CNS: Hong Kong 2010

Showing posts with label Hong Kong 2010. Show all posts

Punitive laws limit access to HIV services for MSM and transgender people: UN Study

John Godwin

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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released a study analyzing evidence in Asia-Pacific on how punitive and discriminatory laws and human rights violations limit access to HIV prevention and care services for men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) and transgender people. The study report "Legal environments, human rights and HIV responses among men who have sex with men and transgender people in Asia and the Pacific:An agenda for action" is co-published by the UNDP and Asia Pacific Coalition for male sexual health (APCOM). Read more

"In order to prevent and control HIV we must protect and promote the human rights of the homosexuals - the most vulnerable and typically marginalized sections of society" said Dr Mandeep Dhaliwal of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Dame Carol Kidu, the only woman amongst a 108 member strong parliament of Papua New Guinea (PNG), also feels the same. According to her any type of phobia is difficult to address, as phobias are based on unreasonable and illogical thinking. This is more so in the case of homophobia as deep rooted stigmas fuelled by conservative attitudes are hard to dispel. Read more

The age old issue dealing with the problems of people with alternate sexuality was discussed threadbare, on the occasion of International Day against Homophobia, on 17th May, in the precincts of the almost hundred years old University of Hong Kong. This High Level Dialogue was organized jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Asia Pacific Coalition on Male sexual health (APCOM), and the Centre for Comparative and Public Law (CCPL) at the Law Faculty, University of Hong Kong. The event marked the release of the key findings and recommendations of the UNDP-APCOM study titled "Punitive Laws, Human Rights and HIV Prevention among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) and Transgender People In Asia and the Pacific Region: An Agenda For Action." Read more

More than 90 percent of men having sex with men in the Asia Pacific region do not have access to HIV prevention and care services. HIV prevalence has reached alarming levels among men who have sex with men and transgender populations in many countries of Asia and the Pacific.

If countries fail to address the legal context of the epidemic, this already critical situation is likely to become worse. The implementation of effective, human rights-based national HIV responses requires governments to consider the effect of laws and law enforcement practices on the health of men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender persons. Read more

The International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) on 17th of May, provides yet another opportunity to talk about the wave of discrimination and violence against men who have sex with men (MSM) that is driving the spread of HIV/AIDS in developing countries. Gross violations of human rights in Uganda, Jamaica, Uzbekistan and elsewhere have created a climate of fear, forcing MSM underground and undermining HIV/AIDS services. Today, MSM are 19 times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population and their disproportionate vulnerability is threatening to stagnate the progress we have made in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Read more

Globally, men who have sex with men (MSMs) and transgenders have a higher rate of HIV incidence, due to appalling attention towards their health needs. In the words of Shivananda Khan, who was conferred upon the prestigious Order of The British Empire (OBE) by the British Queen, for his services to HIV/AIDS prevention and among marginalized communities in South Asia, and leader of Naz Foundation International (NFI), "unless we create an atmosphere in which the transgenders and MSMs can access appropriate health services, to reduce their vulnerability to HIV, they will constitute more than 50% of the people living with HIV, by the year 2020.This is bound to have a tremendous economic impact on governments and societies by way of increased expenditures on treatment and care." Read more

17th of May is International Day Against Homophobia
Well, why do we need to celebrate such a day? "Homophobia is expressed in ways which does not treat MSMs, lesbians and transgenders with respect, and prevents their access to basic human rights, particularly the right to live with dignity. So, it is imperative to draw the attention of various countries, particularly of the South Asian region, to this fact. The main challenge before all of us is to create a conducive atmosphere for making appropriate health and other services accessible to persons with different /alternate sexuality" said Shivananda Khan, who has been honored with Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the British Queen, for his services to HIV/AIDS prevention and among marginalized communities in South Asia. Shivananda Khan is one of the keynote speakers at the High Level Dialogue to discuss punitive laws, human rights and HIV prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Asia Pacific, in Hong Kong on 17th May to mark the International Day Against Homophobia. Read more