into law
The new law contains a provision that would punish “aggravated homosexuality” with the death penalty. The legislation has been met with broad international condemnation.
gandan President Yoweri Museveni signed new anti-LGBTQ legislation on Monday.
Museveni “has assented to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023. It now becomes the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023,” the Ugandan presidency said on Twitter.
Uganda’s ‘Anti-Homosexuality Act’
Uganda’s head of state had called on lawmakers to amend the bill, and a new draft of the legislation was presented earlier this month.
The amended version clarifies that merely identifying as gay would not be cause for imprisonment.
Museveni had also advised lawmakers to remove a provision that made “aggravated homosexuality” subject to capital punishment, but this suggestion was rejected by Uganda’s parliament. The provision pertains to repeat offenders and those found to have had sex while HIV-positive.
Uganda has not carried out capital punishment in many years.
Same-sex relations were already illegal in Uganda under a law that dates back to the British colonial period.
Uganda enacts harsh anti-gay law with death penalty | Watch (msn.com)
The new law introduces a 20-year sentence for “promoting” homosexuality.
“With a lot of humility, I thank my colleagues the Members of Parliament for withstanding all the pressure from bullies and doomsday conspiracy theorists in the interest of our country,” parliament speaker Anita Among said.
However, Ugandan LGBT rights activist Clare Byarugaba said it was “a very dark and sad day for Uganda.
“We shall continue to fight this atrocious legislation through the judiciary until human rights for all are upheld,” she said.
“We shall win, because as Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us, the moral arc of the universe always bends towards justice.”
Law draws international condemnation
The new law has been widely condemned by rights groups and Western countries.
US President Joe Biden slammed the new legislation, branding it a “tragic violation of universal human rights.” He threatened to cut US aid and investment in Uganda, calling for the law’s immediate repeal.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the UN’s HIV/AIDS program and the US AIDS relief program all expressed concern over the harmful impact of the newly signed law.
Amnesty International said that the law “flagrantly violates the human rights of LGBTI people in Uganda, including the right to a private life, protection against discrimination and the right to equal protection before the law.”
The British Foreign Office said it was “appalled” by the new law, while Canada’s foreign minister called it “abhorrent, cruel and unjust.”
International partnerships under threat
The new law has also jeopardized Uganda’s international standing.
“This law is contrary to international human rights law and to Uganda’s obligations under the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, including commitments on dignity and non-discrimination, and the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment,” EU foreign policy chief Josip Borrell said in a statement.
“The Ugandan government has an obligation to protect all of its citizens and uphold their basic rights. Failure to do so will undermine relationships with international partners.”
When Museveni signed a less restrictive anti-LGBTQ law in 2014, Western governments suspended some aid, reduced security cooperation with Uganda and imposed stronger visa restrictions on its citizens.
Source: zc, sdi/kb (Reuters, AFP, AP)
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
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Cervical Cancer alert: Avoid sex at early age
The Programmes Manager of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Mary Efua Commeh, has advised young girls to avoid sex at an early age.
This, she explained, will give the cervix the opportunity to mature before they become sexually active.
“You need to delay what we call the first sexual intercourse as much as possible to give the cervix the opportunity to mature before the person becomes sexually active,” she said.
Dr Commeh stated this in an interview with The Spectator in Accra on Tuesday as a part of the Cervical Cancer awareness month.
According to her, cervical cancer was the second leading female cancer in Ghana with a total of about 3,072 cases annually, and out of that, 1,815 deaths are recorded, representing more than 50 per cent.
She indicated that “If young girls are going to be sexually active, then you need to talk to your parents about being vaccinated.”
She explained that vaccinating young girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) has been found to be a very effective way of preventing cervical cancer.
“There are countries that started HPV vaccination years ago and they are not seeing any cervical cancers now because they would have eliminated most of the high-risk HPVs in their women. So if the high-risk HPV is not there, then obviously the results on cervical cancers are going to go down,” she added.
Dr Commmey said the HPV vaccination is recommended for young girls aged nine to 14 years, adding that it had been found to be highly effective, not just for cervical cancers but for other HPV-related cancers, such as anal cancers, cancers of the vagina, genital warts, amongst others.
She further elaborated that the idea is to put up a barrier before the HPV comes in and that once a young female encounters it, she is already protected.
She also mentioned that for cervical cancers, the main cause is called HPV infection, saying generally, all sexually active women acquire HPV at some point in their lives.
However, the Programmes Manager of NCDs at the GHS mentioned that the body has a way of clearing the HPV, explaining that it is a natural mechanism that goes on, unfortunately, there are a few women whose HPV persists.
Moreover, she noted that the numbers for Cervical Cancer tend to be much higher because at times, clients would wait, and try all sorts of medications before they finally report to the health facility saying “we actually lose some women before they get to the hospitals with over 75 per cent of the cases coming in its third and fourth stages.”
Dr Commey, therefore, called for public awareness while ensuring the availability of information for prevention and control.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
