LGBTQ Refugees in Kakuma and Gorom

Nakafeero and friend. Queer LGBTQ activists like Nakafeero and Elvis are taking their groups of Ugandan refugees to the Gorom camp in South Sudan, where there are real chances of being repatriated to a much more safer country. As reported many of the LGBTQ refugees in the Kakuma camp in Kenya are feeling increasingly unsafe. They have gotten messages from a public official noting that the Kenyan government is not recognizing the LGBTQ status of any refugee in their camp and that being queer or trans is not seen as a valid reason for getting protection as refugees. Here's an email Edward, a member of the Kakuma LGBTQ-community, got from a Kenyan commissioner:  The Gorom refugee camp in South Sudan is not necessarily a safer place for the Ugandan refugees, but both the Canadian and US governments have officials in place who are organizing repatriation for refugees, including those LGBTQ. Elvis, a friend and ally of Nakafeero, has already taken their group of around 10 refugees to

Rainbow over South Sudan, photo taken by Nakafeero . Ugandan LGBTQ-refugees in Kenya are facing a dilemma: Should they stay in the Kakuma camp, with no hope for resettlement or should they go to the Gorom camp in South Sudan, which seems to give them hope of resettlement in more LGBTQ-friendly countries. By Per Koch, Oslo, Norway Nakafeero and her around 90 LGBTQ refugees have spent years in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya.  They tell horrifying stories about how they was treated in Uganda. Nakafeero herself lost her sister and mother to the local homophobic mob. You might say that they chose to go to Kenya of their own free will, and that they are also free to leave. Which is all true - on paper. You may leave a refugee camp. But where do you go?  As long as you are a refugee you do not have the rights of regular citizens, as in to settle down, get a job, find a new home or do any of the things free citizens take for granted. Hate crimes in the refugee camps Nakafeero with food funde

Nakafeero Swabulah, local LGBTQI-leader in Kakuma Two weeks ago we presented the January UNHCR  LGBTQI-report on the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya . Today we present the views of one of the LGBTQI-leaders and activists in the camp: Nakafeero. By Per M. Koch It is great that the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR publishes reports on the lives of LGBTQI refugees in Kakuma. This makes the challenges these refugees face more visible, both inside the UNHCR and in their collaboration with others. This also makes it clear that this is an issue relevant to the human rights principles outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UN on LGBTQI rights “So long as people face criminalization, bias and violence based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics, we must redouble our efforts to end this violations,” Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, said on 25 September 2018.

Rainbow over Kakuma. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which is responsible for the UN presence in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, has published a new briefing note on LGBTIQ+ refugees and asylum-seekers in Kenya.  The briefing note provides an overview of UNHCR Kenya’s efforts to improve the overall protection environment for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) refugees in Kenya. UNHCR note that there are currently some 800 refugees in Kenya. ( Our international network covers several hundred of them). The organization notes that the Kenyan government is currently developing refugee regulations to guide the implementation of the Refugees Act of 2021. UNHCR are trying to minimize the impact of provisions that may reduce protection space for LGBTIQ+ refugees.  Homophobia and transphobia in Kenya Keep in mind that although Kenya is not like Uganda when it comes to LGBTIQ persecution, their laws are both homophobic and transphobic. Same-s

Nakafeero Swabulah, also known as Claire,  is a lesbian refugee from Uganda, living in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, where she is organizing and coordinating efforts to help LGBTQA+ refugees and their kids. We ask for your support so that she and her friends can provide them with medication, shelter, food, sanitary pads, milk for babies, detergents, clothes, clean water and more. LGBTQ persecution in Uganda The government of Uganda has become increasingly homophobic and transphobic, which has caused Nakafeero and many other and lesbian, gay and trans Ugandans to leave the country. Nakafeero's mother and sister were killed in their home by locals, as the villagers were searching for Nakafeero. But Nakafeero and her crew of lesbian activists are in no way giving up. They are doing their best to give more than 100 LGBTQA refugees and their kids a better life in the camp. She has provided them with nutritious food, clothes, hygiene products, and – for the kids – toys.   Nakafe