LGBT organisations do not know what to do, LGBT people are
the targets of assaults due to their sexual orientation within the UNHCR
compound refugee camp itself. They have been for months.
Kenya LGBT
refugee protest ends with tear gas and batons
Police attempted to disband a protest of about
60 LGBT refugees outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee's
office in Kakuma, Kenya at the end of last week.
Some of the demonstrators, who wore rainbow
face masks, brought their children. They orchestrated a peaceful sit-in outside
the office that started April 27. A few days later, police moved in, using tear
gas and batons.
The demonstrators also complained on Facebook of not having adequate
housing. More than 200 queer refugees have to sleep outside.
Unwanted, unsafe
https://www.ebar.com/news/news//291830
Update on Kakuma
You may
remember in the podcast we spoke to Reginah, whose young baby Patricia (known
as baby Covid) was injured when just 3 days old. The refugees were at a
demonstration at the UNHCR to ask for better protection following many attacks
and rapes. The UNHCR
authorised police use of tear gas to disperse the crowd and baby Covid was hit
by one of the canisters. When I interviewed Reginah, I could see the scars on her young baby.
Sadly, baby Covid never really recovered and died at the hospital on 16th
September.
https://filia.org.uk/latest-news/2020/10/18/update-on-kakuma
The Heart of the Kukama Block 13 was
Buried Yesterday.
She was less than five months
old.
LGBTQ
refugees are stolen from, beaten, and abused. They are waiting to die.
Her
name was Namubiru Patricia Geneva.
She was
only three days old when she was hit with tear gas. One hundred forty-nine men,
women, children, and yes, babies were assaulted with tear gas. By the
humanitarian agency sworn to protect them. The United Nations Refugee Agency.
The
residents of Block 13 were there to beg for help. They got tear gas.
https://medium.com/illumination/lgbt-lgbtq-block13-refugees-3cf6075959ea#_=_
LGBT+ refugees call on U.N. for safe space
after Kenya camp attacks
In one incident last month, three gay
men needed hospital treatment for burns after attackers set their bedding alight
as they slept.
LGBT+ refugees have also been beaten,
pelted with rocks and stabbed, said Gilbert Kagarura, spokesman for the camp’s
“Block 13” area.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kenya-lgbt-refugees-trfn-idUSKBN2AX1T3
Two gay men burned in Kenya refugee camp attack
A press
release the Minnesota-based Black Immigrant Collective sent to the Washington
Blade last week notes “petrol bombs were thrown into a group of LGBTQ+
refugees, allies and their children who live in” Block 13 of the Kakuma refugee
camp on the morning of March 15.
“This
attack not only set people on fire, but also destroyed beddings and personal
belongings as many of the refugees sleep in the open air,” reads the press
release.
The spokesperson noted the
U.S. in fiscal year 2020 provided $120 million in humanitarian assistance to
Kenya through UNHCR and other non-government organizations with which it partners.
https://www.washingtonblade.com/2021/03/30/two-gay-men-burned-in-kenya-refugee-camp-attack
A group of LGBTI refugees in Kakuma camp say they've been
attacked in a series of hate crimes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_B6iXog6oQ
UNHCR
urges dialogue and peaceful coexistence among refugees in Kakuma refugee camp
We are also troubled that,
while following up on the incidents reported by this small group, we have found
inconsistencies in many of their accounts when compared with information
collected by the police and provided by other refugees. These disturbing
inconsistencies have been corroborated by organizations working in the camp.
We are also concerned by the spreading of information that
mischaracterizes the situation in Kakuma on social media. We urge everyone,
including individuals living outside of Kenya, to verify information with
diverse sources before posting. Misinformation can only increase tensions in
the camp and undermine our continued and collective efforts to protect those in
need, ensure peaceful co-existence and safeguard the best interest of all
refugees, including those with an LGBTI profile.
Within the first few days of reading about this situation, and
after reading about the UN cautioning people about the consistency of the LGBT
people being severely targeted, it is thanks to the answer from Peter Tatchell
confirming that the persecutions against LGBT+ have been occurring for years in
Kakuma camp that I did not lessen ‘investigating’.
C.et: UNHCR document broadcasting doubts about the brutality
ongoing in the camp that will have for effect to limit and subdue people activism
and effort against perpetrations.
