World AIDS Day (WAD) on December 1, 2009, was commemorated under the theme ‘Universal Access and Human Rights,’ which will foreground global observances on HIV over the next year. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon placed on record a strong message urging the repeal of “punitive laws, policies and practices that hamper the AIDS response.” He was clear that laws which institutionalize discrimination against sex workers and men who have sex with men only serve to fuel the HIV epidemic and prevent cost-effective programmes. While we commend these calls consistently being made at the international level, SASOD is alarmed that even the rhetoric at home seems to be wearing thin. In an ambiguous interview reported just a week before WAD in the Stabroek News of November 24, 2009, Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy has said that he does not view homosexual sex as criminal but at the same time it would be a mistake to impose decriminalization on the nation. There also seems to be some confusion that decriminalization is equivalent to legalization, as Minister Ramsammy is also quoted saying “Criminalizing it is wrong, but that doesn’t mean we should legalize it either.”
Responding to Minister Ramsammy’s comments, SASOD Co-Chairpersons, Namela Baynes-Henry and Joel Simpson took issue with his dubious positions. “Minister Ramsammy needs to lead Guyana’s HIV response to live up to the commitments to universal access and human rights the government has made abroad,” charged Henry, who represented SASOD last year at the United Nations High Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS where Minister Ramsammy acknowledged the need to address antiquated laws which stigmatise marginalized groups. “Why is he ‘singing a different tune’ now? Minister Ramsammy should ‘talk the talk’ and ‘walk the walk’ as Guyana has signed UN declarations to that effect,” she added. Picking up on this point, fellow Co-Chair Simpson added, “If the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS means nothing to Minister Ramsammy, then the Guyana government should not have signed on. Why are we putting on one face on the international stage and then when we are at home it’s a different story? That just smacks of hypocrisy.” Simpson continued that “I want to remind Minister Ramsammy that these discriminatory laws were imposed on us by our colonial rulers. Decriminalizing behaviours of stigmatized minority groups, which should not have been criminalised in the first place, is in no way an imposition on the majority. The state is duty bound to protect its minorities, regardless of what opinion polls say. This is the true test of any real democracy – how well we protect our minorities.”
Minister Ramsammy’s reported remarks had seemingly marred the climate for advocacy on “universal access and human rights” but thankfully civic organizations were brave and bold where political courage is apparently now diminishing. First, the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU) in its WAD message called for all vulnerable groups including sexual and gender minorities to have equal access to HIV prevention without discrimination, as this is critical to halt the spread of the disease. “Same-sex relationships must be decriminalized so that these persons dare to exercise their rights and seek health services,” its statement unequivocally said. Following on, the National AIDS Committee (NAC) its WAD press release called for rights-related barriers to universal access to be addressed, including the failure to decriminalize same-sex intimacy which discourages men who have sex with men from seeking health services and tackle homophobia promoted by religious dogma, popular culture and negative masculinities. We salute the CCWU and the NAC for their principled positions on these issues.
Even as the United States Embassy in Georgetown announced its renewal of support for the next five years to HIV response in Guyana through the President’s Emergency Fund Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), we are concerned that the funding allocated for prevention programmes is not reaching the most affected communities. “While national HIV prevalence in Guyana has been declining, and that is to be commended, HIV prevalence among MSM in Guyana remains scandalously high at an unrestrained 21 per cent,” said Ian McKnight, who is the new Executive Director at the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC), a regional coalition which supports frontline organizations working with vulnerable groups. “I am dismayed that in a Caribbean country with such elevated rates of HIV among MSM, that existing community-based organizations advocating for the health and human rights of these groups are not able to access funds to implement prevention programmes,” he noted. McKnight was referring to a recent debacle between USAID’s local PEPFAR programme in Guyana, and SASOD.
This past July, SASOD was invited by the Guyana HIV & AIDS Reduction and Prevention Phase II project (GHARP II) to participate in an institutional assessment to determine if SASOD meets USAID’s eligibility criteria for funding. On July 27, 2009, SASOD was formally notified by GHARP II on behalf of Community Support and Development Services Inc (CSDS), local funding agent for USAID, that SASOD was approved to receive funding for the financial year October 2009 to September 2010 contingent upon participation in the funding process laid out by CSDS and GHARP II. SASOD participated in a series of NGO work-planning activities culminating in the submission of a work plan and budget for funding on August 14, 2009 and receiving feedback for revisions from GHARP II and its affiliate, Management Sciences for Health (MSH), on August 24, 2009. On Monday, August 31, 2009, at 8:45 hrs, SASOD received a telephone call summoning a representative to an urgent meeting at 10:00 hrs that day for all the NGOs involved in the funding process.
At that meeting, a representative of USAID in Guyana, Edris George, announced that due to a decrease in the overall PEPFAR budgetary allocation for 2010, that out of the 3 new NGOs to be funded, SASOD and a CBO working on HIV prevention with vulnerable groups, would not be receiving operational funding.
This announcement was subsequently confirmed in writing in an email sent by a CSDS staffer on September 2, 2009. SASOD responded to USAID, CSDS and GHARP II by email on September 7, 2009, calling out the homophobia SASOD has experienced with a CSDS official, and rejecting any form of collaboration or partnership with USAID, CSDS and GHARP II other than that which was originally proposed to receive direct funding. To date, 3 months later, none of these agencies has responded to the concerns raised by SASOD directly with them.
Reacting to these reports, Dr Robert Carr, Co-Chair of the Global Forum on MSM and HIV (MSMGF) expressed disappointment that frontline organizations working with vulnerable groups are not equally able to access resources to implement prevention programmes. “This is a huge blow to community-based efforts to stem the tide of HIV among MSM in Guyana,” Dr Carr posited. “The local PEPFAR programme has lost a golden opportunity to make inroads in providing prevention services to key populations which are very hard to reach,” he added.
As we approach the next United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV and AIDS (UNGASS) review and reporting period in 2010, Guyana is still missing the mark in terms of attaining universal access for HIV by failing to reach key populations necessary to halt the spread of the epidemic.
It seems as if the promise to “stop AIDS” is the proverbial ‘comfort to a fool’ for communities most affected by the stigma and spread of the disease.
Showing posts with label World AIDS Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World AIDS Day. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
World AIDS Day 2008
Guyanese AIDS-service and human-rights organisations join with our regional partners in the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition to commend leaders of marginalized groups. These groups carry a disproportionate burden of the AIDS epidemic and yet they are often not given adequate attention in national AIDS programmes. As World AIDS Day 2008 is observed under the theme of “Leadership,” we recognize the invaluable contributions of our ‘everyday leaders’ from across the Caribbean who represent and serve these vulnerable populations, even in the face of stigma and discrimination. We salute them for their vigour and valour as they work tirelessly to protect the human rights of those infected and affected by HIV. They are true promise keepers to stop AIDS in Guyana , the rest of the Caribbean and the world.
