LGBT community living in danger of death in Afghanistan

Ground Report | New Delhi: LGBT community living in danger; Soon after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan after toppling Ashraf Ghani's democratically elected government, the war-torn country has weathered a humanitarian crisis across the province.

Now the LGBT community of Afghanistan also has a challenge, how will they deal with it because the life of gay or lesbian in Afghanistan is already very difficult. Gay or lesbian students in Afghanistan are spending their days hiding in some way. The only better option for them is to run away. They want that if they are allowed to live in another country, they will definitely leave.

Significantly, everyone is aware of the punishment of the Taliban. There is a lot of fear in the minds of people about this. Especially after seeing the situation at the airport, their fear has increased even more.

With a view to countering the challenges posed by Afghan militias, an international body, the World Refugee & Migration Council (WRMC) has urged global leaders to withhold recognition of the new Taliban government and access to financing. The ongoing situation in Afghanistan has brought focus to war-torn people seeking refuge in several countries amid their uncertain future.

ALSO READ: What will happen in Afghanistan after 31 August?

WRMC has also suggested several urgent priorities with a view to preventing further human suffering and bloodshed in the war-torn country. Based on these priorities, the international agency has advised that Hamid Karzai International Airport remains safe for evacuation flights for as long as necessary. There should be no artificial deadline for the removal of NATO troops that have been deployed to secure the airport.

LGBT community living in danger

According to the suggestion, the UN Secretary-General should also convene a multi-stakeholder pledge conference, similar to the one held in 1979 for Vietnamese refugees, with the aim of securing commitments from Afghanistan to protect the rights of its citizens and provide an orderly way of departure, from neighbouring countries to accept Afghan asylum seekers at their borders, and other countries to commit to providing essential humanitarian assistance and promising strong resettlement opportunities for those wishing to exit. The most vulnerable populations in Afghanistan are women, girls, and LGBTQ+.

Dawood realized at the age of 18 that he was gay. Still, he got engaged to a woman. "It was arranged without my consent," he says. "I wanted to cancel it because I had no feelings for the opposite sex."

The engagement is reversed and Dawood says that she is now in a happy relationship with a man. "It's so deep. When we meet we feel like we're in a different world." But Dawood is also forced to lead a double life. He says, "Homosexuality in Afghanistan is seen as a shocking, negative phenomenon. If we come to know, maybe we can get hanged too.

This section of society has faced tough challenges in Afghanistan, especially under the Taliban.

Mano a gay Afghan student said, in view of the increasing violence of the Taliban, is now planning to run away. Although he will get out of here, there is no guarantee that either. The reason being, it is necessary to reach Kabul airport to escape from here, but it seems very difficult that the Taliban will allow him to reach there.

Mano said, he can go to any country, but cannot stay here. He said that the best option was to run away from this country. If he gets a visa and gets permission to live in a country, he will want to leave everything and run away. There is no point in us living here anymore. "

Article 427 of the Afghan Penal Code refers only to "walking" – a sexual act between men, one of them deemed to be a youth or a boy. The act is punishable with "long imprisonment".

Humanitarian ground corridor

UN Member States must ensure that UN Funds and Agencies in the region have the necessary resources to provide humanitarian assistance to the hundreds of thousands of Afghans who have been forcibly displaced in recent months. More than 10 percent of Afghanistan's population has been forcibly displaced and there is a 60 percent shortfall in the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA).

A humanitarian ground corridor should be negotiated with the Taliban to allow access to humanitarian aid for those in Afghanistan facing hunger and those displaced by the decade-long war, the WRMC suggested. The Council also underlined that the future needs of Afghan refugees should not be determined solely by geography but according to the principles of the division of responsibilities in the United Nations (UN) 'global compact'. Some states like Canada, UK, and the USA have pledged to accept a certain number of Afghans but in order to make these promises their respective governments must be prioritized and free from red tape while the country's self-imposed quotas must be quite flexible. to deal with evolving situations.

ALSO READ: 10 best movies on Afghanistan

Canada and Ireland have ensured that Afghan citizens belonging to the LGBT community can take refuge in them. Canada is giving place to 20,000 Afghan refugees. He has said that people from the LGBT community can also come in this. But there has been no assurance in this direction from countries like Britain and America. At the same time, there are many countries that do not want to give shelter to people of the LGBT community.

Twitter: Wahid Bhat

You can connect with Ground Report on Facebook, Twitter, and Whatsapp, and mail us at [email protected] to send us your suggestions and writeups