Dr Jessie Kabwila-Kapasula said this in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, on Thursday when she presented a report on research findings on homosexuals to a group of members of Parliament.
The research, under the theme Sexual Minorities and HIV and Aids: An Urgent Concern for Malawi, was commissioned by the Centre for the Development of People (Cedep) with funding from the Netherland-based Rurtgers World Population Fund.
Kabwila-Kapasula said the research revealed that many people across different sectors of society are involved in homosexuality and that their activities impact on the majority of Malawians, especially in the spread of HIV and Aids.
“The figures are astronomical. This research means that the country needs to have a deep and broad conversation on what we are benefiting from denying that homosexuals exist and criminalising them,†Kabwila-Kapasula said.
She said the research also involved sex workers and prisoners.
Kabwila-Kapasula said the HIV and Aids prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) is at 21.4 percent against the country’s less than 11 percent while among the sex workers, it is at 70 percent.
She said there is need for the country’s laws to reflect the reality on sexual minorities.
“The problem is that our policies are not uniform. Some, like the National HIV and Aids Policy, mention men having sex with men (MSM), but it is just window-dressing. However, the Constitution is clear that we are all equal and we got the Penal Code violating the Constitution,†she added.
The presentation of the report involved four key committees of Parliamentâ€â€Legal Affairs, Health, HIV and Aids and the Social Committee.
Chairperson of the HIV and Aids committee Rabson Chihaula Shaba said his committee will come up with a position on the issue after going through the report.