Local Co-Sponsoring Organisations:
Guyana Sex Work Coalition (GSWC)
Juncata Juvant Friendly Society (JJFS)
Guyana Rainbow Foundation (Guybow)
Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD)
The Network of Guyanese Living with and Affected by HIV and AIDS (G+)
World AIDS Day Celebration of Community Leadership
“Lead – Deliver – Empower”
IN keeping with the World AIDS Day theme of “Leadership,” we are celebrating the
leadership by members of vulnerable communities who are part of the Caribbean
Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) family. Mindful that it is ideal that leadership
comes from the groups we work with, in our context this is not easy and means the leaders
risk stigma and discrimination by taking a stand for their community. This World AIDS Day
we are therefore commending their bravery and commitment to a world without AIDS and a
Caribbean where social justice is a reality.
“Lead – Deliver – Empower”
IN keeping with the World AIDS Day theme of “Leadership,” we are celebrating the
leadership by members of vulnerable communities who are part of the Caribbean
Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) family. Mindful that it is ideal that leadership
comes from the groups we work with, in our context this is not easy and means the leaders
risk stigma and discrimination by taking a stand for their community. This World AIDS Day
we are therefore commending their bravery and commitment to a world without AIDS and a
Caribbean where social justice is a reality.
Elias Ramos – Leadership for Youth
Addressing their vulnerability is not easy for young people, but especially for young people
from marginalised groups. In the Dominican Republic, 24-year old Elias Ramos is a leader of
a new youth strategy by and for young people. “Jovenes de la Vida Real” (in English,
YurWorld or Youth in the Real World) is a project by COIN in the Dominican Republic that
targets marginalized youth to increase their resilience to HIV.
Elias explains how the young people at YurWorld are finding solutions:
Marginalized youth are a vulnerable population with complex needs. In light of this,
Addressing their vulnerability is not easy for young people, but especially for young people
from marginalised groups. In the Dominican Republic, 24-year old Elias Ramos is a leader of
a new youth strategy by and for young people. “Jovenes de la Vida Real” (in English,
YurWorld or Youth in the Real World) is a project by COIN in the Dominican Republic that
targets marginalized youth to increase their resilience to HIV.
Elias explains how the young people at YurWorld are finding solutions:
Marginalized youth are a vulnerable population with complex needs. In light of this,
sustainable prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS amongst marginalized youth
requires empowering them to act and bring about change in their own terms at the
individual as well as the collective level.
requires empowering them to act and bring about change in their own terms at the
individual as well as the collective level.
He believes that an effective response takes more than disease specific interventions and
includes broader development strategies. This approach is championed by YurWorld which
encourages change through employment and cultural values, ownership of assets, and
political and civil opportunities that empower marginalized youth.
includes broader development strategies. This approach is championed by YurWorld which
encourages change through employment and cultural values, ownership of assets, and
political and civil opportunities that empower marginalized youth.
Ionie Whorms – Leadership for Drug Users
It is an early morning and the film crew is setting up their equipment in the neighbourhood
of Fletcher’s Land, Kingston, Jamaica. Residents come out to hail and support a woman who
has become their heroine doing yet another television interview. She has become Jamaica’s
leading advocate for crack cocaine users, herself in recovery for the past 15 years. This time
she is on set for the filming of Complex Problems, Simple Solutions, the documentary on
access to HIV treatment for women and men who are homeless substance users. Complex
Problems, Simple Solutions, a collaboration between CVC and the Caribbean Treatment
Action Group produced by the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC),
is also released as part of the broadcast media package for World AIDS Week, distributed
throughout the region by the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership. This is yet another
one of her avenues for advocating for the rights of this vulnerable community.
She is Ionie Whorms, whose work is built on the conviction that she would not want anyone
else to go through what she went through when she was on crack cocaine.
“It really bothers me to see lives been wasted away in this manner” she confesses
“and so I must do anything possible to stop it.”
That “anything” about which she speaks ranges from taking a meal to those who are
homeless to transporting others to health centres, being part of a civil society response to
substance use and advocating for policy change. She considers these to be simple solutions
to complex things.
It is an early morning and the film crew is setting up their equipment in the neighbourhood
of Fletcher’s Land, Kingston, Jamaica. Residents come out to hail and support a woman who
has become their heroine doing yet another television interview. She has become Jamaica’s
leading advocate for crack cocaine users, herself in recovery for the past 15 years. This time
she is on set for the filming of Complex Problems, Simple Solutions, the documentary on
access to HIV treatment for women and men who are homeless substance users. Complex
Problems, Simple Solutions, a collaboration between CVC and the Caribbean Treatment
Action Group produced by the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC),
is also released as part of the broadcast media package for World AIDS Week, distributed
throughout the region by the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership. This is yet another
one of her avenues for advocating for the rights of this vulnerable community.
She is Ionie Whorms, whose work is built on the conviction that she would not want anyone
else to go through what she went through when she was on crack cocaine.
“It really bothers me to see lives been wasted away in this manner” she confesses
“and so I must do anything possible to stop it.”
That “anything” about which she speaks ranges from taking a meal to those who are
homeless to transporting others to health centres, being part of a civil society response to
substance use and advocating for policy change. She considers these to be simple solutions
to complex things.
Nigel Mathlin – Leadership for Gay Men
Men who have sex with men in the Caribbean region are said to be invisible and hard to
reach for HIV interventions. Nigel Mathlin has engaged the response to HIV in a manner that
proves that does not have to be the case.
He is engaged in arranging activities for the gay, lesbian and bisexual population in his home
county of Grenada through GrenCHAP, the local AIDS-prevention community-based
organisation of which he is a co-founder. But his work has not stopped at home. He is also
integrally involved in the sub-regional and regional movements through the OECS-based
Caribbean HIV/AIDS Partnership (CHAPS) and CVC respectively. No longer can it be said that
leaders for this community cannot be found neither can it be said that this population is not
taking its own action.
Men who have sex with men in the Caribbean region are said to be invisible and hard to
reach for HIV interventions. Nigel Mathlin has engaged the response to HIV in a manner that
proves that does not have to be the case.
He is engaged in arranging activities for the gay, lesbian and bisexual population in his home
county of Grenada through GrenCHAP, the local AIDS-prevention community-based
organisation of which he is a co-founder. But his work has not stopped at home. He is also
integrally involved in the sub-regional and regional movements through the OECS-based
Caribbean HIV/AIDS Partnership (CHAPS) and CVC respectively. No longer can it be said that
leaders for this community cannot be found neither can it be said that this population is not
taking its own action.
Miriam Edwards – Leadership for Sex Workers
“This is our profession, we must stand up and protect our rights” boomed the
confident voice from across the room to the applause of the thirty other male and
female sex workers gathered for a national consultation of sex workers in
Georgetown, Guyana.
The speaker is Miriam, sex worker organiser and a leader in the Caribbean sex work
community.
After seeing many persons die from HIV infection and nursing her own sister on her death
bed, Miriam is intent that HIV awareness among sex workers must be heightened in the
region. That led her to found a local Guyana organisation called “One Love” and later to co-
found the regionally-based Caribbean Sex Work Coalition and then Guyana’s national
organisation of sex workers, Guyana Sex Work Coalition. At any given time Miriam can be
seen in training session for sex workers, distributing condoms and safer sex material, visiting
those living with HIV in the hospitals or their homes and advocating at the national, regional
and international levels for the rights of sex workers and other marginalised groups in the Caribbean.
