Anti-Homosexuality in Zambia and its Affront to Human Rights

Abstract

This research paper seeks to cast a light on sexual minority LGB individuals within Zambia who are constantly overlooked and when found out are treated in the most inequitable manner by society. It begins by introducing the topic of human rights and how it relates to homosexuality in that the discrimination of homosexuals is not a new phenomenon but an error of the past still practised by some today. The paper goes on to discuss the discrimination in light of the Zambian context and presents it as a problem in need of remedy. The paper tackles the issue of homosexuality through the gay debate that analyses law and morality arguments on the subject. The purpose of this is to understand the place of homosexuals within society and to show that they are no less deserving of protections generally under the law nor inherently immoral and a danger to society. The paper then discusses human rights in-depth and how they relate to homosexuals. An elaboration of what human rights are, how they apply to all including LGB individuals and how they are violated is discussed. The rights violated are discussed as well as how human rights come into play to combat anti-homosexual laws and sentiments that prevent LGB individuals from fully realising their rights. The paper further delves into the Zambian atmosphere in which homosexuality is viewed as a controversy and speaks to how Zambian homosexuals are treated. Examples of this treatment and efforts to combat it within the country are given. A historical significance of the issue and its many arguments is undertaken, followed by a series of findings and recommendations targeted at the present stance on the realisation of human rights for homosexuals in Zambia.