The UN wants people to check information or discredit
these victims? LGBT people have suffered years of assaults in the Kakuma
camp, the only camp welcoming especially LGBT refugees- already fleeing their
country because of having been threatened with death (both by the mob and by
the laws) for their sexual orientation. The item above by the UNHCR suggests
that reported assaults might not be altogether credible. The LGBT communities
there have documented a very high volume of aggressions, helped by the press,
and LGBT organisations. LGBT there are regularly beaten, cut, and other ways of
physical and sexual aggression. This time two of the refugees have been air
transported to Nairobi because of the serious burn injuries sustained during
the arson of their unit. Two weeks later the LGBT man who first alerted me and
ensured repeated contact over the plight of the LGBT people there, died from
the attack. He died from having been set on fire by a petrol bomb coming for
him.
In the above report, the UNHCR refers to the Kenyan police
whose orders are to arrest and put potentially LGBT people in prison for up to 15
years, following Kenyan laws!
A never-ending situation since the leading countries
tolerate LGBT people's persecution.
Call for Evacuation of
LGBTQ+ Survivors from Block 13 Kakuma Refugee Camp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ5oGhe6wM8
Kenya: Victims of Kakuma arson attack airlifted to Nairobi hospital
The horrific act of violence
resulted in two refugees — Jordan and Trinidad — being severely burned.
The extensive burns covered huge
areas of their bodies, including their feet and legs. For one of the victims,
the burns extended to his upper body.
CALL TO
ACTION to FREE BLOCK 13 Kakuma And Ways You Can Help
This
incident is the latest in a long list of vicious attacks against LGBTQ+
refugees at Kakuma Block 13. Two fire attacks on January 29th and February 15th
2021 saw at least 4 gay men set ablaze by other migrants. LGBTQ+ refugees are
unsafe and experience different forms of physical and sexual violence on a
daily basis; from beatings and torching to slashing and rape. The slow response
by the police and other authorities normalises and perpetuates the violence,
vulnerabilities, and indignity experienced by LGBTQ+ refugees.
Despite
years of urging by organisations to act and protect LGBTQ+ refugees at the
Kakuma camp, the UNHCR has shown little political will and commitment to
intervene. This is in direct violation of UNHCR’s mandate to “aid and protect
refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist
in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to a third
country.”
LGBTQ+ Refugees Call for Safety After Spate of Homophobic
Attacks in Kenyan Camp
People have been beaten and stabbed in at least five attacks
this year.
In December 2018, the UNHCR relocated
about 200 LGBT+ refugees from the camp to Nairobi as an
emergency measure after a spate of violent attacks against them.
But Kenya requires most refugees to stay in designated camps and
some of them were returned to Kakuma. New LGBT+ refugees are also mostly being
sent there.
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/lgbtq-refugees-un-safe-space-kenya-camp-attacks/
Post on Facebook by Nancy Cassy.
The man in this video is a
Sudanese refugee living in Kakuma Refugee Camp. He is a violent homophobe. He,
with all his friends behind him, invaded Block 13 to threaten LGBTQ+ refugees
who live there. He told them "I WILL BURN YOU ALIVE!" He also told
them that he is not afraid of the police.
On February 15, 2021 - Hamza,
Bashir, and Yassin set on fire while they slept. Still recovering and scarred
badly for life. **This man is still walking around free and causing fear among
the LGBTQ+ refugees at Block 13.**
March 15, 2021, Chriton and
Jordan, quite literally, burned alive. **This man is still walking around free
and causing fear among the LGBTQ+ refugees at Block 13.**
The UNHCR says it's
investigating. **This man is still walking around free and causing fear among
the LGBTQ+ refugees at Block 13.**
April 12, 2021 - Our Trinnie
(Chriton) succumbed to the burns, which covered the majority of his body and
which were never properly treated, and passed on from this life. **This man is
still walking around free and causing fear among the LGBTQ+ refugees at Block
13.**
In an official statement issued
just yesterday (April 12, 2021), UNHCR's Kenya Representative said, "We
urge the Kenyan authorities to accelerate their investigation into the alleged
attack and hold those responsible to account.” **This man is still walking
around free and causing fear among the LGBTQ+ refugees at Block 13.**
It has been 29 days since
Chriton and Jordan were set on fire while they slept and 57 days since Hamza,
Bashir, and Yassin were set on fire while they slept.
https://www.facebook.com/nancy.nopants.98/posts/3115859355316831
https://www.ebar.com/news/news//303961
Out in the World: Death of gay Kakuma refugee spurs LGBTQ Africans' calls
for evacuation
Atuhwera, who used the alias
"Trinidad Jerry" online.