“This is our profession, we must stand up and protect our rights” boomed the
confident voice from across the room to the applause of the thirty other male and
female sex workers gathered for a national consultation of sex workers in
Georgetown, Guyana.
The speaker is Miriam, sex worker organiser and a leader in the Caribbean sex work
community.
After seeing many persons die from HIV infection and nursing her own sister on her death
bed, Miriam is intent that HIV awareness among sex workers must be heightened in the
region. That led her to found a local Guyana organisation called “One Love” and later to co-
found the regionally-based Caribbean Sex Work Coalition and then Guyana’s national
organisation of sex workers, Guyana Sex Work Coalition. At any given time Miriam can be
seen in training session for sex workers, distributing condoms and safer sex material, visiting
those living with HIV in the hospitals or their homes and advocating at the national, regional
and international levels for the rights of sex workers and other marginalised groups in the Caribbean.
Donna Snagg – Leadership for Involuntary Remigrants
Throughout the Caribbean there is a profound misconception of members of our societies
who have experienced deportation, to the point of them now being labelled and
depersonalised as “deportees.” This label overshadows who these persons really are and
their potential to contribute to society. Often lost in a system that is unaccommodating and
hostile, the associations with the label “deportee” in many respects deflects attention from
the violations of their basic human rights that are commonplace.
Human rights activist and stalwart Mrs. Donna Snagg had the experience of being deported
from the USA approximately ten years ago but has used that encounter to mobilize other
persons with similar experiences in her home country of Guyana. So important are these
issues to her that she founded the Juncata Juvant Friendly Society, an NGO that caters for
the needs of involuntary remigrants. The organisation’s focus is also to assist this population
to reintegrate into Guyanese society and empowering them to be self sufficient. Added to
that, Donna and the other members of Juncata Juvant recognize the challenges this group of
persons encounter and their vulnerability to HIV. This inspires their activities and the
conviction that with the right support they can overcome these hurdles with dignity and
respect.
Throughout the Caribbean there is a profound misconception of members of our societies
who have experienced deportation, to the point of them now being labelled and
depersonalised as “deportees.” This label overshadows who these persons really are and
their potential to contribute to society. Often lost in a system that is unaccommodating and
hostile, the associations with the label “deportee” in many respects deflects attention from
the violations of their basic human rights that are commonplace.
Human rights activist and stalwart Mrs. Donna Snagg had the experience of being deported
from the USA approximately ten years ago but has used that encounter to mobilize other
persons with similar experiences in her home country of Guyana. So important are these
issues to her that she founded the Juncata Juvant Friendly Society, an NGO that caters for
the needs of involuntary remigrants. The organisation’s focus is also to assist this population
to reintegrate into Guyanese society and empowering them to be self sufficient. Added to
that, Donna and the other members of Juncata Juvant recognize the challenges this group of
persons encounter and their vulnerability to HIV. This inspires their activities and the
conviction that with the right support they can overcome these hurdles with dignity and
respect.
Nicholas Morgan – Leadership for Vulnerable Children
For Nicholas Morgan the maxim “we are all living in a world with HIV” has a new and
different meaning. From as young as 11 years old he accompanied his mother on her
volunteer efforts with a Jamaican AIDS organisation. What he saw then was so deeply
imprinted on his young mind that he immediately busied himself with providing support to
orphans and other children living with HIV.
Defying the age barrier, his early efforts were centred on baby-sitting children living with the
virus. He helped them with their homework and with such ordinary tasks as learning to ride
a bicycle, playing computer games and just general things that children like to do. It is those
“ordinary” tasks that gave way to extraordinary ones such as becoming one of the Panos
Caribbean youth journalists and being editor of their newsletter called “Our Own Voices.”
His voice is stamped on their public service announcements for radio and he is also one of
the mentors to other children in the programme. All this is in determined fulfilment of his
desire to make lives better for orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV. To
Nicholas, we are all equal, we are all affected. He believes firmly that:
it is up to those who have the power, the influence to make a difference in the lives
of young people, to help not only those who are infected or affected but to those
who we can help to remain aware and to make informed decisions.
For Nicholas Morgan the maxim “we are all living in a world with HIV” has a new and
different meaning. From as young as 11 years old he accompanied his mother on her
volunteer efforts with a Jamaican AIDS organisation. What he saw then was so deeply
imprinted on his young mind that he immediately busied himself with providing support to
orphans and other children living with HIV.
Defying the age barrier, his early efforts were centred on baby-sitting children living with the
virus. He helped them with their homework and with such ordinary tasks as learning to ride
a bicycle, playing computer games and just general things that children like to do. It is those
“ordinary” tasks that gave way to extraordinary ones such as becoming one of the Panos
Caribbean youth journalists and being editor of their newsletter called “Our Own Voices.”
His voice is stamped on their public service announcements for radio and he is also one of
the mentors to other children in the programme. All this is in determined fulfilment of his
desire to make lives better for orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV. To
Nicholas, we are all equal, we are all affected. He believes firmly that:
it is up to those who have the power, the influence to make a difference in the lives
of young people, to help not only those who are infected or affected but to those
who we can help to remain aware and to make informed decisions.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
World AIDS Day Statement 2007
This December 1st, around the globe, we commemorate together the 20th World AIDS Day by focusing on ‘leadership’, which is required in strong and unyielding fashion if we are to reverse the spread of the epidemic. Guyanese civil society organizations have taken leadership in responding to the epidemic at the community level. Government leadership, especially in ensuring legal protection for people made vulnerable by HIV, is critically needed.
In Guyana, structural stigma and discrimination, especially homophobia, are a major area where such leadership is needed.
Guyana joined with other states last year to commit at the highest inter-governmental level at the UN General Assembly to the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS to:
". … eliminate all forms of discrimination against and to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by people living with HIV and members of vulnerable groups, in particular to ensure their access to… legal protection…”
It is not who they are that put gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) at risk for HIV. It is the political, legal, economic, social, cultural forms of marginalisation and exclusion that make MSM vulnerable. Stigma and discrimination continue to undermine our efforts to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Criminalisation of sexual activity conducted between consenting, adult men in private reinforces the perpetuation of homophobia at all levels of society, and drives this vulnerable group away from the information and education that is necessary to save their lives and the lives of their partners.
When asked what the government can do to address these structural issues, we at SASOD respond: decriminalize consensual, sexual activity between adult men in private. This will send a strong message across the country that we are serious when we say we respect
people’s human rights to privacy, non-discrimination and health. AIDS rhetoric from politicians and public officials on MSM issues is not enough. It is time for the government to take leadership actions now.
This year, SASOD, with support from the Government of Guyana/World Bank Guyana AIDS Prevention and Control Project is implementing Spectrum Health Net, an Internet based-project to provide comprehensive and holistic education across the spectrum of human
sexuality, with a special focus on MSM. While specific interventions are necessary and indicate some recognition of the vulnerability of the groups, SASOD has recognised that these types of interventions are more costly and difficult when there is an atmosphere of
discrimination.
