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Tunisia and Kenya move towards abolishing forced anal examinations to determine sexual orientation
At the 36th session of the Human Rights Council, Tunisia accepted the recommendation to ban forced anal examinations as means of determining sexual orientation. The State Minister declared that authorities will no longer be permitted to impose these examinations without consent of the individual involved. While judges and authorities may still recommend the examination, ‘suspects’ are entitled to reject such directions without the inviting aspersions of homosexuality. Following the revolution against dictatorship in 2011, the country has been moving towards democracy and with that, enhanced respect for and protection of the LGBT community. However, same-sex activity remains punishable by three years of incarceration.
In a similar move, the Kenyan Medical Association (KMA), issued a statement in support of the Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) campaign against forced anal examinations in Kenya. The statement comes in the wake of a Governing Council Meeting wherein the NGLHRC concerns were voiced. The KMA statement resolved to condemn and discourage any form of forced examination of clients, advice practitioners to adhere to the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct in all client interactions, call on the National Government to ensure safe and secure health-care environments, and organize a forum on the health needs of the LGBTIQ community.
Sources: http://bit.ly/2gM58qe; http://bit.ly/2zPYzdU