Fellow Ugandan gay refugee activist, Jordan Ayesigye,
remains in critical condition at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi.
The airlift resulted from pressure put on United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees officials by a social media campaign, the activists
said.
According to an unpublished April 11 release obtained by the Bay Area
Reporter, Ayesigye "remains without a caregiver and in unsterile
conditions where he's prone to infection and inadequate care."
https://www.ebar.com/news/news//303961
C.et: Trinidad (Chriton
Atuhwera), the activist in the camp with whom I was in contact, who interpellated
and stirred me into action, has died from his injuries.
https://www.facebook.com/trinidad.jerry.77
AIK STATEMENT ON KILLING OF CHRITON ATUHWERA
Chriton Atuhwera was 22 years
old and had fled into exile after facing homophobic attacks, stigma,
discrimination and violence in his home country Uganda. A poet, a volleyball
player and a fan of Miriam Makeba, Chriton was forced to abandon his degree in
Business Administration in Uganda after he was targeted because of his sexual
orientation.
https://www.amnestykenya.org/aik-statement-on-killing-of-chriton-atuhwera/
Issue by the ‘Block 13 of
Kakuma camp’.
C.et: Chriton Atuhwera aka Trinidad had been taken in a long
ambulance journey on bumpy roads to a place with no burn injuries speciality
instead of being air-transported to Nairobi.
|
It didn’t get any better
at Kenyatta either. There’s reasons the UNHCR didn’t allow their caregivers
to go along on the last leg of that journey. Contrary to the UNHCR’s
statement that they were “receiving the best care” they received almost none.
T |
By Nancy Cassie, 13 April at 20:05.
I have been told that severe burn injuries are very
difficult to treat, they are an open door to lethal infection. But to talk
about underlining conditions as contribution to Chriton’ s death like the UN
report suggests, after the level of poverty the refugees endure and the level
of stress and trauma of being attacked and discriminated against and excluded
by nothing less than the supranational institution is properly dismissively
disgusting. You know it might be like in Europe, it is people who detest Europe
in the first place, who get to rule it (the European sceptics MPs or the
corporations whose games is deregulation in order to be rich beyond imagination
seeing everybody as a slave, a pawn or nutriment to capitalisation). Those only
participate or interfere to show how crippled and corrupted institutions might
become, and this in order to get rid of the only structure able to represent
the people as a whole, and the planet as a whole hopefully as well, i.e.,
supranational institutions. It is totally possible that the people responsible
for UN failures and total absence and abstention are not the people who say
they fight big entities because they need to fight the corruption, but people
who want all spheres, the big like the small to be corrupted, and maybe this
way it will be easier for them to grab a piece of possible to abuse power or a
piece of abusing and abusive control, neglect or abandon.
By Shannon Kern:
I love you, Trinidad Jerry.
[…]. You were expelled from your life with your daughter in
Uganda. You missed her beyond words when you laid on the dirt floor of your
shack. Kakuma was literally hell. […]. Here is a brief summary of his
experience in Kakuma Block 13. “I have been facing through different attacks,
from fire burn just few weeks after reaching the camp, denied access to water,
stabbed, sliced, nailed and every time have tried to report to police and no
one has ever been apprehended but the police simply tells me that they are
tired of homosexuals and they simply say go and arrest the attackers.”
https://www.facebook.com/trinidad.jerry.77
GAY REFUGEE, ERNEST MWERU, who committed SUICIDE by HANGING
himself from a tree at the UNHCR compound in Nairobi, Kenya on April 13, 2020.
http://glaa.org/2020/04/14/abused-refugee-hangs-himself-outside-unhcr-office-in-nairobi/
Abused Refugee Hangs Himself Outside UNHCR Office In Nairobi
This
happened after he had been beaten by UNHCR security at the scene where he had
gone to request for assistance in terms of food and accommodation following the
withdrawal of the financial assistance he and many of his colleagues from
Kakuma had been getting from the UNHCR for sustenance. They were abandoned by
the UNHCR even when COVID 19 came in without food or accommodation.
http://glaa.org/2020/04/14/abused-refugee-hangs-himself-outside-unhcr-office-in-nairobi/
Refugee found dead
at United Nations compound in Kenya
The UN moved hundreds of Ugandan refugees to Nairobi in late
2018, following years during which they were told to stay in Kakuma refugee
camp, northwest Kenya. During an October 2018 visit to Kakuma, LGBT refugees
told the Irish Times they found it hard to hold down jobs and had been
repeatedly assaulted and raped by police and refugees from other backgrounds.