We therefore call on the Government to fulfill their committment made in 2006 so as to increase the effectiveness of all interventions to reduce the impact of the HIV epidemic.
In Guyana, structural stigma and discrimination, especially homophobia, are a major area where such leadership is needed.
Guyana joined with other states last year to commit at the highest inter-governmental level at the UN General Assembly to the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS to:
". … eliminate all forms of discrimination against and to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by people living with HIV and members of vulnerable groups, in particular to ensure their access to… legal protection…”
It is not who they are that put gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) at risk for HIV. It is the political, legal, economic, social, cultural forms of marginalisation and exclusion that make MSM vulnerable. Stigma and discrimination continue to undermine our efforts to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Criminalisation of sexual activity conducted between consenting, adult men in private reinforces the perpetuation of homophobia at all levels of society, and drives this vulnerable group away from the information and education that is necessary to save their lives and the lives of their partners.
When asked what the government can do to address these structural issues, we at SASOD respond: decriminalize consensual, sexual activity between adult men in private. This will send a strong message across the country that we are serious when we say we respect
people’s human rights to privacy, non-discrimination and health. AIDS rhetoric from politicians and public officials on MSM issues is not enough. It is time for the government to take leadership actions now.
This year, SASOD, with support from the Government of Guyana/World Bank Guyana AIDS Prevention and Control Project is implementing Spectrum Health Net, an Internet based-project to provide comprehensive and holistic education across the spectrum of human
sexuality, with a special focus on MSM. While specific interventions are necessary and indicate some recognition of the vulnerability of the groups, SASOD has recognised that these types of interventions are more costly and difficult when there is an atmosphere of
discrimination.
We therefore call on the Government to fulfill their committment made in 2006 so as to increase the effectiveness of all interventions to reduce the impact of the HIV epidemic.
Friday, December 01, 2006
World AIDS Day 2006 - Statement
The Network of Guyanese Living with and Affected by HIV-AIDS (G+) and Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) join the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) and the Caribbean Treatment Action Group (CTAG), two regional groups bringing together organisations working in HIV and AIDS, in calling for greater access to HIV medication, care and support for all persons infected with HIV in the Caribbean, particularly for those from socially marginalised groups. Among these groups are sex workers, men who have sex with men, drug users, prisoners, youth in especially difficult circumstances, and children who have lost one or more parent to AIDS-related illnesses.
Through the United Nations General Assembly Special Session plus Five (UNGASS+5) Political Declaration on HIV-AIDS, all governments, including the Guyana government:
“29. Commit to intensify efforts to enact, strengthen or enforce, as appropriate, legislation, regulations and other measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against and to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by people living with HIV and members of vulnerable groups… and develop strategies to combat stigma and social exclusion connected with the epidemic.â€
At a November meeting in Bayahibe in the Dominican Republic, the groups concluded that while access to care and treatment for HIV has improved in the Caribbean, it has been limited or non-existent for members of socially marginalised groups who are especially vulnerable to the impact of HIV because of stigma and discrimination. CVC and CTAG have released a joint statement outlining the framework within which effective and meaningful HIV treatment and support might take place in Caribbean countries.
Dubbed the "˜Bayahibe Declarationâ", the document calls on Caribbean governments, regional and international health authorities, and international donors to take immediate action to redress the problem of access to drugs and support faced by members of marginalised groups infected with or affected by HIV. It also provides a roadmap by which national governments, civil society actors, service providers and human rights defenders can assure all persons living with HIV in the Caribbean of proper care, treatment and support. CVC and CTAG believe that in this way, members of these groups can realise their fundamental human rights to life and health.
Among the elements the groups present as essential to improving access to treatment and support for HIV positive persons, especially those who are socially marginalised, are the assurance that all persons in detention, including foreign nationals, are informed of their right to obtain HIV-related information and services; the assurance that health care providers treat drug users with respect, and provide appropriate and non-discriminatory health care services; the education and sensitisation of children and youth regarding their human rights and the steps to take to report physical, sexual and other cases of abuse; the training of health care workers to provide effective services for men who have sex with men; the execution of programmes that aim to eradicate homophobia and heterosexism; the training of service providers at treatment sites in the human rights of sex workers; and the building or expansion of outreach facilities in areas where sex work is common.
The declaration was signed by individuals and agencies working in different speech communities across the Caribbean including representatives of both G+ and SASOD.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Bayahibe Declaration
November 2006
Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition
&
Caribbean Treatment Action Group
In recent years, the international community has taken important initiatives to scale up access to lifesaving antiretroviral therapy, especially in the developing world. Although these initiatives have fallen short of their targets, in the Caribbean, the region with the second highest infection rate in the world, they have generated essential political and financial support for making medication available at no or reduced cost, which has been critical to increasing the life expectancy of people living with HIV in the region.
The benefits, however, have not been equitably distributed. The widespread discrimination and abuse faced by members of socially marginalised groups -- sex workers, men who have sex with men, drug users, prisoners, young people in especially difficult circumstances, children who have lost one or more parent to AIDS -- heighten their risk of HIV infection, and impede their access to care and treatment where they are living with the disease. In this regard, their marginalised status compounds the stigma and discrimination they face because of HIV, and compromises or effectively bars their access to treatment.
This declaration, made in Bayahibe, Dominican Republic, in November 2006, calls for immediate action by Caribbean governments, regional and international health authorities, and international donors to correct the situation. This declaration also provides a roadmap for national governments, civil society actors, service providers and human rights defenders to ensure that all people living with HIV in the Caribbean can obtain proper care, treatment and support, and therefore realise their fundamental human rights to life and health.
Thus, cognisant of the urgent need to ensure effective and meaningful access to antiretroviral treatment for people in the Caribbean whose immune systems have been compromised by HIV;
Firmly resolved that states must take immediate steps to ensure equal access to treatment for all persons living with HIV as part of their obligations to protect the human right to health; and
Calling on duty-bearers mandated to provide health care and to protect the health and human rights of all people in the Caribbean,
We declare the following to be essential steps to be taken:
For people in Caribbean correctional facilities or other places of detention
1. Ensure all persons in detention, including foreign nationals, are informed of their right to obtain HIV-related information and services in a language they understand (this should include training and other assistance for family and community members who are part of an individual’s support system);
2. Ensure that all persons in detention, including detained foreign nationals, have prompt, adequate medical assessment on entry into custody, and access to essential medical treatment (patients should receive at least the same standard of care that could be expected for persons outside of the prison system) and guarantee a continuation of any medical treatment that began prior to incarceration;
3. Ensure the development, dissemination and adoption of written HIV policies that address
i. confidentiality
ii. attitudes of prison staff
3. staff training on HIV and
4. scheduled access by civil society groups;
4. Promote “through care†by allowing access to the prison by civil society groups;
5. Ensure that community boards monitoring prisoners’ rights include at least one person knowledgeable about HIV-related issues;
