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For a long time , he believed he had been successful . Then three men followed him to a market and grabbed him . Two held him while the third beat him , spat on him , and kicked him in the genitals . He was in excruciating pain . Blood trickled into his eyes , his head pounded , his body ached , but somehow , shaking with anxiety and barely able to breathe , he returned home .
From that time on Rodney lived in fear . He was constantly harassed . His phone rang day and night : “ We know where you are , you dirty gay bastard .” When he did not pick up , he received messages saying , “ We know who you are , you will never be safe ”. When he dared to leave his house to buy food , he saw the three men who had attacked him standing in wait .
For a while , he survived because he was careful , and because he returned home before dark . Nevertheless , one day he was beaten so brutally that he came close to dying . He wanted to call the police because it was better to be imprisoned than trying to survive on the outside as a gay man .
Finally , the organisation he worked for decided to get him out of the country . They had contacts with other organisations in Europe that worked for gay rights , and Rodney was granted asylum since he had been persecuted due to his sexual orientation . He now lives in a European country .
Rodney , Uganda
REFLECTION QUESTION
Questions to reflect on
• Why might a person who is gay / LGBTQI be particularly deeply traumatised if he is sexually assaulted ?
• How might cultural background influence the incidence or expression of trauma ?
• What other human rights abuses can be observed in your work environment , and how can you deal with groups who are particularly at risk of abuse or reprisals ?