8 year old girl arrested in Uganda over suspicion that she is gay
An 8-year-old girl has been arrested in Uganda on the suspicion that she is gay.
Reports from the country claim that police are holding the child in custody after she was seen kissing her female friends.
Ugandan media reported that child protection police said the girl was arrested after a neighbour reported her for having “romantic relationship” with other girls of her age.
The girl has reportedly admitted to the offence of “engaging in inappropriate behaviour” according to Catherine Wobuyaga, the chief investigating officer for the case.
Victor Odero, a campaigner for Amnesty International in East Africa said: “The girl should be immediately and unconditionally released if she is still in detention.
“What she needs is protection and respect for her privacy, rather than being treated as a criminal.”
The young girl was taken from her home in Jinja, east of Kampala after neighbours reported her for having “romantic relationships” with girls her age.
She allegedly took the girls to a farmhouse nearby to engage in the “inappropriate behaviour” that has led to her arrest.
Uganda has a history of anti-LGBT laws and policies, with police frequently raiding both LGBT beauty pageants and Pride parade events.
Uganda’s Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa has blamed the country’s anti-LGBT laws on British Colonialism. Speaking before a United Nations human rights panel, Kutesa contended that his country was not to blame for its current anti-LGBT laws.
Kutesa insisted: “Some people seem to think there is a law prohibiting LGBT people as a new act. There was a private members’ motion that was introduced in our Parliament to criminalise the activities of the LGBTI community. That motion was passed by Parliament and assented to – however, it was challenged in our Courts of Law, and the Courts of Law struck it out. It is not in place.”
