Qtalk: Trans woman seeks justice after marketplace assault
LGBTQ+ Nigerians benefit from the support provided by volunteer counselors via the Qtalk app, which is supported by this site and by the St. Paul’s Foundation for International Reconciliation.
The Qtalk user’s name has been changed in the following writeup, which is one of many contributed by the counselors who provide advice to LGBTQ+ Nigerians via the free Qtalk app:
Trans woman assaulted in an open market, seeks justice
Evelyn, a 21-year old Enugu-based trans woman is seeking justice after she was humiliated and assaulted in an open market. In her support request, she wrote:
Is there any law in this country that can be used to get justice for someone like me? Because I can’t just let what happened to me slide. I was assaulted and humiliated in an open market by area boys just because they felt I was too proud. Exposing me to further harm, now I can’t go back home as the community youth leader is looking for me.
In response to Evelyn’s request, the counselor who is a legal practitioner hinted that it was possible for her to get justice if she was OK with the idea. The counselor suggested that a good place to start will be to report the incident to the nearest police station and suggested that working with an LGBT-friendly human rights organization will also be a good idea. The counselor also suggested and encouraged her to stay away from home until she felt safe enough to return back.
Evelyn is now currently in a safe house where she’ll be until she is able to clearly figure out the next steps.
This article is one of five that comprise Part 12 of the Qtalk series.
To download the Qtalk mobile app, click HERE.
To support the Qtalk project financially, click HERE.
Nigerian online influencer condemns anti-LGBT violence