Kaharagia condemns in the strongest terms the reported approval by lawmakers in Senegal of new legislation imposing harsher penalties on the basis of sexual orientation.

Such measures are incompatible with the basic principle that all persons are entitled to equal protection under the law. Laws which criminalise individuals for who they are diminish human dignity and place vulnerable people at risk of fear, exclusion, and harm.

It must be plainly recognised that homosexual men and women are a natural and enduring part of humanity. Their existence is not contingent upon acceptance, nor does it arise from circumstance or fashion. It is as intrinsic to the human condition as any other form of identity.

No single way of being may properly be treated as a universal standard. Heterosexuality is not a default, just as Christianity is not the only faith, nor any one physical form the measure of all others. These are simply among the many expressions of human life.

Kaharagia recognises the sovereign right of states to legislate within their own jurisdictions. That right, however, does not extend to the denial of fundamental dignity or the enactment of measures that entrench discrimination.

The adoption of legislation of this nature is a matter of grave concern. It stands at odds with the basic expectation that the law should protect all equally, without fear or favour.

Kaharagia calls upon the authorities of Senegal to reconsider this course and to ensure that their laws uphold, rather than erode, the dignity and security of every individual.

The strength of any legal order is found in its fairness, its restraint, and its respect for the inherent worth of all people.