Although the only laws used to discriminate against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people in Tanzania are archaic provisions of the penal code related to sodomy, in practice discrimination against this minority group is widespread and deep-rooted. Although verifiable data on the scale of this discrimination does not exist, anecdotal evidence suggests that anyone who openly identifies as an LGBTI person puts themselves at risk of losing their job, access to government services including health care, family ties and in some cases protection from the police. In the last year, Uganda and Nigeria passed new laws formalizing this kind of societal discrimination, bringing with them severe penalties for people that simply express who they are. In a move considered to be directly influenced by the Ugandan legislation, Tanzanian opposition MP Ezekiel Wenje from the Chama cha Democrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) party has announced plans to introduce similar anti-homosexuality legislation into parliament (The Bill to Prohibit and Control any form of Sexual Relations between Persons of the Same Sex, 2014). In March this year he gave parliament notice of his intention to draft the new bill. While its introduction nevertheless signals the entry of potentially destructive anti-homosexual rhetoric into the Tanzanian political scene less than 14 months from the next general elections.
Project approach
LGBT Voice Tanzania is still the leading LGBTI organization operating in Tanzania. But still operate below the radar in a way that is designed to protect our members and not draw attention to our efforts to protect a community that is very vulnerable to stigmatization, exclusion and physical attack. This proposal is aligned with this approach to promoting the rights and securing the safety of LGBTI people in Tanzania. This project seeks to support that ongoing work while introducing a conversation on respect for basic international human rights standards and equality for all. LGBT Voice Tanzania will rely on its national and international expertise, as well as links with a wide range of civil society, media and international organizations in Tanzania.
Objectives
This project has two main objectives:
1. To prevent the passing of a new bill to suppress the rights of LGBTI people by ensuring that awareness is spread through the civil society, policy making and donor community about the negative implications of such a move.
2. To generate more broad-based support for the LGBTI community in Tanzania from all sections of society through careful, incremental public education initiatives.
Activities
LGBT Voice Tanzania, in partnership with international LGBTI organizations, will implement the following set of sequenced activities:
- Training for 20 LGBTI activists on organizational, informational and personal security.
- Formation of an LGBTI reference group on the proposed anti-homosexuality law. This group will be comprised of individuals from within the LGBTI community and from other sectors of society who are sympathetic to the campaign for equal rights. The group will meet regularly and be tasked with organizing dialogues (see below), tracking new developments and providing frequent updates to Freedom House on the status of implementation of the bill and support it is receiving in parliament.
- . Closed-door dialogues with key stakeholders. These dialogue sessions will be organized by the reference group and will aim to discuss with MPs, political party leaders and government officials the issues that are facing the LGBTI community in Tanzania, the negative implications of the passage of the new bill and proposals to ensure respect for the equal rights of LGBTI persons in the context of Tanzania’s new constitution.
- Domestic and International media advocacy. Should the bill proceed as far as a debate and vote in parliament, LGBT Voice Tanzania in careful consultation with the LGBTI reference group will implement advocacy activities - events, press releases, social media campaigns - in Tanzania and abroad calling for the bill to be defeated and for the Tanzanian government to ensure the LGBTI community is protected.
