Lesbian Rights Activist Chased Out of Her Community
By Desmond Jones
The government of Sierra Leone should bring to justice those responsible for chasing out people practicing lesbianism as the situation is getting out of hands.
Hawa Dauda, a young woman practicing lesbianism, is among young women now in hiding after she was chased out of her community and home for simply practicing lesbianism.
Ms. Hawa Dauda has been hiding since July 9th 2024 after organizing a party for lesbians within the Grafton community. While the party was ongoing assailants from within the community apparently broke in to the premises disturbing the entire community and every households they could meet. Report says Hawa Dauda was raped including some of her invitees,
The situation has bring fresh memories of Lesbian activist FannyAnn Eddy who was stabbed and killed in Freetown.
Fanny Eddy was a person of extraordinary bravery and integrity, who literally put her life on the line for human rights, according to a Bisexual and Transgender Rights Project at Human Rights Watch.
On many occasions the attention of the police and by extension the government of Sierra Leone has been drawn to the harassment, discrimination and violence lesbians and gay people face in Sierra Leone. As it is, Ms. Dauda has been chased out of her community and her home a place she has been living all this while.
This young women is now a grave concern as she becomes a victim of hatred.
Since the death of Eddy in 2002 almost all Lesbians and Gay associations went into hiding until recently when Hawa Dauda and few others started showing up and organizing functions to unite lesbian and gay practitioners.
Hawa Dauda herself, has been visible and courageous figure, fighting this discrimination in a bid to address the human rights needs of men who have sex with men and women who have sex with women.
Since the incident on July 9th 2024, the police have made no effort in investigating the incident forcing lesbians in the country to go into hiding once again.
Sierra Leone is a difficult place to practice lesbian or gays as the culture does not just accept people practicing this type of sexuality.
Hawa Dauda has not been seen in public and she is even feared dead as nothing has been heard from her or any member of her family.
