Peace Brigades International is deeply concerned by the excessive and unlawful use of force by security forces during recent demonstrations in Nepal. At least 27 people – including youth – have lost their lives, and hundreds have been injured. The use of lethal force not only violates international law but also undermines the fundamental rights to peaceful assembly and protest.

Afgelopen maand ging onze Shelter City gast Malala op bezoek bij de Nederlandse Jeugd Raad (NJR) in Utrecht waar zij een presentatie gaf aan leden van de werkgroep VN Jongeren. Daarnaast stond de avond in het teken van de foto expositie met de portretten van voormalige gasten van Shelter City Utrecht.

Op het kantoor van de NJR in Utrecht zijn wij hartelijk ontvangen door de NJR. Na een korte introductie over PBI Nederland en Shelter City nam Malala het woord en vertelde over haar werk als mensenrechtenverdediger in Kenia en de uitdagingen die zij daarbij tegenkomt.

For a queer woman human rights defender from Kenya, a country where LGBTQ+ rights are constantly under threat, experiencing Pride in the Netherlands was something our Shelter City guest, Malala, had been extremely excited about. 

From the beginning of her stay, Malala expressed strong interest in Pride events. While being gay is not officially illegal in Kenya, she told us about a gay club she used to frequent, known as a kind of “public secret” in Nairobi. So, the idea of a day where queer people are openly celebrated was incredibly meaningful to her. 

Recently, our newest Shelter City Utrecht guest was invited for a guest lecture and Q&A session at the Hague of Applied Science University as part of the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) course.

This gave us the opportunity to share who we are as Shelter City, and our guest the opportunity to discuss and inform around 30 students about her activist work back in Kenya.