Uganda (common Wealth) _ After assessing the recently passed Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ law, which has been condemned by several countries and the United Nations, contradicting the bank’s values, the World Bank said that it would suspend fresh loans to the Ugandan government.
A World Bank team visited Uganda shortly after the law was passed in May and found that further steps were required to ensure that projects were carried out in accordance with the bank’s environmental and social requirements.
Following the bank teams’ on-the-ground inspection, New financing to Uganda will be blocked, according to the World Bank, since a new anti-gay law contradicts WBs basic values. Homosexual acts were already prohibited in Uganda, but anyone convicted now faces life in jail under the new legislation.
The World Bank stated that it is committed to assisting all Ugandans, without exception, to “escape poverty, gain access to essential services, and improve their lives.” Uganda responded by calling the World Bank’s move unreasonable and hypocritical.
The decision was described as “draconian” by its envoy to the United Nations. Ambassador Adonia Ayebare said in a tweet that it was time to reconsider the World Bank’s operating procedures and board choices. The Anti-Homosexuality Act prescribes the death penalty in so-called severe cases, which include having gay sex with someone under the age of 18 or being infected with a life-long sickness such as HIV.
The World Bank issued a statement on Tuesday claiming the law “fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Group’s values” after sending a team to Uganda in May. It stated that its vision “includes everyone, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation.”
As a result, the World Bank stated that “no new public financing to Uganda will be presented to our Board of Executive Directors” until a study of the effectiveness of new safeguards put in place in the context of the new legislation is completed.
In response to the World Bank’s decision, Okello Oryem, Uganda’s state minister for international affairs, questioned the consistency of the move in comparison to other countries. According to foreign reports, “many Middle Eastern countries do not tolerate homosexuals; in fact, homosexuals are hanged and executed.”
Many states in the United States have passed laws prohibiting or restricting gay behavior… so why single out Uganda?”
Ugandan campaign groups have criticised the legislation, filing a court action to overturn it on the basis that it is discriminatory and violates the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. However, it is unclear when the hearings will commence. The World Bank has joined the United States in sanctioning Uganda for its anti-homosexuality law.
Uganda’s parliament enacted one of the world’s strongest anti-homosexuality laws this week, triggering global outcry. If the president signs it into law, anyone who identifies as LGBT might face life in jail.
It also jeopardizes the existence of the few refuges where LGBT persons have sought haven after being evicted from their homes. The international media gained access to these hidden refuges and interviewed people about their lives and concerns. The government already prohibits gay sex, but the new Anti-Homosexuality Bill goes considerably further.
The bill, which is still pending presidential approval before it becomes law, calls for life in jail for anyone who identifies as a sexual minority, as well as the death sentence for gays who conduct child sexual abuse. Raping a kid under the age of 14 or if the criminal is HIV-positive already entails the death penalty, but it is rarely used.
It may also result in the closure of any shelter where people have gone to seek safety, because it makes it an offense to lease a facility “for the purpose of engaging in activities that encourage homosexuality.” They could also be viewed as a brothel.
Uganda is already one of 32 African countries that criminalize adult same-sex consensual intercourse. The measure has been extensively denounced worldwide, with the United States threatening sanctions against the country and the European Union declaring its opposition to the death sentence in all situations. Local and international activist organizations have also joined the protest.
“I know God is the one who created me and he knows why I am gay,” says a Ugandan gay ‘Ali’ who had kept his sexuality hidden but was outed after being arrested by Ugandan police. So I keep praying. “I’m fasting even now [during Ramadan],” he says.
