LGBT rights in Cameroon
LGBT rights in Cameroon  |
|
|---|---|
|
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| Same-sex sexual activity legal? | Illegal since 1972[1][2] |
|
Penalty:
|
5 years imprisonment and fine[1] |
| Gender identity/expression | – |
| Family rights | |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Cameroon face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Cameroon.[1]
Contents
Law regarding same-sex sexual activity
Same-sex sexual acts are banned by section 347 of the penal code with a penalty of 5 years imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 to 200,000 francs.[1]
In May 2005, 11 men were arrested at a nightclub on suspicion of sodomy, and the government threatened to conduct medical examinations to "prove" their homosexual activity. As of February 2006, nearly all were still being detained, with trials scheduled in March 2006.[3]
The Advocate estimates that in 2011, at least a dozen men were arrested under Section 347.[4] One of these, Jean-Claude Roger Mbede, was arrested by security forces for sending SMS messages to male acquaintance and sentenced to three years' imprisonment at Kondengui Central Prison.[5] The sentence was protested by international human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International,[5] the latter of which named him a prisoner of conscience.[6] On 24 November 2011, three young men were sentenced to five years' imprisonment for having oral sex in a parked car.[7]
In November 2011, a Cameroonian court convicted two young men who had been arrested for homosexuality outside a nightclub based solely on their appearance and behavior to five years' imprisonment. The presiding judge stated that the way they spoke and their having worn women's clothing and ordered a cream-based liquor was sufficient evidence for homosexuality. An appeals court later overturned the verdict.[8][9]
UK asylum cases
A gay Cameroonian man was granted the right to claim asylum in the United Kingdom due to his sexuality in early July 2010. Cameroon's Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma, responded to the court's action by acknowledging that homosexuality was definitely illegal in Cameroon, but also arguing that homosexuals were not prosecuted for their private activities. He dismissed the asylum-seeker's claims, saying that the man had nothing to fear from the law: "Do you think he is the only gay person in Cameroon?"[10]
In August 2011, a gay Cameroonian man was granted temporary immigration bail from the UK Border Agency after Air France refused to carry him to Yaoundé.[11] In May 2012, the UK Border Agency sought to return asylum-seeker Ediage Valerie Ekwedde, finding "no credible evidence" that he was gay, but was forced to keep Ekwedde in custody after he threatened to "make a fuss" on the Air France flight returning him to Cameroon.[7]
Living conditions
Cameroon is a conservative society in which homosexuality is frowned upon. In 2006, a number of tabloids published the names of at least 50 very prominent people they claimed were homosexual. They condemned them for deviant behaviour. The stories boosted newspaper circulation, but were criticized by the state communication council for invading people's privacy. The campaign provoked a national debate about gay rights and privacy.[12]
A Cameroon court jailed Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga for four months for defaming Gregoire Owona, a government minister named in the list of 50 presumed homosexuals in Cameroon.[13]
The U.S. Department of State's 2010 Human Rights Report found that "homosexual persons generally kept a low profile because of the pervasive societal stigma, discrimination, and harassment as well as the possibility of imprisonment. Gays and lesbians suffered from harassment and extortion by law enforcement officials. False allegations of homosexuality were used to harass enemies or to extort money."[14] In 2012, the first association for lesbian and queer women, World Queens, was founded.[15]
Summary table
| Same-sex sexual activity legal |  (Penalty: Fine to 5 years imprisonment) |
| Equal age of consent | |
| Anti-discrimination laws in employment only | |
| Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services | |
| Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (Incl. indirect discrimination, hate speech) | |
| Same-sex marriages | |
| Recognition of same-sex couples | |
| Step-child adoption by same-sex couples | |
| Joint adoption by same-sex couples | |
| Gays and lesbians allowed to serve openly in the military |  |
| Right to change legal gender | |
| Access to IVF for lesbians | |
| Commercial surrogacy for gay male couples | |
| MSMs allowed to donate blood | |
See also
- Joel Gustave Nana Ngongang, a leading African LGBT human rights activist from Cameroon
- LGBT rights in Africa
- Human rights in Africa
- Alice Nkom, a leading Cameroonian lawyer working toward the decriminalization of homosexuality in Cameroon
Notes
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Where is it illegal to be gay?
- ↑ "Cameroon jails two men for gay sex" PlanetOut Network. 28 February 2006. Accessed 1 March 2006.
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- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "Cameroon denies homosexuals face persecution", BBC News, 8 July 2010.
- ↑ "Air France refuses to carry deported gay Cameroon man from UK", Radio France Internationale, 10 August 2011.
- ↑ "Row over Cameroon 'gay' witchhunt" BBC News. Updated 6 February 2006, 11:43 GMT Accessed 7 February 2006.
- ↑ Cameroon gay list publisher jailed Ninemsn. Saturday 4 Mar 09:23 AEDT.
- ↑ http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/160112.pdf
- ↑ World Queens, le lesbiche del Camerun fanno rete Il grande colibrì. 24 November 2012. Accessed 1 December 2012
