UK Prime Minister David Cameron has
vowed to cut aid to nations that persecute gays, but adds he doesn't
expect laws to change overnight, the BBC reported.
Cameron talked about the new initiative
during an appearance on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show.
Forty-one of the nations within the
54-member Commonwealth ban sex between consenting adults of the same
sex. The countries instituted the laws while part of the British
Empire.
“This is an issue where we are
pushing for movement, we are prepared to put some money behind what
we believe. But I'm afraid that you can't expect countries to change
overnight,” Cameron said.
“Britain is one of the premier aid
givers in the world. We want to see countries that receive our aid
adhering to proper human rights.”
“We are saying that is one of things
that determines our aid policy, and there have been particularly bad
examples where we have taken action,” he added.
According to the Daily Mail, aid
to Malawi has already been cut by nearly $30 million after the nation
sentenced gay couple Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga to 14
years of hard labor for announcing their engagement. The African
nation received nearly $300 million from Britain over the past three
years.
Also under threat are Uganda and Ghana.
Uganda lawmakers continue to press for legislation that would
increase the penalties for being gay in a nation where it is already
a crime. MP David Bahati's bill, first introduced in 2009, proposes
putting repeat offenders to death under certain circumstances and
criminalizing the discussion of homosexuality. Officials in Ghana
have called for the arrest of all gay people.