6. Ensure access to appropriate services for women (including gynaecological health services);
7. Ensure confidentiality and privacy with respect to all medical services;
8. Ensure adequate nutrition for all detainees and inmates.
For drug users in the Caribbean
1. Ensure that health care providers treat drug users with respect, and provide appropriate and non-discriminatory health care services;
2. Ensure that rehabilitation and other support centres for people who use drugs incorporate HIV-related services such as prevention and testing;
3. Provide support services for pregnant women who use drugs and their children, including post-delivery services and programmes for the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV;
4. Sensitise and educate all service providers at addiction treatment sites about HIV- prevention and testing and the need to incorporate such services into their drug treatment programme;
5. Ensure that programmes and policies for people who use drugs are informed by research and other evidence (including research on barriers to access to health care services for drug users; use of peer educators to provide education and information) and are not driven by condemnatory, moralistic attitudes;
6. Identify, support and pay peer educators to facilitate access to treatment;
7. Ensure access for drug users to public health facilities;
8. Promote a harm reduction and public health approach to addressing drug use, including support for alternatives to incarceration for drug users;
9. Promote continuity of treatment and social assistance for drug users (e.g., on entry into and exit from custody).
For young people in especially difficult circumstances, including orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV in the Caribbean
1. Incorporate representatives of the youth community who are recommended and approved by local youth organisations at all levels of decision-making related to HIV/AIDS policy and implementation;
2. Establish children/youth advisory boards that will identify the needs and issues of concern to children/youth and that will guide programme development, including training for all children and youth in preparation for meaningful employment;
3. Conduct sensitisation, education and life skills training programmes about the process of disclosure for parents/caregivers of children who are HIV positive;
4. Educate and sensitise children and youth about their human rights and empower them to take necessary the steps to report physical, sexual and other cases of abuse;
5. Create an awareness of the need for redress for children and youth who have been denied access to treatment;
6. Ensure the legal system adequately addresses issues of abuse of youth and children;
7. Train children and youth to become adherence counsellors, peer educators, and advocates for the rights of children, and create opportunities for the utilisation of their skills;
8. Sensitise and educate all legal service providers about how to provide adequate legal services to children and youth;
9. Train children and youth to interact and effectively communicate with the media;
10. Engage children and youth in all areas of decision- and policy-making that affect their lives.
For men who have sex with men in the Caribbean
1. Incorporate representatives of the Caribbean men who have sex with men (MSM) community who are recommended and approved by local MSM organisations at all levels of decision-making related to HIV/AIDS policy and implementation;
2. Train health care personnel to effectively and affectively provide services for MSM;
3. Develop an internal MSM-community referral system to friendly health care facilities and service providers;
4. Execute programmes that aim to eradicate homophobia and heterosexism;
5. Repeal ‘sodomy’ laws to create a policy environment that is conducive for MSM to access all health care services;
6. Ensure access to treatment for HIV-positive MSM who are incarcerated, young or from rural areas;
7. Establish support groups for HIV-positive MSM which include their partners, families and friends to promote adherence;
8. Sensitise faith-based organisations, religious leaders, politicians, policy makers and legislators about the destructive impact of homophobia;
9. Incorporate these recommendations as part of national and regional level policies which promote human rights and the exercise of citizenship without stigma and discrimination of any kind, in particular for sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Sex workers in the Caribbean
1. Incorporate representatives of the sex work community who are recommended and approved by local sex work organisations at all levels of decision-making related to HIV/AIDS policy and implementation;
2. Train service providers at treatment sites in human rights of sex workers;
3. Offer comprehensive services, including VCT, to sex workers at all clinics;
4. Build and expand outreach facilities in areas where sex work is common;
5. Establish comprehensive referral system for adherence support;
6. Provide language assistance to foreign sex workers at clinic sites;
7. Provide confidential counselling for HIV positive sex workers;
8. Ensure HIV-positive sex workers who are sick have access to social services, education, and condom distribution regardless of residency status;
9. Provide equal access to services for brothel and street sex workers;
10. Ensure the non-disclosure of the sero-status of sex workers to others, including brothel owners;
11. Scale up treatment and care for sex workers beyond the brothel;
12. Ensure human rights protection for sex workers, including protection against sexual exploitation;
13. Decriminalise sex work.
Signed,
Carlos Adón
Instituto Dominicano de Estudios Virológicos
Dominican Republic
Moisés Agosto
Tides Foundation
Puerto Rico
Juanita Altenberg
Maxi Linder Association
Suriname
Harry Beauvais
Foundation for Reproductive Health and Family Education
Haiti
Robert Best
United Gays and Lesbians Against AIDS Barbados
Barbados
Dusilley Cannings
Network of Guyanese Living With and Affected by HIV/AIDS
Guyana
Robert Carr
Caribbean Centre for Communication for Development
Caribbean Institute for Media and Communication
University of the West Indies
Jamaica
Milton Castelen
National AIDS Program
Suriname
Veronica Cenac
AIDS Action Foundation
Saint Lucia
Rachel Charles
Hope PALS Network
Grenada
Marcus Day
Caribbean Drug Abuse Research Institute
Saint Lucia
Joan Didier
AIDS Action Foundation
Saint Lucia
Novlet Dougherty-Reid
Jamaica AIDS Support for Life
Jamaica
Olive Edwards
Jamaica Network of Seropositives
Jamaica
Keenan Ferreira
Life Goes On
Dominica
Patricia Figueroa
Caribbean Treatment Action Group
Puerto Rico
Devon Gabouriel
United Belize Advocacy Movement
Belize
Philipa GarcÃa
Alianza Solidaria para el VIH/SIDA
Dominican Republic
Tamico Gilbert
Bahamas Human Rights
Amnesty International
Bahamian Friends of the Cuban Five
Bahamas
Mario Kleinmoedig
Orguyo
Curaçao
Steeve Laguerre
SeroVie
Haiti
Rohan A. Lewis
Board Member
Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition
Jamaica
Rosáura Lopez
Puerto Rico Concra
Puerto Rico
Deborah Manning
Board Member,
Caribbean Vulnerable Communities
Jamaica
Ian McKnight
Jamaica AIDS Support for Life
Jamaica
Aimé Charles Nicholas
Formation Interventions Recherche sur le Sida et les Toxicomanies Caraïbe
Départements français d’Amérique (Martinique, Guadeloupe and Guyane)
Caleb Orozco
United Belize Advocacy Movement
Belize
Ricky Pascoe
Board Member
Caribbean Network of Seropositives
Ethel Pengel
Mamio Namen Project
Suriname
Johane Philogène
Foundation for Reproductive Health and Family Education
Haiti
Sissaoui Pierre
Entr’aides Guyane
French Guyana
Nastassia Rambarran
Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Guyana
Leonardo Sánchez
Amigos Siempre Amigos
Dominican Republic
Joel Simpson
Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Guyana
Yvonne Sobers
Families Against State Terrorism
Jamaica
Jonathan Waters
Red Voluntarios de Amigos Siempre Amigos
Dominican Republic
Solomon Wedderley
AIDS Foundation of The Bahamas
Bahamas National Network for Positive Living (BNN+)
Bahamas
Gareth Williams
Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays
Jamaica
Through the United Nations General Assembly Special Session plus Five (UNGASS+5) Political Declaration on HIV-AIDS, all governments, including the Guyana government:
“29. Commit to intensify efforts to enact, strengthen or enforce, as appropriate, legislation, regulations and other measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against and to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by people living with HIV and members of vulnerable groups… and develop strategies to combat stigma and social exclusion connected with the epidemic.â€
At a November meeting in Bayahibe in the Dominican Republic, the groups concluded that while access to care and treatment for HIV has improved in the Caribbean, it has been limited or non-existent for members of socially marginalised groups who are especially vulnerable to the impact of HIV because of stigma and discrimination. CVC and CTAG have released a joint statement outlining the framework within which effective and meaningful HIV treatment and support might take place in Caribbean countries.
