UNAIDS Sounds Alarm as Senegal’s Anti-LGBTQ Law Threatens Lives, Public Health

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The United Nations’ HIV/AIDS agency, UNAIDS, has issued a stark warning over Senegal’s new legislation imposing harsher penalties on same-sex relations, calling it a potential disaster for public health and human rights.

On 12 March 2026, Senegal’s Parliament passed a bill criminalizing “unnatural acts,” including homosexuality, and penalizing anyone promoting or encouraging LGBTQ rights.

While the law technically exempts authorized health organisations, UNAIDS cautioned that fear of prosecution could push vulnerable communities away from essential HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services, threatening to undo years of progress.

Senegal has long been a model for HIV response in West Africa. Today, 79% of people living with HIV receive lifesaving antiretroviral therapy.

Yet new infections rose 36% between 2010 and 2024, making Senegal one of only four countries in the region seeing an increase.

Experts warn that criminalization will deepen stigma, reduce access to care for the most vulnerable, and risk a public health setback of national and regional significance.

UNAIDS called on President Macky Sall and government authorities to fully implement the law’s public health exemption, provide clear legal protections for health workers, safeguard patient confidentiality, and allow community-based organizations to continue lifesaving work without fear.

The agency also urged Senegal to maintain international funding and partnerships critical for sustaining HIV services.

“Criminalization is not just a human rights issue—it is a public health emergency,” UNAIDS said. “Ending AIDS requires reaching everyone, particularly those most at risk. Senegal must ensure that fear and stigma do not become barriers to life-saving care.”

UNAIDS reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Senegal in safeguarding access to HIV services, protecting vulnerable populations, and continuing the fight to end AIDS as a public health threat.