Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, LGBTQ+ Afghans have been living in fear for their lives. Now Stonewall, in partnership with ILGA Asia, is making a renewed push to help them escape the country or find assistance within it.
Like many countries in the region, Afghanistan has a complicated history where LGBTQ+ people are concerned. Although its predominant religion is Sunni Islam, which considers all sexual practices outside marriage to be sinful, it has a literary tradition which is full of love poetry written by men to their male objects of desire, and there is strong evidence that some of its former rulers were gay or bisexual. Laws introduced in the late 20th and early 21st centuries outlawed certain types of same sex relations but were selectively applied. Tragically, a clampdown on the tradition of teenage boys being forced into dancing and sex work has led to cases of the boys themselves being criminalised rather than recognised as victims.
Worsening conditions under the Taliban
Under the Taliban’s harsh interpretation of Sharia law, LGBTQ+ people face a denial of their most basic human rights. ILGA Asia has cited reports of “death threats, harassment, extortion, arrests and sexual violence,” as well as special detention facilities being set up in Kabul, Herat and Baghlan, outside the provisions of the law. Individuals have spoken of their fear of being killed in the street, with vigilantes as well as police posing a threat. As the country plunges into poverty, there has been a complete breakdown of law and order in some areas, and a resurgence of ‘honour’ killings. Computers and phones can be hacked and there is a risk of people in detention giving up the names of others they know in order to escape torture.
“The Taliban will identify me easily and find me soon and will kill me and my family. No one is helping us,” one gay man told Stonewall.
Although it was obliged to keep quiet about it at the time in order to avoid intervention, the UK government played a role in getting LGBTQ+ people out of the country, firstly recognising them as a priority group for resettlement, and then working with Stonewall and partners to relocate a group of them over the following autumn. It was only able to help a small number of people, however, as getting the word out was difficult and many were unable to get to the airport, or felt that it was too dangerous to attempt it. Some have been smuggled out since, with the help of local charities and networks, but many of those have not been able to reach countries where their sexual orientation or gender identity is not criminalised, whilst others need help to apply for sanctuary in safe countries.
Forced to keep their identities a secret, many LGBTQ+ Afghans marry and raise families, either as a means of hiding themselves or out of a desire to fit in with familial and cultural norms. This means that escaping the country is not an option for all of them because it would mean leaving dependents and loved ones behind. Lesbian and bisexual women, and trans men and non-binary people forced to present themselves as women, are unable to flee on their own because they are not allowed to leave their homes without male relatives to escort them. Even then, it can be risky to do so.
Safe and effective interventions
Drawing on ILGA Asia’s regional expertise, Stonewall has worked with them as partners to develop an initiative which focuses on providing food, shelter and emergency medical treatment where needed, while collecting data in a secure system in order to facilitate support and asylum claims. This has helped 700 people to date, and the charity is currently working with a further 300 in need of urgent support to find safe ways out of the country. It is calling on members of the public to donate so that it can keep up with demand.
LGBTQ+ refugees sometimes struggle even after evacuation because they can face further harassment and persecution in detention centres. The experience of having been persecuted also leaves its mark, making it difficult for them to develop the confidence needed to live openly and form new friendships. In Scotland, LGBT Unity Glasgow provides support and social opportunities to help refugees build new lives.
“When UK and US troops withdrew from Afghanistan, Stonewall received desperate pleas from LGBTQ+ Afghans who were terrified of the torment, torture and real possibility of death they now faced, simply for being who they are,” said a representative of the charity. Stonewall has also pledged to “share information about the continued risks faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Afghanistan with the international community, to ensure LGBTQ+ people are not left behind by international humanitarian efforts.”
