European Parliament
Charles Tannock,
on behalf of the ECR Group.
– Mr President, unfortunately, over 30 countries on the African continent consider homosexuality to be a crime. There are often severe punishments for both men and women convicted of engaging in homosexual relations, some countries even mandating the death penalty. The abhorrent practice of corrective rape is equally endemic across Africa.
I call upon these governments who tacitly sanction or turn a blind eye to these acts of violence and discrimination to honour their obligations as signatories to legally binding international human rights instruments and conventions which should be at the forefront of all EU agreements with these countries in Africa.
Indeed, a hallmark of a modern progressive society is one which does not discriminate or stigmatise on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. I welcome therefore the concrete steps taken by a swathe of sub-Saharan African countries who have pledged to reform their existing laws, decriminalise homosexuality and improve social conditions and sexual health conditions for LGBT people.

