Kenya

08/03/2010: We need to understand what it means to be heterosexual as well as homosexual, and that our sexualities affect whether we live or die. During this 54th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women on the occasion of the 15+year review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform, the Coalition of African Lesbians (“CAL”) reinforces that: LGBTI rights are human rights, that we are not claiming or asking for “special” or “additional” rights BUT that we call on our African governments to condemn the violence perpetrated against sexual minorities, to refrain from engaging in this violence and to take all measures to ensure the protection of sexual minorities, in particular, lesbian and transgender women subjected to violence.

A l'occasion de la Journée internationale contre les mutilations génitales, célébrée le 6 février, l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) a souligné la nécessité de développer une stratégie mondiale contre la médicalisation de ces pratiques. « 18% des femmes et des filles qui ont souffert de mutilation génitale ont été opérées par des professionnels de la santé », a indiqué Elise Johansen, de l'OMS, ajoutant que cette tendance semblait en augmentation.

Doctors and nurses have been asked to desist from carrying out female genital mutilation in their clinics.
All the victims were older people (80 years and above), and four of the five burnt to death were women.
Les victimes, essentiellement des femmes âgées entre 70 et 90 ans, ont été ligotées par une centaine de personnes avant d'être brûlées à vifs.
At least 300 girls in south-western Kenya have fled from home and sought refuge in churches in a bid to escape forced female genital mutilation (FGM).
The UN Committee Against Torture issues recommendations addressing the economic, social and cultural root causes of violence in Kenya as well as specific forms of torture and ill-treatment against women and children.
Muslim leaders in Kenya's North Eastern Province have resolved to campaign against the promotion of condoms as a means of preventing HIV.
Women Living Under Muslim Laws is gravely concerned to learn of death threats brought against our friend and colleague, Lynne Muthoni Wanyeki. She and her colleagues have been receiving death threats because of their human rights work and statements during the current crisis in Kenya.
A Statement from Concerned Citizens and Governance, Human Rights and Legal Organizations.
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