Dakar-based Nellie Peyton is the West Africa Correspondent for the Thomson Reuters Foundation. She reports on humanitarian affairs including conflict, disasters and human rights covering countries from Mauritania to the Democratic Republic of Congo
Omar was 10 years old when he was first beaten with sticks and chased from the schoolyard by children shouting "goor-jigeen", meaning "man-woman" in the Senegalese language Wolof.
Growing up gay in the West African country, the violence only got worse. Now a slim 22-year-old, he is so afraid of abuse that he rarely leaves the house.
"One day they could kill me, I don't know. They hate us," said Omar, whose name has been changed for his protection, speaking in a low voice at a cafe in the capital, Dakar.
In the past three years he has been robbed, attacked by a mob, stoned in the street, and arrested and detained after someone reported to the police that he was gay, he said.
An official speaking for Senegal's national police denied that they arrest people on suspicion of homosexuality, though rights groups said this happens at least several times a year.
A mainly Muslim nation known for its religious tolerance, Senegal is nonetheless more aggressive than many African states in enforcing its anti-gay law, which criminalises "unnatural acts", said Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International.
Violence and verbal abuse are daily occurrences for many LGBT+ people in Senegal, but those who report it risk being arrested themselves, said Djamil Bangoura, president of local support group Association Prudence.
Shunned by their families, many live in constant fear, moving house frequently and taking pains to blend in, he said.
"Other countries are fighting for marriage and adoption rights. Our fight is a fight for survival," he said.
NO JUSTICE
Omar was staying with friends last year in a suburb of Dakar when about 30 men broke in at 1:00 am and beat them, stealing their phones and money and shouting anti-gay slurs, he said.
They reported the crime, but police told them to forget it and leave the neighbourhood when they heard that they were gay, he said. He slept outside for two days.
It could have been worse. Read more via Thomson Reuters Foundation