Yaoundé (AFP)

In Cameroon, where having sex with a person of the same sex is a crime under the law, homophobia is a brake in the fight against HIV, which is devastating.

And this, even if the authorities show in recent years a little more tolerance.

At least 37 percent of men who have sex with men are HIV-positive in Cameroon, according to a 2016 survey by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). While in the total population, less than one in twenty people carry the virus.

"HIV is very present in the homosexual community in Cameroon, observes Patrick Awondo, anthropologist at the University of Yaoundé I." And this is still the case in countries where the law penalizes homosexuality, "says he.

Since 1972, the Cameroon Penal Code stipulates that having sex with a person of the same sex is a crime punishable by 5 years of imprisonment. If convictions are rare, it helps to strengthen a homophobic climate in society as well as in health facilities.

Thus, many homosexuals have had traumatic experiences in hospitals, where they were sometimes illegally refused to treat them because of their sexual orientation, testifies Jean-Paul Enama, executive director of Humanity First, a Cameroonian association of struggle against HIV / AIDS and advocating for the rights of sexual minorities.

This is the case of Giovanni, 33, a social worker who prefers to remain anonymous: he was refused a screening test in a hospital in Yaounde, after he spoke of his homosexuality to a nurse. "She told me that her church could save me ..." he tells AFP.

"Stigma distances them from prevention speeches or places of care", Patrick Awondo deplores. Awareness campaigns against AIDS, spots or posters, never target homosexuals, a brake on prevention in their community.

Since 2011, for example, national strategic plans have included men who have sex with men in the fight against HIV. This is how associations like Humanity First can operate, including opening health centers for people in the LGTBI community.

There, free screenings are offered and HIV-positive people can come for their antiretrovirals with complete peace of mind. The associations also multiply training with health personnel to raise awareness about the rights of sexual minorities.

"In recent years, associations have been able to work," says Awondo. "But in a context like this, where homosexual sex is still forbidden, it only takes a spark, and everything could disappear," he adds.

© 2019 AFP