CSOs decry attacks against LGBTIQs
Some civil society organisations (CSOs) have expressed concern over continued violence, stigma and discrimination directed towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) individuals in the country.
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation executive director Michael Kaiyatsa and his Centre for the Development of People counterpart Gift Trapence made the remarks in a joint statement yesterday marking commemoration of International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.
It comes after some religious groups on Tuesday threatened during a press briefing in Mzuzu to mobilise people for protests if the Constitutional Court of legalise registration of organisations promoting same sex relationships in the country.
But Trapence and Kaiyatsa said such attacks continue to undermine effective responses to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among this group and to taint Malawi’s human rights record.
They said it was unacceptable that almost three decades after Malawi adopted a Constitution that guarantees rights for everyone, human rights continue to be violated on the basis of real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.
Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday in Mzuzu, CCAP Synod of Livingstonia general secretary the Reverend William Tembo threatened protests, arguing, God ordained marriage to be between male and female.
The Constitutional Court is yet to make a determination on a matter involving Dutch national Jan Willem Akstar and a transgender woman Jana Gonani who are challenging the constitutionality of banning same sex marriages in the country.
