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US meeting with NGO delegation at the PCB: Report compiled by Gulnera and Rathi.

apnswdollhouse — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:44:43 +0000

Here is the first of our reports from the UNAIDS Program Coordinating Board meeting in Geneva, where Rathi Ramanathan is representing APNSW as one of the new NGO representatives for Asia Pacific.

We raised the issue of whether Pepfar restrictions on sex work would be reviewed under the administration.

Goosby: Prostitution clause – in middle of law suit 0 confident that we have internal agreement to minimize impact at global level. Will not require written statement to accept funds. Afraid to try to change language so as not to disrupt law suit. Getting sued is the correct approach. Confident we will be able to have it not impact the way it was intended to impact.

Goosby, the head of Pepfar and head of US delegation at the PC responded was that while language around Pepfar would not be reopened because too many detractors however two US based NGOs are now challenging the restrictions and should they be successful, that could open some opportunity for policy to be revised and he said the Obama administration was more open to the idea of relaxation the prostitution pledge. However, Michelle Moloney-Kitts, assistant coordinator of Pepfar who while insisted that funding around sex workers and access to prevention and other services (food, microcredit, eduaction, condoms availabiility) was still possible under Pepfar but insisted that monies could not be used for legalisation of sex work. When asked after the briefing Goosby’sposition on sex work, he said he was sympathetic but difficult to rally public support for Pepfar to fund legalisationof sex work in view that most americans do not view the legalisation of sex work favourable but he indicated, he would not object to international language drafted around legalisation of sex work . Michellle, part of the remaining Bush camp still holds a lot of weight especially around issues around gender and gender based violence and clearly anti-trafficking at the international fora. The current health attache of the US mission in Geneva is also an abolitionist.

Discussion with Michelle Sidibe and cosponsors

Met up with Steve Krause of UNFPA and he says, there is money for core funding for sex work related activities for 2010 but advised that proposals are sent in by end of Jan. For Asia Pacific proposals be sent to Bangkok office and him. Asked whether advocacy around MDG summit would be accepted, he said he would take a look. Rathi is talking to Vince about a collaborative proposals between Seven sisters and APNSW to build capacity and advocacy around MDG Summit and follow up for Universal Access review in 2011. We understand from Michelle Sidebe that he intends to lobby China, South Africa and another State (yet to be determined) to hold a HIV dialogue to review universal access after 2010 (UNGASS+). So it is important to start strategising around this Summit and securing funding for sex workers networks to attend.

Sidebe is expected to announce a high level task force on prevention which we view as positive especially in view that with of potential cutbacks by donors as a result of the financial crisis. This task force could garner political will to increase funding on prevention, an area the second evaluation has admiteed that UN joint programme has neglected. He also expressed concern around punitive laws as a barrier for key populations to access to HIV services. As a result we didn’t follow up spefcially with him on the idea of a thematic issue of punitive laws affecting key population. Vince of seven sisters who is also on the Bureau raised this issue of thematic on punitive laws but was informed that there is a list of themes already slated. He said he would email list to APNSW. However on a positive note, the PCB NGO delegation have also committed that that in view that stigma and discrimination is an agenda item for the June 2010 PCB, punitive laws which act as barriers to key populations would definitely be raised at the meeting.

Rathi Ramanathan, APNSW and Gulnara Kurmanova, Tais Plus

Who stole the tarts? By Sandhya Rao and Cath Sluggett A critique of human rights as they apply to sex workers From CASAM: The Centre for Advocacy on Stigma and Marginalisation.

apnswdollhouse — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:07:31 +0000

Paradoxical and shocking though it may seem, human rights are
being used to violate sex workers rights. The very framework
of human rights does this because it depends on interpretation
– and interpretation is easily laced with social prejudice. When,
as is often the case, sex work is interpreted as removing a
woman’s ‘dignity’, and being of moral harm to all women, then
the principle of indivisibility – all rights are equally important –
becomes an oppressive tool to those who want to practice sex
work for economic or other reasons. The right to do sex work is
dismissed because sex work is deemed oppressive and a human
rights violation to women. Perhaps what is more disturbing is
that everybody thinks this is correct. In the name of human rights,
unethical and even violent actions against sex work populations
are not only widely endorsed, but given accolades.

