Anti-gay laws sweeping across Africa might hurt HIV response

The International Aids Society (IAS) has called on the presidents of Ghana, Namibia and Kenya to stand against anti-gay laws, warning that criminalising any population fuels the HIV pandemic by excluding people from testing, treatment and care.The IAS has expressed grave concern at the upsurge of anti-gay political and legal actions across the continent, with the latest being Ghana passing the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, which criminalises being gay.In a statement this week, IAS president Sharon Lewin said the organisation is deeply concerned about this increasing trend after Namibia’s parliament passed a bill that bans same-sex marriages, while the same is being considered in Kenya with a bill that seeks to introduce serious punitive measures.“If these bills become laws, they will set back the substantial gains made towards ending the HIV pandemic as a threat to public health and individual well-being,” she said.“This is the time for governments to step up efforts to advance the HIV response, not push our efforts backwards. There is an urgent need for the governments of these countries to work with, not against, the communities most vulnerable to HIV,” Lewin added.Threat to healthAccording to IAS, 33 of 55 countries punish gay relationships with imprisonment, and in 2023 alone, six countries – Kenya, Ghana, Namibia, Niger, Tanzania and Uganda – took steps to tighten anti-gay laws.This marks the largest number of countries pushing for these laws in recent years, and at the same time, some of these countries also have the highest burdens of HIV.Anti-gay laws are associated with a higher HIV rate among men who have sex with men.“Seychelles, Lesotho, Botswana, Gabon and Angola have decriminalised same-sex relationships. Cabo Verde is considering an anti-discrimination law. And people persecuted based on their sexuality can still seek asylum in South Africa. The IAS lauds the African countries that are taking steps to protect gay rights and, by doing so, protect progress in the HIV response,” Lewin said.jemima@namibiansun.com

Anti-gay laws sweeping across Africa might hurt HIV response

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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Anti-gay laws sweeping across Africa might hurt HIV response

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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