Dubbed the "˜Bayahibe Declarationâ", the document calls on Caribbean governments, regional and international health authorities, and international donors to take immediate action to redress the problem of access to drugs and support faced by members of marginalised groups infected with or affected by HIV. It also provides a roadmap by which national governments, civil society actors, service providers and human rights defenders can assure all persons living with HIV in the Caribbean of proper care, treatment and support. CVC and CTAG believe that in this way, members of these groups can realise their fundamental human rights to life and health.
Among the elements the groups present as essential to improving access to treatment and support for HIV positive persons, especially those who are socially marginalised, are the assurance that all persons in detention, including foreign nationals, are informed of their right to obtain HIV-related information and services; the assurance that health care providers treat drug users with respect, and provide appropriate and non-discriminatory health care services; the education and sensitisation of children and youth regarding their human rights and the steps to take to report physical, sexual and other cases of abuse; the training of health care workers to provide effective services for men who have sex with men; the execution of programmes that aim to eradicate homophobia and heterosexism; the training of service providers at treatment sites in the human rights of sex workers; and the building or expansion of outreach facilities in areas where sex work is common.
The declaration was signed by individuals and agencies working in different speech communities across the Caribbean including representatives of both G+ and SASOD.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Bayahibe Declaration
November 2006
Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition
&
Caribbean Treatment Action Group
In recent years, the international community has taken important initiatives to scale up access to lifesaving antiretroviral therapy, especially in the developing world. Although these initiatives have fallen short of their targets, in the Caribbean, the region with the second highest infection rate in the world, they have generated essential political and financial support for making medication available at no or reduced cost, which has been critical to increasing the life expectancy of people living with HIV in the region.
The benefits, however, have not been equitably distributed. The widespread discrimination and abuse faced by members of socially marginalised groups -- sex workers, men who have sex with men, drug users, prisoners, young people in especially difficult circumstances, children who have lost one or more parent to AIDS -- heighten their risk of HIV infection, and impede their access to care and treatment where they are living with the disease. In this regard, their marginalised status compounds the stigma and discrimination they face because of HIV, and compromises or effectively bars their access to treatment.
This declaration, made in Bayahibe, Dominican Republic, in November 2006, calls for immediate action by Caribbean governments, regional and international health authorities, and international donors to correct the situation. This declaration also provides a roadmap for national governments, civil society actors, service providers and human rights defenders to ensure that all people living with HIV in the Caribbean can obtain proper care, treatment and support, and therefore realise their fundamental human rights to life and health.
Thus, cognisant of the urgent need to ensure effective and meaningful access to antiretroviral treatment for people in the Caribbean whose immune systems have been compromised by HIV;
Firmly resolved that states must take immediate steps to ensure equal access to treatment for all persons living with HIV as part of their obligations to protect the human right to health; and
Calling on duty-bearers mandated to provide health care and to protect the health and human rights of all people in the Caribbean,
We declare the following to be essential steps to be taken:
For people in Caribbean correctional facilities or other places of detention
1. Ensure all persons in detention, including foreign nationals, are informed of their right to obtain HIV-related information and services in a language they understand (this should include training and other assistance for family and community members who are part of an individual’s support system);
2. Ensure that all persons in detention, including detained foreign nationals, have prompt, adequate medical assessment on entry into custody, and access to essential medical treatment (patients should receive at least the same standard of care that could be expected for persons outside of the prison system) and guarantee a continuation of any medical treatment that began prior to incarceration;
3. Ensure the development, dissemination and adoption of written HIV policies that address
i. confidentiality
ii. attitudes of prison staff
3. staff training on HIV and
4. scheduled access by civil society groups;
4. Promote “through care†by allowing access to the prison by civil society groups;
5. Ensure that community boards monitoring prisoners’ rights include at least one person knowledgeable about HIV-related issues;
6. Ensure access to appropriate services for women (including gynaecological health services);
7. Ensure confidentiality and privacy with respect to all medical services;
8. Ensure adequate nutrition for all detainees and inmates.
For drug users in the Caribbean
1. Ensure that health care providers treat drug users with respect, and provide appropriate and non-discriminatory health care services;
2. Ensure that rehabilitation and other support centres for people who use drugs incorporate HIV-related services such as prevention and testing;
3. Provide support services for pregnant women who use drugs and their children, including post-delivery services and programmes for the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV;
4. Sensitise and educate all service providers at addiction treatment sites about HIV- prevention and testing and the need to incorporate such services into their drug treatment programme;
5. Ensure that programmes and policies for people who use drugs are informed by research and other evidence (including research on barriers to access to health care services for drug users; use of peer educators to provide education and information) and are not driven by condemnatory, moralistic attitudes;
6. Identify, support and pay peer educators to facilitate access to treatment;
7. Ensure access for drug users to public health facilities;
8. Promote a harm reduction and public health approach to addressing drug use, including support for alternatives to incarceration for drug users;
9. Promote continuity of treatment and social assistance for drug users (e.g., on entry into and exit from custody).
For young people in especially difficult circumstances, including orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV in the Caribbean
1. Incorporate representatives of the youth community who are recommended and approved by local youth organisations at all levels of decision-making related to HIV/AIDS policy and implementation;
2. Establish children/youth advisory boards that will identify the needs and issues of concern to children/youth and that will guide programme development, including training for all children and youth in preparation for meaningful employment;
3. Conduct sensitisation, education and life skills training programmes about the process of disclosure for parents/caregivers of children who are HIV positive;
4. Educate and sensitise children and youth about their human rights and empower them to take necessary the steps to report physical, sexual and other cases of abuse;
5. Create an awareness of the need for redress for children and youth who have been denied access to treatment;
6. Ensure the legal system adequately addresses issues of abuse of youth and children;
7. Train children and youth to become adherence counsellors, peer educators, and advocates for the rights of children, and create opportunities for the utilisation of their skills;