Click below for PDF file:
Who stole the tarts_small

APNSW has been part of the first International Social Action Film Festival

apnswdollhouse — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:33:33 +0000

APNSW has been part of the first International Social Action Film Festival to be organised in Asia, by the group Sinema in Singapore.
On Saturday we attended a film showing and a panel discussion where Elaine from Zi Teng in Hong Kong spoke, and we then met with people who are setting up a sex workers’ project in Singapore. Selvi, from the APNSW board spoke with them in depth about the issues and plans to network with them in the future from KL.
On Monday we showed 2 APNSW films and one film from WNU in Cambodia on the Tenofovir trial. Another film called Pecah Lobang (English= Busted), which was made with PT Foundation in Malaysia about the issues for TG sex workers under Syariah law was also shown. Afterwards Dale, Selvi and I took part in a panel discussion along with Leona Lo, a TG activist and artist from Singapore. http://leonalo.wordpress.com

There was a lot of interest in the films on the situation in Cambodia, and discussions of how and if similar issues applied in Singapore. Singapore has a weird ‘legal’ system of sex work regulation where foreign workers can get permits to work in licensed brothels if they get the correct visa and submit to mandatory testing. This helps back up the assertion that their are “no Singaporeans” working as sex workers- but it just means local sex workers have to work outside the system; and it means migrant sex workers who can’t get a permit and a “yellow card” have to work outside the system as well. Human rights and migrant rights organisations in Singapore are finally starting to take these issues up and are, thankfully, working from the premise that sex work and trafficking are two very different things. We’ll be trying to network with them in the future.

Sinema did a great job of organising this first festival, including the difficult task of getting us our foreign speakers permits from the police who obviously tow the government line that sex work is not an issue for Singaporeans. We plan to work with them to show a selection of films on sex work issues from across Asia and the Pacific on December 17 to mark International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers; as well as working to get a bigger selection of films and art work to show here for next years Social Action Film Festival.

http://www.youtube.com/mtvnoexit

http://www.filmsforchange.org

Global Campaign for Microbicides Recounts Lessons Learned from PrEP Trial Cancellations

apnswdollhouse — Tue, 12 May 2009 04:26:30 +0000

Between August 2004 and February 2005 the HIV prevention world was rocked by the suspension and cancellation of PrEP effectiveness trials in Cambodia and Cameroon. To the considerable surprise of researchers, advocates, and donors, the trials became embroiled in escalating controversies and sparked protests by advocates speaking on behalf of the communities where trial participants were being recruited. The activists not only raised questions about how the research was being conducted, but also challenged the fundamental ethics and underlying motives of the research. The Global Campaign for Microbicides is launching two in-depth case studies relating the events that led to these cancellations and extracting the lessons they provide for current and future research. Acknowledging that no single version of the events constitutes the “real story”, the case studies are built from extensive interviews with researchers, policymakers and other government officials, donors, NGO staff, and advocates to reconstruct often incompatible accounts of what eventually led to government intervention that halted the research. The case studies capture the political context and backdrop against which the controversies arose and the underlying and unaddressed conflicts that led to the costly collapse of two Phase 3 trials. These reports are important and exciting reading for anyone interested in sound science, human rights and communication across enormous cultural, social, and economic disparities. The HIV prevention field has made substantial progress since 2005 in forging mechanisms to be transparent and build trust between trial communities and researchers. But much remains to be done, and that the potential for conflict remains. As the first PrEP trials move toward completion this year, these case studies offer a timely look at what we have learned and what pressing challenges remain unaddressed.

The two case studies are available on-line at http://www.global-campaign.org/ethics-resources.htm