Congo: What’s Going On?
THE LIFE OF THE TRANS COMMUNITY IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
written by Mulamba Maxim, ROAD African Laison -Congo & Rainbow Sunrise Mapambazuko
The predominance of discrimination and intolerance against trans women continues to fuel the spiral of homophobic violence and hate crimes in which they are drawn daily and create an environment conducive to their exclusion and persecution and contribute to their instability, violence, and homelessness.
The portrayal of trans women as a threat in society because of their sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity has been and continues to be, one of the root causes of the violations of their human rights that they are confronted.
In fact, women are victims of serious violations of their rights on a daily basis, and more than 80% of trans women living in the city of Bukavu are homeless.
Most were hunted by their families and others searched rural areas following threats from customary authorities and the community who threatened them with death. The majority of trans women spend the night in him and others have to engage in prostitution to survive. This situation leads most to fall victim to corrective rape, others are arbitrarily arrested and subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment, others are publicly stripped and humiliated by media workers and the community.
Here are some testimonials:
Bella, a 24-year-old trans woman.
“I was hunting in my family when I was 19, when my dad found out about my sexual orientation, I've been on the streets for 5 years now, I haven't or spend the night. I have been raped more than 10 times in the street and arbitrarily arrested law enforcement officers 3 times overnight for my gender expression. After 3 years spent on the streets and homeless, I was in a difficult financial situation and even lacked food. I then had to manage on my own. So I started doing sex work at that time, because I had no other solution. I am qualified and have a state degree, but employers judge me on my identity and gender. I have been beaten up by customers several times, others mug me at night when they find out that I have a male but female appearance.
Also Some clients don't like condoms and I due to the lack of means to survive have to accept sex without protection just to have some money to survive. In the street where we spend the night each person is obliged to pay 1000 CDF / day to the street gang leaders to spend the night quietly and not be beaten up at night. We spend the night in tunnels and sometimes in dinghies during the dry season but during the rainy season we look for an abandoned house or an unfinished house to spend the night there. "
Archangel, a trans woman, 29 years old.
“I am a trans woman, I am homeless and I was hunted in my home 3 years ago. I was hunted in 2018 when my pastor came to my parents to accuse me that I was a homosexual, and that I was the bad luck of my family and if my father refuses to chase me he will die saw that I practice of satanic and evil relationship. In the streets where we live the police don't like us trans women. A few months ago our friend was suavely assaulted and died three days later from the injuries; I too was the victim of police brutality. With a group of trans girlfriends, we went out to a nightclub. We just wanted to have another sister's birthday party. A car stopped and the driver offered to drop us off. Unfortunately, he was a plainclothes policeman… He picked us up at the police station, forced us to sign a false statement written by the policemen. Finally, they made us take our clothes off to prove our identity. They were so violent that there was nothing I could do. I complied. It was horrible, I was humiliated and I couldn't even press charges for police brutality. It was inhuman.
I remember in June 2020, a Muslim church leader here, in his speech on COVID-19, he said it was divine punishment for people who did not conform to their sex and gender identity. The attitude of our society towards trans women creates more discrimination and stigma and the gay community is in panic ... Whenever there is a disaster, the gay community is blamed by religious leaders. "
Although often excluded from statistics, official documents, and national policies in the context of the protection and fight against gender-based violence, it is striking to note that the specific need of trans women in terms of protection as a that the human person is not a real subject of concern, even though it includes an objective dedicated to gender equality, subject of Sustainable Development Objective 5 (SDG5). SDG5, as important as it is for advancing women's rights and their empowerment, is also a missed opportunity to broaden the concepts of inclusion and equality, to combat homophobic violence, and promote peace and freedom. justice for all people, regardless of their sexual characteristics, gender identity, and sexual orientation (subject of SDG16).
