LGBTI people in Swaziland / eSwatini suffer mental
health issues and many have attempted suicide because of the way they are
discriminated against in the kingdom.
This has prompted the authors of the first
study of its kind to call for same-sex activity to be
decriminalised in Swaziland. They also call for legal reform to abolish laws
which contribute to stigma, prejudice and discrimination against sexual and
gender minority people living in the kingdom, including men who have sex with
men and women who have sex with women.
The
report written by two academics and the Southern and East
African Research Collective on Health was based on interviews with 104 LGBTI
(lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) people in Swaziland. The Rock of Hope,
a community based organization that supports the needs and advocates for the
rights of LGBTI people in Swaziland, helped in compiling the report.
Swaziland is a deeply conservative kingdom ruled by
the absolute monarch King Mswati III. The King has in the past described
homosexuality as ‘satanic’ In May 2016 four organisations jointly
reported to the United Nations about LGBTI
discrimination in Swaziland. Part of their report stated, ‘LGBT[I]s are
discriminated and condemned openly by society. This is manifest in negative
statements uttered by influential people in society e.g., religious,
traditional and political leaders. Traditionalists and conservative Christians
view LGBT[I]s as against Swazi tradition and religion. There have been several
incidents where traditionalists and religious leaders have issued negative
statements about lesbians.’
The new study found evidence of serious human rights
violations against Swazi people who are LGBTI. The report concluded they suffer
‘social exclusion, marginalisation and stigma’ because they are seen as being
different from the rest of the population.
This ‘has a negative impact on the mental health and
wellbeing of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or
intersex’.
The report stated its findings ‘demonstrate the urgent
need for mental health services that are affirming of sexual and gender
diversity and are provided without sexual orientation and gender identity-related
stigma, prejudice and discrimination. It is clear that affirming and
non-judgmental mental healthcare services for sexual and gender minority people
are at least as important as HIV-related health services. This is not just to
improve mental health and wellbeing, but also to support efforts to decrease
the vulnerability to HIV.’
Researchers looked separately at the experience of
lesbians, gay men and bi-sexuals in Swaziland.
Lesbian participants in the study had some of the
poorest health outcomes. More than half the sample were classified as depressed
(63 percent), and one in four (24 percent) showed signs of moderate or severe
anxiety. Lesbian participants had high use of drugs (27 percent) and alcohol
(67 percent), much higher than available data on women in the general Swazi
population. Four out of five (83 percent) said that they had been verbally
harassed for their sexual orientation or gender identity, and over
half had experienced physical violence and sexual violence (51 percent each).
More than one in four had experienced sexual or physical violence by an
intimate partner (29 percent and 29 percent respectively).
With gay men in the sample, more than half were
classified as depressed (51 percent), and one in eight showed signs of moderate
or severe anxiety (13 percent). Two in five (39 percent) had attempted suicide
in their lifetime, and one in eight (12 percent) in the past year. Half used
alcohol in a harmful way (50 percent), and 13 percent used other drugs in a
harmful way. Four out of five (84 percent) said that they had been verbally
harassed for their sexual orientation or gender identity, over half (64 percent)
had experienced physical violence, and almost half (49 percent) had experienced
sexual violence in their lifetime. Almost half had experienced physical
violence by an intimate partner, and one in four had experienced sexual
violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime (46 percent and 26 percent,
respectively).
Overall, bisexual participants in the study tended to
have better health outcomes than lesbian and gay participants. One in seven
bisexual participants had signs of depression (14 percent), and 5 percent
showed signs of moderate or severe anxiety. One in five (19 percent) had
attempted suicide in their lifetime. More than half (59 percent) used alcohol
at a level that might be harmful to their health, and one in seven (14 percent)
used other drugs in a harmful way. One third (32 percent) used tobacco. Two in
three (64 percent) said that they had been verbally harassed for their sexual
orientation or gender identity, more than half (55 percent) had experienced
physical violence, and half (50 percent) had experienced sexual violence. One
in four had experienced sexual or physical violence by an intimate partner (24
percent and 24 percent respectively).
See also
Attempt
to register first LGBTI group in Swaziland as preparations for second Pride
parade underway
LGBT
Pride film shows what it’s like to live with prejudice and ignorance in
Swaziland
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