8. Sensitise and educate all legal service providers about how to provide adequate legal services to children and youth;
9. Train children and youth to interact and effectively communicate with the media;
10. Engage children and youth in all areas of decision- and policy-making that affect their lives.
For men who have sex with men in the Caribbean
1. Incorporate representatives of the Caribbean men who have sex with men (MSM) community who are recommended and approved by local MSM organisations at all levels of decision-making related to HIV/AIDS policy and implementation;
2. Train health care personnel to effectively and affectively provide services for MSM;
3. Develop an internal MSM-community referral system to friendly health care facilities and service providers;
4. Execute programmes that aim to eradicate homophobia and heterosexism;
5. Repeal ‘sodomy’ laws to create a policy environment that is conducive for MSM to access all health care services;
6. Ensure access to treatment for HIV-positive MSM who are incarcerated, young or from rural areas;
7. Establish support groups for HIV-positive MSM which include their partners, families and friends to promote adherence;
8. Sensitise faith-based organisations, religious leaders, politicians, policy makers and legislators about the destructive impact of homophobia;
9. Incorporate these recommendations as part of national and regional level policies which promote human rights and the exercise of citizenship without stigma and discrimination of any kind, in particular for sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Sex workers in the Caribbean
1. Incorporate representatives of the sex work community who are recommended and approved by local sex work organisations at all levels of decision-making related to HIV/AIDS policy and implementation;
2. Train service providers at treatment sites in human rights of sex workers;
3. Offer comprehensive services, including VCT, to sex workers at all clinics;
4. Build and expand outreach facilities in areas where sex work is common;
5. Establish comprehensive referral system for adherence support;
6. Provide language assistance to foreign sex workers at clinic sites;
7. Provide confidential counselling for HIV positive sex workers;
8. Ensure HIV-positive sex workers who are sick have access to social services, education, and condom distribution regardless of residency status;
9. Provide equal access to services for brothel and street sex workers;
10. Ensure the non-disclosure of the sero-status of sex workers to others, including brothel owners;
11. Scale up treatment and care for sex workers beyond the brothel;
12. Ensure human rights protection for sex workers, including protection against sexual exploitation;
13. Decriminalise sex work.
Signed,
Carlos Adón
Instituto Dominicano de Estudios Virológicos
Dominican Republic
Moisés Agosto
Tides Foundation
Puerto Rico
Juanita Altenberg
Maxi Linder Association
Suriname
Harry Beauvais
Foundation for Reproductive Health and Family Education
Haiti
Robert Best
United Gays and Lesbians Against AIDS Barbados
Barbados
Dusilley Cannings
Network of Guyanese Living With and Affected by HIV/AIDS
Guyana
Robert Carr
Caribbean Centre for Communication for Development
Caribbean Institute for Media and Communication
University of the West Indies
Jamaica
Milton Castelen
National AIDS Program
Suriname
Veronica Cenac
AIDS Action Foundation
Saint Lucia
Rachel Charles
Hope PALS Network
Grenada
Marcus Day
Caribbean Drug Abuse Research Institute
Saint Lucia
Joan Didier
AIDS Action Foundation
Saint Lucia
Novlet Dougherty-Reid
Jamaica AIDS Support for Life
Jamaica
Olive Edwards
Jamaica Network of Seropositives
Jamaica
Keenan Ferreira
Life Goes On
Dominica
Patricia Figueroa
Caribbean Treatment Action Group
Puerto Rico
Devon Gabouriel
United Belize Advocacy Movement
Belize
Philipa GarcÃa
Alianza Solidaria para el VIH/SIDA
Dominican Republic
Tamico Gilbert
Bahamas Human Rights
Amnesty International
Bahamian Friends of the Cuban Five
Bahamas
Mario Kleinmoedig
Orguyo
Curaçao
Steeve Laguerre
SeroVie
Haiti
Rohan A. Lewis
Board Member
Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition
Jamaica
Rosáura Lopez
Puerto Rico Concra
Puerto Rico
Deborah Manning
Board Member,
Caribbean Vulnerable Communities
Jamaica
Ian McKnight
Jamaica AIDS Support for Life
Jamaica
Aimé Charles Nicholas
Formation Interventions Recherche sur le Sida et les Toxicomanies Caraïbe
Départements français d’Amérique (Martinique, Guadeloupe and Guyane)
Caleb Orozco
United Belize Advocacy Movement
Belize
Ricky Pascoe
Board Member
Caribbean Network of Seropositives
Ethel Pengel
Mamio Namen Project
Suriname
Johane Philogène
Foundation for Reproductive Health and Family Education
Haiti
Sissaoui Pierre
Entr’aides Guyane
French Guyana
Nastassia Rambarran
Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Guyana
Leonardo Sánchez
Amigos Siempre Amigos
Dominican Republic
Joel Simpson
Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Guyana
Yvonne Sobers
Families Against State Terrorism
Jamaica
Jonathan Waters
Red Voluntarios de Amigos Siempre Amigos
Dominican Republic
Solomon Wedderley
AIDS Foundation of The Bahamas
Bahamas National Network for Positive Living (BNN+)
Bahamas
Gareth Williams
Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays
Jamaica
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Living with HIV/AIDS
For World AIDS Day 2006, this article was printed in the Guyana Chronicle of Sunday 26 November, 2006
In observance of World Aids Day 2006, the Guyana Chronicle begins a series of six articles on the programmes used here to fight the disease.
We begin, though, with a story of a university student, 24, currently employed at a commercial bank, who sees hope after testing positive for HIV/AIDS. His name has been withheld. HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death in Guyana in the 15-44 age group.
Killing myself
In 2005, I realised that I might be HIV positive. I had become very ill and lost a lot of weight. I started worrying about HIV.
I was scared of finding out the truth. I thought that I would kill myself if I was positive. I thought that it would be better not to know, and every time I heard 'HIV' I felt scared. I did not want to hear anything.
I thought that if I was HIV positive, it would be the end of my life. I did not trust any of the counselling services, since I heard many stories of confidentiality being breached. I did not have anyone to talk to about this, and my life was hell.
Deepest darkest secrets
In July 2006, I could not keep it to myself, and I confided in my best friend who knows everything about me. He urged me to do the test, but I could not bring myself to do it.
Another friend who I had recently met, seemed to me to be very considerate and confidential and opposed to discrimination. I told him how scared I was and I started to cry.
He told me that if I did not go to do the test, he would stop talking to me and tell this other guy I had a crush on. I believed he was crazy enough to do that. He also said he was going to go with me to do the test.
He and I went to do the test. My best friend also wanted to go with me, but he had to work.
Putting on a brave face
The counsellor told me about the test, and what was involved. I gave the blood. I did not feel I wanted my friend with me for the results. The counsellor asked me about the girl I had. I said nothing. She subsequently said she did not care about my sexual orientation, but I did not feel I wanted to say anything. She interpreted the results for me, and asked me if I had anything to say.
The tears came to my eyes, but I was determined not to cry. I had to leave and go back to work, and I put on a brave face and went out.
That afternoon, I told my friend the results. It was difficult. He found out that the St. Joseph’s Mercy Hospital was good to go for the check up. That night I went home and cried until I slept.
Learning everything about HIV/AIDS
After a few days, I made the appointment to see the doctor and counsellor at the Mercy Hospital, Georgetown. I was scared of going to the GUM Clinic which seemed too public. I realised that people would see me going into Mercy, but that my health was important and I did not care what they would think. The HIV advertisements now made sense to me, maybe too late.
I decided to read everything I could find on the Internet and everywhere else. The doctor asked me whether I had sex with men. I thought it was important to tell him the truth, and face any discrimination. There was none. They explained the treatment to me, and took the tests.
