The British government is providing aid to a Ugandan organization that is demanding tougher penalties for homosexuals in the East African country. According to a report by the Guardian, the aid to the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) has so far totaled 134,900 British pounds, around 150,000 euros.
The British government’s aid is actually intended to be used to implement “the Foreign Ministry’s ambitions for an open society in Uganda,” the newspaper quotes from a report by the Institute for Journalism and Social Change (IJSC), which analyzed data from the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).
However, in February 2023, members of the IRCU expressed “great concern” about the “rising prevalence of homosexuality” in Uganda and the impact of the “LGBTQ agenda” on child well-being, the report said.
In March, the Ugandan parliament finally passed anti-LGBTQ legislation that would penalize anyone who does not identify as heterosexual. According to the law, people who do not report lesbian, gay and bisexual people as well as trans people to the authorities are also liable to prosecution. In some cases, the law even provides for the death penalty for LGBTQ people. The project was heavily criticized internationally.
The UN human rights commissioner Volker Türk condemned the law as “probably one of the worst of its kind in the world”. The US has threatened the African country with sanctions if Uganda’s long-time President Yoweri Museveni signs the law. However, he had already given his approval. In early April, he declared homosexuality “a great menace and danger to the procreation of the human race.”
Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ law to be revised
However, the anti-LGBTQ law is still not in force. Museveni called for the law to be revised last Thursday. However, the core of the project should not change.
Rather, the Attorney General had expressed concerns that the law could be legally challenged, said the Ugandan President. Homosexuals who voluntarily seek medical treatment should not be criminalized, Museveni said in a speech.
UK Development Secretary Andrew Mitchel tweeted in mid-March that Britain was “deeply disappointed” by the approval of the anti-gay law in Uganda’s parliament.
However, the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, which supported the project, will continue to be funded, reports the Guardian. The funding program is expected to run until March 2024.
“Donors and development agencies need to take a broader view of funding in all countries and ensure that these practices do not undermine human rights anywhere,” the Guardian quoted Claire Provost, who analyzed the data for the IJSC.
“This investigation has uncovered a truly staggering number of links between anti-LGBT religious organizations in Uganda and international donors and development agencies.” (Tsp with agencies)
