Intolerance towards LGBTI individuals and organisations is exacerbated by laws which make same sex activity illegal. This creates an unsafe environment for LGBTI individuals to live openly in regard to their sexual identity and orientation, and hinders their access to health, safety and other public services. Despite Kenya being one of the more progressive countries in East Africa regarding LGBQ awareness and rights, the nation still prohibits LGBQ persons. From 2010 to 2014, Kenya prosecuted 595 people for their sexuality, and LGBTI organization, based in Nairobi, have been working to reverse strict laws prohibiting gay relationships.

^[1] More so, Intersex Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (ITGNC) HRDs together with their constituents face a number of challenges and issues in their work. Their work is never safe even where they have to set up an office due to fear of victimization by either the landlord or the community around. Security is not guaranteed when they are training their members especially now that they have to do it in their offices. The sensation about it all turns to be a security threat to them. They have to be mindful of socialization issues and places.

With this in mind, Defenders Coalition felt the need to conduct an extensive security needs mapping on ITGNC HRDs while sensitizing them as well on the Safety and Protection guide in order to enable them have a wider reach into the community.

It is for these and other reasons that the Coalition convened  one-day dialogues with  ITGNC HRDs in Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Nairobi to better understand the security concerns they face in the course of their human rights work and strategies in place to mitigate against those concerns for the purposes of developing a security guide and training manual for the ITGNC community.

OBJECTIVE

To carry out a needs assessment security mapping amongst ITGNC HRDs from Nairobi, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western and Coast regions in order to better understand the security concerns they face in the course of their human rights work and strategies in place to mitigate against those concerns.

OUTCOMES

Identification of safety and protection measures amongst ITGNC HRDs working on SOGIE issues.

Developed sustainable safety and protection measures informed by ITGNC HRDS security needs to ensure the safe conduct of their human rights work.