I went back after a month to start the ARV treatment. There were many tablets. I make sure that I know what tablets I am taking to keep informed.
Quitting smoking and drinking
I used to put my cell phone on alarm to remember when to take the tablets. There were many – six in the morning, five in the night. After a while I have grown accustomed to the routine. I have a pill box which allows me to fix the tablets in dosages. Most significant, I have stopped smoking and drinking.
I have found that it is easy to have a good time like other people. I tell my friends that I get drunk easily so I would not drink beers now. I eat better now, and I exercise every night. I feel good.
I think Mummy knows
I wish my mother could know, but I know she will be upset. Unlike cancer and TB and diabetes, she probably thinks that HIV is preventable. I try to hide the tablets from them – my mother and my siblings. I also try to leave the TV at any programme talking about HIV/AIDS. I do not think my mother would put me out if she knows; she would probably be upset with me for a little bit.
I do not know when I would tell her or the rest of my family. She has seen me ill and has dropped hints, but I don’t answer her. I think Mummy knows.
Telling other people
I told another friend. He cried with me for half an hour. He used to call me regularly before I told him, but I have not heard much from him since. I think because I stopped drinking and smoking and probably not wanting to go out.
Last year, I had unprotected sex with someone who I have feelings for and who has feelings for me. We thought that we could trust each other. I told him a few weeks ago to go and do a test since I am now HIV positive. It was difficult for me to do. He said he would go. I have to check with him.
Scared of being fired
I saw something at my workplace, where they say something that they will not unknowingly screen people for HIV. I do not want them to know my status, since I am scared of being fired. I do not know if they have any laws to stop that from happening. I keep my business to myself.
Before the test, I sometimes lost focus, and one time my manager asked me if everything was okay. I told her after I had accepted my test results that everything is fine.
I would like to educate others, to tell them what I know
I want to educate other people, to encourage them to do the test if they think they are positive and to start the treatment. People should not think that 'not knowing is best'. Before, at work, whenever they started talking about HIV at work, I used to shut up. Now, I make sure I keep the conversation going and talk about what I know, like how people are more likely to die from diabetes or heart disease complications rather than HIV/AIDS.
I have not thought of joining any organisation. I think it would be nice to meet other people who are HIV positive so as to share what is happening with us.
I am living
Death is the last thing on my mind. I am determined to live well with HIV. I have been inspired by other stories, like that of Magic Johnson [American basketball player who is HIV positive]. I believe I am responsible for myself and have to keep a positive outlook on life.
Whenever I get depressed, I call my best friend. I would like to continue my education, and to get a better job, and to do all the things which I had planned to do. Now, I appreciate life even more.
(** Our thanks to the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination for allowing us to use this story. In tomorrow’s issue, we examine the work of two Hindu organisations in removing myths about how the disease is spread and how they preach abstinence as the best way to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS)
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Press Release for World AIDS Day 2005
"Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise"
Remove all forms of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation
At the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) held in June 2001, a declaration of commitment with regards to HIV/AIDS was drawn up and signed by all the United Nations memberstates. This declaration states that governments will strive to “enact, strengthen or enforce, as appropriate, legislation regulations and other measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination and to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by people living with HIV/AIDS and members of vulnerable groups…and develop strategies to combat stigma and social exclusion connected with the epidemic”.
In Guyana, one of the vulnerable groups is men who have sex with men (MSM). Ironically, this term was created precisely because of the rabid discrimination associated with the word ‘gay’, making these men who have sex with men reluctant to classify and include themselves in such a vilified group as the homosexual population. Members of this vulnerable group therefore suffer the mostsevere stigma and discrimination as it is two-fold – that associated with the virus and that associated with their sexual orientation.
SASOD posits that the government of Guyana has a poor track record with regards to ensuring the fundamental human rights of the homosexual population are respected in that the only legal form of discrimination that exist is against homosexual men. But as the UNGASS declaration makes clear, legislative anti-discrimination initiatives are an essential and integral part of ensuring that there is a comprehensive response to this pandemic, making access, care, education and support available to all without added societal or legal barriers.
The link between discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and the spread of HIV is put forward succinctly in the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network Information Sheet: “HIV is transmitted among men who have sex with men not just because of unsafe sex. It is transmitted because homosexual or bisexual identity is not acknowledged, permitted, and supported as a natural development of human personality. It is transmitted because families, communities, and society tolerate or support, implicitly or explicitly, aggression, abuse, and violence against gay men and lesbians. It is transmitted because schools have failed to provide appropriate education and to cultivate supportive environments for gay and bisexual youth. It is transmitted because health-care providers and researchers have failed, because of insufficient awareness and inappropriate assumptions, to ask the right questions and it is transmitted because governments have been slow publicly to support programs directed specifically to men who have sex with men”.
The theme for this year’s World AIDS day is “Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise”. We urge the government and all citizens of Guyana to remember as well the promise to ensure the “full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms” by persons living with HIV/AIDS and to bare in mind that until all forms of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation are removed, this is one promise that will be broken.
Remove all forms of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation
At the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) held in June 2001, a declaration of commitment with regards to HIV/AIDS was drawn up and signed by all the United Nations memberstates. This declaration states that governments will strive to “enact, strengthen or enforce, as appropriate, legislation regulations and other measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination and to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by people living with HIV/AIDS and members of vulnerable groups…and develop strategies to combat stigma and social exclusion connected with the epidemic”.
In Guyana, one of the vulnerable groups is men who have sex with men (MSM). Ironically, this term was created precisely because of the rabid discrimination associated with the word ‘gay’, making these men who have sex with men reluctant to classify and include themselves in such a vilified group as the homosexual population. Members of this vulnerable group therefore suffer the mostsevere stigma and discrimination as it is two-fold – that associated with the virus and that associated with their sexual orientation.
SASOD posits that the government of Guyana has a poor track record with regards to ensuring the fundamental human rights of the homosexual population are respected in that the only legal form of discrimination that exist is against homosexual men. But as the UNGASS declaration makes clear, legislative anti-discrimination initiatives are an essential and integral part of ensuring that there is a comprehensive response to this pandemic, making access, care, education and support available to all without added societal or legal barriers.
The link between discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and the spread of HIV is put forward succinctly in the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network Information Sheet: “HIV is transmitted among men who have sex with men not just because of unsafe sex. It is transmitted because homosexual or bisexual identity is not acknowledged, permitted, and supported as a natural development of human personality. It is transmitted because families, communities, and society tolerate or support, implicitly or explicitly, aggression, abuse, and violence against gay men and lesbians. It is transmitted because schools have failed to provide appropriate education and to cultivate supportive environments for gay and bisexual youth. It is transmitted because health-care providers and researchers have failed, because of insufficient awareness and inappropriate assumptions, to ask the right questions and it is transmitted because governments have been slow publicly to support programs directed specifically to men who have sex with men”.
The theme for this year’s World AIDS day is “Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise”. We urge the government and all citizens of Guyana to remember as well the promise to ensure the “full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms” by persons living with HIV/AIDS and to bare in mind that until all forms of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation are removed, this is one promise that will be broken.
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