PHOTOS: Getty, AP
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting opened this morning in Perth, Western Australia. The biennial meeting brings together leaders of the Commonwealth of Nations, mostly former members of the British Empire.
British PM David Cameron and Australian PM Julia Gillard (above), as well as Canadian PM Stephen Harper, are expected to ask member nations to repeal anti-gay laws in an effort to address soaring HIV rates in the global south, reports The Globe and Mail and AFP.
The body tasked with developing options to reform the Commonwealth has noted that the old British Empire laws against gays are still in force in 41 of the 54 member nations. These include statues, mostly enacted in colonial times, which criminalise homosexual sex.
About 2.7 million new people become infected with HIV every year, with the virus claiming a further two million lives annually from Aids. Commonwealth countries are disproportionately burdened with the disease, accounting for some 30% of the global population, but 60% of the world's HIV/Aids cases.
The move comes after reports that the British Foreign Ministry is considering decreasing aid to nations that have been prosecuting gays, reports South Africa's Daily Mail.
Prime Minister David Cameron ... will tell struggling nations they will receive funding “fines” if persecution of homosexuals continues. The government has already cut aid to Malawi by £19 million [$31 million] after two gay men were sentenced to 14 years hard labour. The southern African nation also plans to bring in tough anti-lesbian laws.
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell could also reduce aid to Uganda and Ghana unless they drop laws against homosexuality. Uganda, which is due to receive £70 million [$113 million] in 2011, plans to punish homosexuality with the death penalty. The president of Ghana, which gets £36 million [$58 million] a year, has promised to bring in measures to “check the menace of homosexuality and lesbianism”.
The former Indian High Court judge who famously overturned an anti-gay law in Delhi will call on Commonwealth nations to repeal such laws, according to Australia Network News.
The push comes as sodomy laws in several Commonwealth nations are being challenged. A lawsuit was filed against Botswana's anti-gay laws in February. And a landmark challenge to Jamaica's anti-gay laws was announced this week.
Meanwhile: The Commonwealth remains divided over calls for a human rights commissioner. That proposal is not expected to pass.
I see no one cares about the Commonwealth. Could you fix the link to the Australian News Network piece on Justice Shah?
Posted by: Colin | 29 October 2011 at 16:11
>>>I see no one cares about the Commonwealth.
Seems just the opposite to me. I've disagreed with Rod on occasion, but for a writer based in America, there is a ridiculous amount of Commonwealth coverage on his blog.
This story has been mentioned several times this week. NONE of the large gay white blogs or sites have mentioned it. No one else has mentioned the Kenyan MSM connection to the bombing. All this is in addition to the stories about Zimbabwe, South Africa, etc.
The Commonmwealth (or its meetings) are not a big deal to most Americans. We escaped British colonialism a few centuries ago, not within the last generation or two. We owe no allegiance to an outdated monarchy. But many many black and brown people do live in those countries, and their LGBT-related news often is reported here. People may not often comment on it, but you're being quite disingenuous to minimize its reportage on this blog.
Posted by: Greg G | 29 October 2011 at 18:09