Sharp increase in asylum requests on homophobia grounds

A growing number of asylum seekers in Belgium cite their homosexuality as the reason for applying, saying they fled their country because of homophobia and the violence that accompanies it, reports Het Laatste Nieuws. In 2011, 823 such applications were made, compared to 116 in 2006. Of the 522 applications received in 2010 on these grounds, 156, or 29.9%, were accepted, a higher proportion than the overall average acceptance level for asylum applications (21.4%). The Belgian authorities do not accept this reason more easily than others, however, said the spokesman for the commissioner-general for refugees and stateless persons. Each claimant is subject to detailed questioning – typically for three to four hours – to verify their story. Most asylum requests on grounds of homophobic persecution come from men of African descent. However, in some countries, particularly in Central Africa, homosexuality remains a taboo so entrenched that few asylum candidates dare use it as a motivation for asylum, however valid it may be,  says gay rights association Cavaria.