By Omar Bihmidine
Morocco World News
Sidi Ifni, June 25, 2013
Amnesty International has recently warned against the ?alarming? levels of homophobic attacks in a number of sub-Saharan countries where homosexuality is outlawed.
According to a report by Amnesty International, most African governments consider gay and lesbian partners as ?criminals worthy of harsh penalties.?
While 38 African countries have criminalized homosexuality, Amnesty continues to attack the ?poisonous? laws lying behind the contraction of gay and lesbian rights.
?These poisonous laws must be repealed and the human rights of all Africans upheld,? Amnesty was quoted by BBC as saying.
According to media reports, people who do not conform to the norms of heterosexuality face hostility and killings.
Amnesty International attributes its warnings to the increasing number of African victims of homophobia.
?In South Africa, at least seven people, five of them lesbians, were murdered between June and November 2012, in what appears to have been targeted violence related to their sexual orientation or gender identity,? Amnesty International report says.
While Amnesty International criticizes African governments for their ?intolerance? towards Homophobia, some Moroccans argue that Africa has far more pressing issues to tackle than Homophobia.
?Instead of warning against the violations of human rights in Africa, such as violence against women and the rampant discrimination, Amnesty International condemns the phenomenon of homophobia,? Said Rouchdi, a professor told MWN.
?The rights of equality, dignity, dignified livelihood and freedoms are more important to us than the rights of homosexuality and sexual perversion,? Sarah Naimi, a university student, told MWN.
?Morocco is part of Africa. Here, we are afraid to see human rights watchdogs such as AI press for the recognition of t gay rights in Morocco and criticize our government as it is doing with sub-Saharan African governments nowadays, ? Rachid Amri, a master student, told MWN.
Victims and detainees of homophobia continue to complain to Amnesty about their confiscated rights as regard their homosexual tendencies.? We were subjected to ?invasive procedures such as forced anal exams, ? former detainees were quoted by Amnesty as saying.
Whereas African societies may reject the intervention of Amnesty International in calling on African governments to tolerate homosexuality, a number of rights associations continue to come into being for the purpose of defending gay and lesbian people, be they in Africa or elsewhere.
? Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed.
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