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| Consultation addresses men-to-men sex | | |
New Delhi, 25th September, 2006: In a significant effort to address the factors driving the HIV epidemic among MSM (men having sex with men), a regional consultation bringing together governments, policy-makers, donors, researchers, grassroots and community based organisations across 22 countries in Asia Pacific is being held in New Delhi, from September 23 to 26.
Despite evidence, establishing male-to-male sex as one of the driving forces of HIV transmission in the Asia Pacific region, few strategic interventions address male-to-male sexuality and related HIV vulnerabilities. HIV Prevalence has reached 28 per cent among men who have sex with men in Bangkok, according to one study, and may have reached as high as 16 per cent in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
In her inaugural address, Dr. Nafis Sadik, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV and AIDS in Asia and the Pacific underscored the need for strengthened interventions to address HIV related vulnerabilities of MSM in the region. "There is certainly a vital need for countries to address male-to-male sexuality. Not only is this sexual behaviour, in its different forms, present in all countries in Asia and the Pacific, but HIV has taken hold in communities of men who have sex with men and transgendered persons, and is spreading among them largely unchecked by prevention programmes," she said.
Giving a clarion call for accepting MSM as an integral part of society, Desmond Tutu, Archbishop emeritus said, "We struggled against apartheid in South Africa, supported by people the world over, because black people were made to suffer for something we could do nothing about: the colour of our skin. Sexual orientation is also a biological given, homophobia is as unjust as was apartheid."
Stigmatized by society and criminalized by law in many countries of the region, it is difficult for MSM to access information and services that they need to protect themselves from HIV. According to UNAIDS, access to outreach programmes for information and condom supply is less than 10 per cent of men who have sex with men in 16 countries in Asia and the Pacific.
In her opening remarks on behalf of UNAIDS Executive Director, Dr. Peter Piot, Dr. Purnima Mane expressed unprecedented hope in the response to AIDS because of the increased momentum and commitment of all actors towards universal access. "And I believe this momentum will also ensure there is progress in the AIDS response for men who have sex with men."
Grass roots experience has shown that it is often difficult for service providers to work with this group for fear of prosecution. The mother of one of the participants shared the story of her son's difficult journey. "My son Arif was detained for 47 days and 47 nights in an Indian jail, together with three of his colleagues, for doing his job - helping to save lives, the lives of other Indian citizens, who just happen to be seen as different. Different in that as men they prefer other men as partners. I stand before you this evening as a loving mother of a son that I am proud to call "my son", accepting him as he is, not what I would like him to be."
This Consultation attempts to provide a space for dialogue and learning, to enable expansion, strengthening and scaling up of strategies addressing male sexual health and related HIV vulnerabilities. In addition, the consultation will inform and develop strategic advocacy initiatives and key policies related to these legal, human rights and social issues.
The four-day consultation will examine epidemiological, technical and socio-political issues relevant to the halting and reversing the HIV risk among the MSM population groups. The knowledge generated at the consultation will inform the formulation and scaling up of strategies for prevention, care and support. The consultation also seeks to catalyze the creation and implementation of coordinated long-term health and socio-legal responses to the MSM dimension of the HIV epidemic in the region. |
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