Botswana
Botswana human rights centre gets gay award

afrol.com, 12 May 2000 - Ditshwanelo, the Botswana Centre for Human Rights, today was awarded the 2000 Felipa Awards by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) for its contribution to promote gay and lesbian's human rights in Southern Africa. 

Ditshwanelo was the only African among this year's six award winners. "With the Felipa awards, IGLHRC recognizes the courage and dedication of individuals and organizations pushing for fundamental human rights," said IGLHRC executive director Surina Khan. "These activists often work in dangerous conditions, facing daunting barriers. They are truly an inspiration." 

Ditshwanelo, the Botswana Centre for Human Rights, is an established human rights organization that is outspoken and tireless in advocating for the fundamental rights of gay and lesbian people, according to an IGLHRC press release. "Ditshwanelo's efforts are all the more remarkable, given the surge of government-sponsored homophobia in many countries of Southern Africa." Through the work of Ditshwanelo, the only gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) organization of Botswana, LeGaBiBo, was founded. To this day, LeGaBiBo continues to use the Ditshwanelo offices for its work.

Established in 1993, Ditshwanelo was founded by Botswana-based non-governmental organizations and individuals committed to human rights. This core group integrated the rights of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people into their work. In light of the recurring incidents of homophobia within southern Africa, Ditshwanelo is a testament to advocacy for GLB human rights by a mainstream organization. 

For example, Botswana criminalized lesbian sex in June of 1998, broadening the existing penalty for sodomy. In the face of intense church advocacy in favor of the measure, Ditshwanelo lobbied against it, stating that such a restriction "is not justifiable in an open and democratic society based on freedom and equality."

As evidenced by its work on GLB equality issues, Ditshwanelo promotes and protects human rights, paying special attention to individuals and groups who are marginalized, underprivileged and discriminated against. Ditshwanelo also has worked on domestic worker, refugee, and asylum-seeker issues. The organization gathers information on human rights issues, and disseminates it to educate the general public as well as the Botswana's policy-makers. In addition to expanding people's awareness and knowledge of their rights, Ditshwanelo works to improve access to affordable legal assistance and to facilitate new initiatives in the field of human rights.

Receiving the Felipa de Souza Award for Ditshwanelo is the organization's Patron, His Grace Archbishop Makhulu, the Anglican Archbishop for Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. The sixth annual Felipa Awards, increasingly attracting the attention of the international human rights community, takes place on Wednesday May 17, at the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center in New York City. 

The Felipa Awards, named in honor of Felipa de Souza, a Brazilian lesbian tortured by the Portuguese Inquisition in 1591, honors activists and organizations who have made significant contributions to the freedom of sexual minorities worldwide. IGLHRC's mission is to protect and advance the human rights of all people and communities subject to discrimination or abuse based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status. 

Source: IGLHRC

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