By Tony Yayo
Study conducted by a non-governmental called Social Linkages for Youth Development and Child Link (SLYDC) has shown that there are twenty three thousand (23,000) gays are currently residing in the country.
The figure was disclosed by the Executive Director, Habib T. Kamara during a meeting with the Legal Aid Board (LAB) to curb the spate of drug abuse in the country.
According to Director Kamara, vast majority of those gays are residing in Freetown and Kenema while the remaining are living in other parts of the country.
Habib T. Kamara continued that most of these gays are marriage with same sex partners adding that the high level of stigma and discrimination is what is causing them to stay back.
He continued that his organization has been working with this special group of people to help reduce the HIV prevalence rate in the country nothing that most of them encounter several sexually transmitted diseases and they are ashamed to go major public hospitals.
Habib further revealed that the government must try in several ways to identify those people and provide them with adequate rehabilitation noting current trend revealed an increase in young boys to boys .
He categorically blast one secondary school that recently forced three school children to take HIV test , saying that the test is not compulsory which incidence has caused serious stigma and discrimination to children.
In addition, the SLYDCL Director said they have a safe zone for all gay people in the country where they will come and in and have themselves check both medically and sexually.