In a series of Facebook posts, Refugee Flag Kenya, a gay
rights organisation representing refugees, said Mr Mweru had been assaulted
when he tried to seek help.
Gay refugees in Kenya report repeated attacks from locals
For years, Ugandan
refugee Mbazira Moses has been typing out emails to dozens of international
humanitarian organizations and United Nations officials with a message: LGBTQ
refugees at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya need your help.
On Tuesday night, Moses sent out another such email: Over 50
queer refugees camped outside the UNHCR reception center at Kakuma for safety
reasons were again attacked
Moses alleged that the refugees were attacked with “knife
stabs, stones and clubs,” and included images of people with head injuries.
Police hesitated, the ambulance was slow, and the refugees fled through holes
and over fences, Moses said. The Turkana locals allegedly blamed the gay
refugees for a local drought. Seven refugees were injured.
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/gay-refugees-kenya-report-repeated-attacks-locals-n1113456
https://gal-dem.com/kakuma-lgbtq-refugees-attacks-kenya/
For
LGBTQI+ refugees, UNHCR’s Kakuma Camp is no refuge
Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp has been hailed as a
world-leading example of its kind. But for LGBTQI+ individuals, it is
"hell". Namupa Shivute investigates.
Kakuma is no stranger
to global headlines – but they’re usually ones of celebration. Multiple media outlets have
heaped glowing praise on camp authorities for their encouragement of entrepreneurship and creativity in
its inhabitants. In 2018, Kakuma became the first refugee camp to hold a TEDx event where
stories of refugees were shared under the motto “Thrive”.
Doreen has been struck
down weak by malaria. Making contact with her was a struggle. Due to the threat
of harassment and violence from cis refugees, as a trans woman, she couldn’t
risk waiting in line at one of Kakuma’s three medical centers, which are shared
by the entirety of the camp population.
“Once someone is identified
or suspected as LGBTQI+, queerphobic mobs aggressively interrogate the
individual’s sexuality. Often, aggressors patrol the area around LGBTQI+
shelters or intimidate the community through ‘holding meetings’ close to their
shelters”
Kakuma is not supposed
to exist in a vacuum though. It’s governed by the UNHCR whose mandate is to
protect all refugees.
C.et: read the whole item above.
Update on Kakuma
https://filia.org.uk/latest-news/2020/10/18/update-on-kakuma
C.et: on this page, videos of people living as refugees in
Kakuma.
Asylum for sale: Refugees say some U.N. workers demand bribes for
resettlement
A seven-month investigation found reports of U.N. staff
members exploiting refugees desperate for a safe home in a new country.
Refugees, current and former
UNHCR employees, aid workers and two former U.N. investigators say bribery and
corruption are found in a variety of services the UNHCR and companion
organizations are charged with providing
Suspected perpetrators are
allowed to resign or move to other locations rather than face investigation,
according to dozens of refugees and former and current staff.
Three former UNHCR staff members said their employment
contracts were unexpectedly terminated after they spoke out about fraud and
exploitation or took steps to stop it.
In the past, Pouilly said,
scammers have posed as UNHCR officials to defraud refugees
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/asylum-sale-refugees-say-some-u-n-workers-demand-bribes-n988351
https://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/kenyugan/kenyugan1002%20ap%20alter-25.htm
Problems
Plaguing Resettlement in East Africa
Continuing Problems in Nairobi: The
Aftermath of the UNHCR Corruption Scandal
In 1999,
evidence came to light that a criminal ring, including some UNHCR staff, had
infiltrated UNHCR's office and corrupted its work on status determinations and
referrals to resettlement.
