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CONVENING FOR EQUALITY
CFE statement-Uganda Two Petitions filed in Constitutional Court Challenging Anti-homosexuality Act, 2023
Following the enactment of the Anti-homosexuality Act in May, the CFE’s legal committee embarked on drafting two petitions against the new law in the Constitutional Court. On 5th June 2023, the CFE issued a statement to this effect. The statement highlighted the grounds of the two petitions among them lack of proper and fare public consultation on the law at the public consultation stage, and violations of Constitutional rights. Read the statement here: https://chapterfouruganda.org/sites/default/files/downloads/05-06-23-CFE-Statement-on-the-Filing-of-Petitions-to-challenge-the-Anti-Homosexuality-Act-2023.pdf
Public support through Ugandan media
CFE members and the Ugandan public have supported rights work through their writing opposing the Anti-homosexuality Act of 2023 and the public and institutionalised hateful rhetoric. Please read some of the articles here: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/commentary/world-bank-statement-is-a-call-for-lgbtq-inclusion-4342730
https://twitter.com/jamesonen/status/1689965631720792065
International support
The international community has shown unequivocal support to the community in Uganda in many ways. Most recently and importantly, the World Bank voiced its non-support for the Anti-homosexuality Act 2023. Read World Bank statement here: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/statement/2023/08/08/world-bank-group-statement-on-uganda
Read CFE statement in response to the World Bank statement here:
https://www.kuchutimes.com/2023/08/cfe-press-statement-on-the-world-bank-decision-on-uganda/
The UN Human Rights Committee also raised issue with the law. Read about it here:
Statement of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Church of Uganda:
Government policy support monitoring on the Anti-homosexuality Act 2023
On 8th August 2023, the Ministry of Health released a press statement following the enactment of the Anti-homosexuality Act 2023 highlighting to health workers in the public sector the provision and access to health services to ALL [emphasis by the Ministry] people without discrimination. The statement urged health workers to: 1) not deny services to any client who presents themselves, 2) not to discriminate or stigmatise any individual who seeks health care for any reason – gender, religion, tribe, economic or social status, or sexual orientation, 3) respect patient rights through confidentiality, privacy and patient safety as stipulated in the Patients’ Charter. The statement reiterated that the Anti-homosexuality Act 2023 does not forbid any person from seeking medical services from a health facility or hospital. The CFE notes the challenges of key government MDAs such as the Ministry of Health having been mute when the law was being passed, knowing very well the law would present as a barrier to health care access. The legal prominence of such policy statements can also be doubted because it can be argued that the law transcends policy. However, the statement by the Ministry is a tool that can be leveraged upon to continue to advocate for non-discrimination and non-stigmatisation in government-run and private health facilities. Read about the press release here: