Gender ‘should not be a barrier’ to coaching men
This week, we start in Ethiopia, where survivors of the Tigray War are working to rebuild their lives amid challenges like displacement and poverty. Next, we go to Ivory Coast, once a haven for queer people, now facing targeted violence and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. Finally, we visit Japan, where a second high court has ruled in favor of same-sex marriage.
TW: Sexual violence, suicide
But first, in Gezira, Sudan, reports from rights groups and activists show that several women are taking their lives after being raped by paramilitary fighters during the ongoing civil war.
Since the conflict started in April 2023 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), thousands have died, and over 11 million people have been displaced. The UN has warned of a potential humanitarian crisis, with millions at risk of starvation if peace is not achieved soon.
Human rights groups report serious crimes, including mass killings and sexual violence against women and children by RSF fighters. Sadly, this sexual violence has increased in Gezira after a top RSF commander, Abu Aqla Kayka, switched sides to join the army. In retaliation, RSF fighters have looted, killed civilians, and raped women and children in areas formerly under the control of Abu Kayka.
The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (Siha) has confirmed three recent suicides in Gezira, including one case where a woman took her life after being raped in front of her family. An anonymous female activist from the region also reported that several women have died by suicide following the murders of their husbands by the RSF. Unfortunately, due to poor communication, the full extent of suicides and violence is difficult to verify, but many more cases are suspected.
The UN has documented at least 400 survivors of sexual violence from the conflict, with victims aged between eight and 75 blaming the RSF for these attacks. However, the RSF denies these accusations, saying there is no evidence.
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“My personal secret”: Accessing family planning beyond religious boundaries in Zimbabwe
At 15, Catherine*, a member of the Johanne Marange Apostolic Sect (JMAC), one of an estimated 160 Apostolic sects in Zimbabwe, got married to her husband of the same faith.
Three years later, she welcomed her first child, beginning a pattern of almost yearly pregnancies. Catherine, now 37 years old, refrained from seeking medical advice due to the gendered inequalities embedded in the doctrines of the JMAC regarding contraception.
The central tenet of the JMAC is encapsulated within their Apostolic text, known as “Umboo Utsva hwa Vapostori” (The New Revelation of the Apostles). The book is revered as a canonical addition to the Bible. According to their Apostolic book, the JMAC maintains a religious culture against the idea of contraception.
“As a person who grew up in church, we only knew that we access antenatal and postnatal care from our church midwives and prophets,” Catherine says.
Members of the Johanne Marange Apostolic sect staunchly reject any form of medical treatment, even in the most critical instances of injury or illness. They firmly hold the belief that divine intervention, rooted in their unwavering faith, is the sole path to healing.
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When asked, “What kind of childhood did you have?” Awele responds cheerfully.
“I had a very happy childhood. I had a very protected childhood. I had a very soft childhood. I think you might say anything you want to say about my parents, but one thing I will always give them the accolades for is the kind of life they gave my siblings and me, both in terms of the schools we attended and the life they afforded us. Saying this does not mean we went for summer holiday every summer, but if any of us told our parents they wanted a rolling school bag, my parents would get it for them. It never mattered what issues they had between them; they always put us first.”
It is easy to imagine the beautiful memories of growing up she still holds on to as she speaks. Awele had what any Nigerian would agree was ‘a normal life.’
Eleven years ago, she was in her second year as an undergraduate studying finance at a university in southeastern Nigeria.
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Gay People Are Hunted Down and Beaten in a Country Once a Refuge
Ivory Coast had long been a haven for L.G.B.T.Q. people, even as they faced discrimination or persecution elsewhere in West Africa. But over the past two months, dozens of assaults, beatings and intimidation online and in the streets have shaken that sense of safety.
Dozens of gay men and transgender people said in interviews and testimonies collected by rights groups that they had been attacked and beaten in Ivory Coast’s largest city, Abidjan, after several social media influencers exhorted their followers to “hunt woubis,” a term referring to effeminate gay men in the country that has become a catchphrase to designate a stigmatized community.
Fans in a soccer stadium deployed a banner with a homophobic slur, to the cheers of other supporters.