The investigations revealed that refugees had
to bribe UNHCR staff between Ksh.50 and Ksh.100 (U.S.$0.60 - U.S.$1.28) to
access the offices.80 Later, refugees who wanted resettlement to a third country
were asked to pay bribes ranging from U.S.$1,500 to $6,000 per refugee.81
The criminal ring, involving more than seventy persons,
established itself under a UNHCR "management structure" that allowed
those "tempted to enrich themselves [to] do so with virtual
impunity."84
The Presumption of "Tainted" Files
One
group of refugees interviewed by Human Rights Watch had their files rejected
for refusing to cooperate with corrupt officials and were continuing to
experience difficulties with their appeals. Refugees caught in this dilemma
have spent years trying to remove the "taint" from their status
claims. Many have lost all faith in the integrity of the UNHCR system.
Egregious Delays in Reviewing the "Backlogged"
Files
Another
group of 3,500 refugees had been waiting in legal limbo since 2001, while UNHCR
attempted to put staff in place to re-examine all of their files. As of October
2002, only 225 cases had undergone a thorough eligibility interview
Kampala: Inadequate Resettlement Referrals for
Prima Facie Refugees
https://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/kenyugan/kenyugan1002%20ap%20alter-25.htm
Amnesty International Report
2020/21
KENYA Republic of Kenya Head of state and government: Uhuru
Muigai Kenyatta Police used excessive and sometimes lethal force to enforce a
curfew and to disperse peaceful protests; they also carried out extrajudicial
executions and enforced disappearances. Journalists and bloggers were subjected
to harassment, intimidation and arbitrary arrests. COVID-19 movement measures
were restrictive and undermined the right to health for women and for people
from marginalized groups, and subjected refugees and asylum-seekers to further
hardship. Women continued to face inequality. The authorities forcibly evicted
thousands of people, and the President disregarded the Constitution by failing
to appoint superior court judges.
https://www.nachrichten.at/storage/med/download/288740_202021-air-english_2021-04-01_zz.pdf
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/geography/researchprojects/migration/imposing_aid/4.html
Should UNHCR involve itself at all in repatriation in circumstances where
there is no guarantee that refugees are secure?
But the way in which LWF was implementing the
aid programme for returnees in Uganda did not insure that aid would reach those
in need. The materials were being sold, apparently by the chiefs who were made
responsible for distribution. The 'allegation' that aid was being sold was
confirmed in July 1983, when we visited Ariwara market in Zaire. There we found
literally mountains of the particular items which were supposed to be
distributed in Uganda and this was reported to UNHCR.
Whose interest?
In whose interest
are repatriation programmes under such conditions? It is insufficient to
explain the persistence of some individuals in promoting them simply in terms
of the interests of governments - host, country of origin, or even those
governments which support UNHCR. It would appear that once an office has been
established and has a budget, such programmes acquire a momentum of their own
which overcomes all logic. The evidence suggests that there are those who have
a professional stake in the success of a rehabilitation programme are quite
prepared to overlook or even to deny hard evidence of the dangers refugees will
face if they return home. Others who, like that programme officer in Yei,
practise caution, are likely to come in for severe criticism.
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/geography/researchprojects/migration/imposing_aid/4.html
The Illegal Economy of Refugee Registration: Insights into
the Ugandan Refugee Scandal #PublicAuthority
sheds light on one of the central concerns in the
Ugandan refugee scandal: the buying and selling of refugee registration.
There have been many
reports about Ugandans’ warm welcome for South
Sudanese fleeing violence, which may result from memories of being refugees
themselves.
Although refugees are welcomed because of the
economic opportunities, infrastructure, and services provided to areas where
they resettle
C.et: Ugandan LGBT themselves refugees in Kenya, since the
Ugandan ‘Kill the gays bill’.
https://gal-dem.com/kakuma-lgbtq-refugees-attacks-kenya/
Queer
refugees in Kenya’s Block 13 pray for safety
Faced with regular violent attacks and
little hope of relocation to a safer place, LGBTQIA+ residents of the Kakuma
Refugee Camp feel abandoned by the UNHCR.
They throw stones at you.”
On that day, however, they did much
more. Weak with typhoid fever, Okello struggled to fight back as the group of
men took turns raping her.
“The situation
at Kakuma is grave,” says the Refugee Council USA website. “There are minimal opportunities for employment, and
cases of disease and malnutrition are very common.”
