LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya are facing serious human rights abuses, including rape, says a joint report by Amnesty International and a Nairobi-based gay rights group.
The report released on Friday said hundreds of gay people, who are among more than 200,000 refugees and asylum seekers in north-western Kakuma camp, experience “extreme discrimination and violence”.
“Perpetrators of violence and intimidation targeting LGBTI individuals can commit their crimes with almost total impunity, enabled by the lack of adequate responses from the police,” Amnesty and the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) said in a statement.
Researchers interviewed 41 people between 2018 and February 2023 who described facing “hate crimes, violence, including rape, and other serious human rights abuses”.
Most of the refugees and asylum seekers interviewed reported having suffered assaults, threats and intimidation in Kakuma camp, most of them more than once, because of their sexual orientation.
Based on the findings, Amnesty International and NGLHRC said that the Kakuma refugee camp complex was not safe for LGBTQ asylum seekers and refugees.
The rights organisations urged the Kenyan government to uphold the rights to life, protection against inhuman treatment and freedom from non-discrimination of everyone, including LGBTQ people.
