( CNN ) -- A human rights group urged Burundi to reverse a law that makes homosexuality illegal , saying it risks worsening the harsh treatment of gays in the eastern Africa nation . In March , people in Burundi demonstrate in favor of a measure banning homosexuality . It became law in April . The new law makes `` sexual relations with persons of the same sex '' illegal and punishable by up to two years in prison , Human Rights Watch said in a recently released report . It was enacted just as the gay , lesbian and transgender community had started to mobilize and call for equal treatment , according to the organization . `` The government needs to listen to these voices to understand the harm it is doing to Burundians with its state-sanctioned discrimination , '' said Georgette Gagnon , Africa director for Human Rights Watch . `` The government should rescind this law and instead work to promote equality and understanding . '' Before the law , which was passed in April , some gays and lesbians already faced significant discrimination in Burundi , according to the organization . Some had lost their jobs , others were beaten by parents and local youths , and others were evicted , according to the Human Rights Watch report , which cited accounts by the victims . Numerous attempts to reach government officials were unsuccessful . Homosexuality is illegal in most countries in the region , including in nearby Kenya and Uganda , where sodomy laws were introduced during colonialism . Most African nations have revised those laws to include consensual sex among gay and lesbian couples and made the punishments tougher , according to Human Rights Watch . `` Half the world 's countries that criminalize homosexual conduct do so because they cling to Victorian morality and colonial laws , '' said Scott Long , director of lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender rights program for Human Rights Watch . `` Getting rid of these unjust remnants of the British empire is long overdue . '' The role religion plays in Africa has a lot to do with the ban , others say . `` It is wrong from a biblical standpoint , and most African countries are governed based on religious beliefs , '' said Olatunde Ogunyemi , a professor in Grambling , Louisiana . `` Christianity and Islam are the dominant religions in the continent , and in some cases , constitutions are based on religion , which justifies making it illegal . '' South Africa 's post-apartheid constitution bans discrimination against gays -- the first in Africa to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation . Homosexuality is also illegal in other countries , including Ghana , Nigeria and Zimbabwe , according to Human Rights Watch .
Human Rights Watch fears new law risks worsening harsh treatment of gays . In eastern British nation , jail time for homosexual acts could be April . Homosexuality is illegal in most countries in region , including South Africa 's and South Africa 's . Uganda constitution bans discrimination based on sexual orientation .