“So many things [happen here in
Block 13],” says Okello. “It’s too … challenging. The situation is bad.
Completely bad. We are facing attacks all the time. Severe attacks all the
time.
Okello explains
that because Ugandan refugees in the camp are almost exclusively LGBTQIA+, when
someone introduces themselves as Ugandan, it is immediately understood that
they are queer.
https://www.newframe.com/queer-refugees-in-kenyas-block-13-pray-for-safety/
Urgent call on UNHCR to offer protection to LGBTQ+ refugees experiencing
brutal attacks in Kakuma Refugee camp
we propose moving the targeted Block 13 to a relatively safe
facility within the camp; the largely vacant, fenced and guarded transit
center, a few meters from Block 13 would be a good place to start. These
injustices to the LGBTQ+ refugee community in Kakuma have been ongoing for a
long time, beginning in 2014. A new spate of violence broke out in June 2020,
and has been ongoing since. The most recent examples include: LGBTQ+ refugees
on block 13 in Kakuma refugee Camp experience frequent, vicious attacks from
fellow refugees and the community around them. Women are sexually assaulted and
raped. Physical and sexual violence are a daily occurrence on this block.
https://www.justassociates.org/sites/justassociates.org/files/presser_kakuma_final.pdf
Relocate to safety LGBTQ+ Refugees from Block 13, Kakuma Camp,
Kenya
Despite years of urging by organisations
to act and protect LGBTQ+ refugees at the Kakuma camp, the UNHCR has shown
little political will and commitment to intervene.
Inside the nightmares of Africa’s LGBT refugees
NAIROBI,
Kenya — Cynthia, an LGBT activist in Burundi, was thrown in jail and beaten up
by police after she gave a radio interview defending the rights of gays and
lesbians. Upon her release she fled to Kenya.
Raj, a
gay teenager from Kampala, Uganda, was found kissing a boy in his high school
locker room and the principal called an all-school assembly to shame him…..
https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-06-26/inside-nightmares-africa-s-lgbt-refugees
C.et: article above recounts personal stories of LGBTQ+
before being refugees.
Homosexuality remains illegal in Kenya as court rejects
LGBT petition
LGBT activists in Kenya were
hopeful that their country would join an emerging trend in Africa. Earlier this
year, Angola decriminalised homosexuality while Mozambique did so in 2015. In June, the
Botswana High Court will hand down its verdict in a decriminalisation case that has the public support of the country’s
president.
Anti-LGBT groups
are making inroads across East Africa
NAIROBI,
Kenya — Two years after Ugandan legislators proposed a law that would condemn
active homosexuals to death, a precedent is spreading throughout the region.
Across
many parts of Africa, homophobic organizations as well as religious and
political leaders are increasingly pushing an anti-gay agenda into the public
discourse.
One
of the early pioneers of anti-gay sentiments by African governments was
Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe
https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-06-15/anti-lgbt-groups-are-making-inroads-across-east-africa
C.et: above item very detailed
regarding overall anti LGBT laws in Africa.
IT HAS BEEN MONTHS THAT THE
LGBTQ+ HAVE TRIED RISKING THEIR SAFETY ONCE MORE TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THEIR
SITUATION. KENYA, PURSUING THREATS IT HAS LONG AGO STARTED WIELDING, ANNOUNCED
THEY PLAN TO CLOSE 2 REFUGEE CAMPS UPON WHICH AROUND 300 000 REFUGEES DEPEND.
C.et: Facing what
might happen if Kakuma closed, I also pray for the LGBT people not to be
forcefully or randomly separated, and that they will be able to stay strong
(and living together and loving each other) together. The gays population
worldwide does not even benefit from ghettos, there is no place for us.
UNHCR
Statement on the Government of Kenya’s intention to close Dadaab and Kakuma
refugee camps
UNHCR has been informed by
the Kenyan authorities of their intention to close Dadaab and Kakuma refugee
camps within a short timeframe.
Kenya orders closure of two refugee camps,
gives ultimatum to UN agency
The
Kenyan government’s attempt to close Dadaab in 2016 was informed by
intelligence reports showing two large attacks on Kenyan targets in 2013 and
2015 took place with the involvement of elements in the camps. The plan was
blocked by the high court, which called the move unconstitutional.
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-kenya-refugees-idUSKBN2BG1MA
Kenya demands UN close 2 refugee camps
Allusions to terror
attacks
Matiang'i said it was
the government's task to protect Kenyans — an apparent reference to Al-Shabaab
attacks by Islamist militants based in Somalia on Nairobi's Westgate mall in
2013 and Garissa University College in 2015 in eastern Kenya and Kenya
intelligence assertions that elements inside the camps had been involved in
terrorist planning.
https://www.dw.com/en/kenya-demands-un-close-2-refugee-camps/a-56975213
Kenya gives UN 14-day
deadline to close refugee camps
Dadaab, Kakuma refugee camps pose security threat, says Interior
Ministry
The United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Wednesday promptly responded to the
Interior Ministry, warning of a catastrophe if the refugees are ejected from
the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps which have a population of 218,873 and
196,666 registered refugees respectively.
They also said Kenya
and Somalia have no diplomatic relationship to continue hosting the refugees
there.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/kenya-gives-un-14-day-deadline-to-close-refugee-camps/2186765
The Dadaab and the Kakuma refugee
camps in northern Kenya host more than 410,000 people, a small proportion of
whom are from South Sudan.
Kenya’s move comes as relations with Somalia worsen
following Mogadishu
cutting diplomatic ties with Nairobi last December,
accusing it of interfering in its internal affairs.
The two nations are also facing off at the International Court of
Justice over a maritime
boundary dispute, although Kenya has boycotted the hearing of the
case.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/24/kenya-orders-closure-of-dadaab-kakuma-refugee-camps
The 7
Largest Refugee Camps In The World
1. Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya
(184,550)
It’s currently the world’s largest
refugee camp, hosting over 184,000 people. Kakuma is co-managed by Kenya’s
Department of Refugee Affairs, and the UNHCR.
The situation at Kakuma is grave.
The little infrastructure there is there has been widely overtaxed. There are
minimal opportunities for employment, and cases of disease and malnutrition are
very common.
2. Hagadera Refugee Camp, Kenya
(105,998)
3. Dagahaley, Kenya (87,223)
http://refugeecouncilusa.org/largest-refugee-camps/
Less than
5 per cent of global refugee resettlement needs met last year
Resettlement remains a
life-saving tool to ensure the protection of those most at risk.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1078052
Refugee
resettlement numbers fall to lowest in two decades: UNHCR
Refugee resettlement numbers will be at a “record
low” this year, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Wednesday, with
only 15,425 people resettled in the first nine months
of 2020, compared to more than 50,000 in 2019.
In
2016, resettlement numbers globally stood at 126,291, according
to agency figures. “Current rates point to one of the lowest levels of
resettlement witnessed in almost two decades.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1078052
Country Policy and Information
Note Kenya: Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression
Kenya: Sexual orientation and gender identity and
expression - Gov.uk
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk › file › Ke...
Kenya is the only
country in the
region that accepts LGBTI
https://www.facebook.com/674569135/videos/10158867223609136/
This
includes the video accounts below from brave women Susan, Sifa, Shifra, and
Jackie who were violently and sexually assaulted:
https://www.facebook.com/674569135/videos/10158867223609136/
https://filia.org.uk/latest-news/2020/10/18/update-on-kakuma
FOUND BELOW A LINK TO ACTIONS AND CONTACTS OF THE PEOPLE
UNDER ATTACK:
(please note that I am only a writer blogging on human
rights issues, I do not represent the victims in any manners, I just trying to
help by raising awareness about this nightmarish situation, these gross human
rights abuses left completely unaddressed by the UN, inside their very walls.)
TO CONTACT THE KUKUMA CAMP ACTIVISTS PLEASE
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW:
COULD YOU PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW IN ORDER TO SEE
HOW TO HELP BLOCK 13 IN THEIR COMPAIGN OF AWARENESS:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18cW4Y8EWCAuCwEW_a8S2d3Ih8unU0M-zACphKiugDOA/edit?usp=drivesdk
here some examples of actions you can help Block 13 with:
Schedule:
|
DATE |
TIME |
CALL
TO ACTION |
ACTION |
|
TUESDAY, 6 APRIL (Pre-week of action) |
11:30a EST/5:30pm South Africa Time |
Tune
in:
|
Announcing the Week of Action On the Victor Mukasa Show |
|
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 |
All Day |
Share the videos far and wide along with the Statement
to UNHCR. Umar’s Video - https://youtu.be/wZc1UwmStjc
Kato’s Video - https://youtu.be/HAdU7AqeFQM
Claire’s Video
- https://youtu.be/FnqoKRrqlwU
Shrifa’s Video
- https://youtu.be/tN9bJ0H8vEo
Kevin’s Video -
https://youtu.be/meylH8Fg9yE
Sign this petition
calling on the UNHCR to relocate Block 13 LGBTQ+ refugees to safety Donate to the burn victims’ fund - email Shanice@triangle.org.za (See below for messages and sample social media posts.) |
Uplifting Block 13 Focus: Videos featuring members of Block 13 at
Kakuma Refugee Camp sharing their stories. Additional Context: April 7 is an international day
to memorialize victims of the Rwandan genocide. |
|
THURSDAY, APRIL 8 |
All Day |
Tweet @FilippoGrandi and @FathiaAbdalla of the UNHCR, and
UN Special Rapporteurs: @MaryLawlorhrds @victor_madrigal @DubravkaSRVAW (See below for messages and sample social media posts.) |
Tweet/FB-Storm Focus: targeting UNHCR and UN bodies - 1) Fathiaa Abdalla, UNHCR Kenya and Fillipo Grandi,
UNHCR’s High Commissioner 2) Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on Human Rights
Defenders 3) Victor Madrigal-Borloz, UN Independent Expert on sexual
orientation and gender identity 4)Dubravka Šimonovic (Croatia), United Nations Special
Rapporteur on violence against women |
|
Friday, April 9 |
All Day |
Share the graphics on social media and tag
UNHCR. (See below for messages and sample social media posts.) |
Messaging Campaign Focus: 1) 5-7 graphics featuring international coalition members
and quotes 2) Info-graphic about level of violence |
|
Monday, April 12 |
All Day |
Share the statement
(http://bit.ly/MedevacNow) OR twitter
thread + graphic
and tag the following organizations on Twitter: @Refugees @FrontLineHRD @amnesty @OutRightIntl @Oxfam
@ILGAWORLD @COCNederland @hrw @HRC |
Tweet/FB-Storm & Statement Release Focus: Calling on UNHCR and international organizations to push
for the medical evacuation of Trinidad to a safe third country for emergency
life saving care. |
|
Tuesday, April 13 |
TBD |
Tune
in:
|
Online Forum/Panel On the Victor Mukasa Show Topic: Criminalizing
Black QT Refugees - a global conversation & way forward/demands incl
meeting with UNHCR Remembering Aneste Mweru: LGBTQ+ refugee, Human
Rights Defender, and Kakuma resident who died by suicide at the UNHCR
compound in Kenya. |
Social Media Toolkit: Graphics & messages that
can be used during the Week of Action
Twitter Posts
- The
2nd victim of the fire attack at #Kakuma, Jordan, is also in danger of
further complications if he is not evacuated to a more sterile and
specialized environment. @FathiaAbdalla, @FilippoGrandi, @UNHCR, @MaryLawlorhrds,
@victor_madrigal, @DubravkaSRVAW #FreeBlock13 #EvacuateJordan
- We
call on #humanrights and #humanitarianNGOs @Refugees @amnesty @OutRightIntl
@Oxfam @ILGAWORLD @COCNederland @hrw to organize the immediate medical
evacuation of Jordan to a safe country for necessary specialized medical care
to save his life #FreeBlock13 #EvacuateJordan
Resources:
The following linked
documents contain details of these attacks.
·
Summary of Crisis and Demands
·
Compilation of human rights
violations
·
Debunking UNHCR
misinformation
·
Timeline of attack since
March 2020
·
Counseling report from June
2020
·
Medical report from July 2020
·
Photos and videos
·
Interview and Block 13 protest following March 15th attack [video]
·
Interview following a homophobic assault of three lesbians and a
minor in Kakuma Refugee Camp [video]
·
Call for Evacuation of LGBTQ+ Survivors from Block 13 Kakuma https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ5oGhe6wM8
·
Photos available upon request
Click on related
post: https://www.inthenameofhumanrights.com/p/lgbt-persecutions-still-criminalised-in.html
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