In moving towards the APA Conference this year, this fortnights update explores some of the issues facing migrant and displaced populations in accessing not only sexual and reproductive healthcare, but also in terms of the protection of basic human rights. HIV prevention and treatment is an important component of this. ‘In 2008, there appear to be 74 countries which still impose some form of HIV-specific restrictions on the entry and residence of positive people. Of these, some 10 countries basically prohibit HIV positive people from entering or staying for any reason or length of time. There are 29 countries which deport people once their HIV infection is discovered’. (Susan Timberlake, Senior Advisor, Human Rights and Law, UNAIDS Secretariat, Geneva) But there are many other issues that migrating or displaced population groups face when trying to live and work in other countries. Universal Access to maternal health services would prevent many deaths but so too would the granting of rights and citizenship to the tens of thousand migrant workers and displaced population groups who are trying to make a better life for themselves and their families.

As this is the main theme of this years APA conference, we would love to hear from any of you that are working in this area, so that we could maybe work together to develop something to add to our conference program. Please get in touch.

Human Trafficking

SOURCE: Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (article 3 (a)).

Trafficking of women in children in the ASEAN region is an issue that we as workers in the area hear about frequently, disturbingly so. It needs to be clearly understood that at the heart of this issue, is DEMAND. People travel from all over the world to come to this region to have access to women and children for forced sex and labour purposes. This is different to those who enter into sex work as a valid way to earn an income. People who are victims of trafficking have little choice but to comply in order to stay alive. They receive little to no medical care and are discarded if they become sick and unable to work.

Poverty is one of the most serious underlying causes of trafficking and forced labour. Lack of access to everyday items, let alone reproductive health services and supplies, means that in order to achieve our reproductive and sexual health goals, we must also address poverty.

The following video story is an undercover look at the Child Sex trade in Cambodia, where you can see the locks on the room doors, keeping the children imprisoned until they are forced to work. *This video comes with a disturbing content warning*.

To view the video, follow this link http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/4037134#4037134

India: The Demand for Sex Trafficking: Holding Commercial Sex Buyers Accountable

Naina has been raped by an old man. The same thing happened to me when I was ten years old. I hate the people who bought me and pushed me into this as much as I hate the men who were my clients!”

(Meena, prostitution survivor whose 13-year-old daughter was trafficked into prostitution)

No girl wants to join prostitution of her own will—none. I think all the people for whom the lives of young girls are sacrificed must be punished. If the police start arresting the clients, the others would stop coming. It will force the community to find alternative livelihood options . ”

(Fatima, prostitution survivor)

Once I took poison. The last time I tried to put my head on the railway tracks, but then I thought who would take care of my family if I died? I have seen a few girls here slash their wrists. Then I cut myself twice and saw blood ooze. I wake up thinking who wants to stay on here? But what will I do then? I want to educate my son, so I have to earn money this way.”

(Beenu, woman in prostitution)

Beenu was married at the age of 13 and became pregnant the same year. She lived with her husband for three years until he threw her out and she was forced to return home to her parents. Unable to support her child, she left for Sonarpur to find work as a domestic servant, leaving her young son with her parents. In Sonarpur she was befriended by a young woman who drugged her and took her to a brothel. Beenu felt she had no other options, nowhere else to go, no education or skills for employment, and a son to look after. For the first seven months the woman who brought her to the brothel took all her money. Between seven and eight men bought her body daily at a rate of Rs 50 (US$1.25) per ejaculation or Rs 200 (US$5) for an overnight stay. She earns up to Rs 100 (US$2.50) per day, of which the brothel madam keeps half, Beenu pays Rs 10 (US 25c) for food and between Rs 15–Rs 20 (US 50c) on medicines, tobacco or alcohol. She is able to save about Rs 600 (US$15) a month, which she must use to buy clothes and make up. She is only able to send Rs 200 (US$5) a month for her son. Beenu describes the kind of men who come to the brothel as follows: “Many drink alcohol before coming here. Some want to have kinky sex. They behave horribly if you refuse; they hit you and bite you.” Beenu is unable to protect herself from HIV/AIDS. Few people agree to use a condom, she says. And if they don’t, I cannot force them. Nor can she refuse any of these commercial sex buyers as she would be beaten by the brothel owner if she did or left with no other means to earn a living. Beenu has tried to kill herself several times. Previously, I used to get this feeling very often that there’s no use going on living, she explains.

The Government of India is currently considering amendments to its law on trafficking and prostitution. The Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Amendment (ITPA) Bill 2006 proposes significant changes in a number of areas including decriminalizing prostituted women and penalizing buyers of prostituted women. Groups including Apne Aap Women Worldwide, a survivor-led organization that began in 1998 as a community-based initiative of women in prostitution in the red light area of Mumbai, have been advocating for the proposed changes. However, they face growing opposition to the provision that would penalize the buyers, which is set forth in Section 5C of the Bill. One of the arguments made in opposition to the Bill is the belief that regulation of prostitution and hence its legalization would guarantee the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, which is prevalent in the sex industry. While the use of condoms has a beneficial effect in halting the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS, the condom provision approach to prostitution fails to take into account that prostituted women, as Beenu explains above, are not able to force commercial sex buyers to use condoms. Regulation of the sex industry has not shown any appreciable improvements in being able to negotiate use of condoms. In fact what happens in countries where prostitution has been legalized is that the illegal sex industry has blossomed in parallel and trafficking of women increases to meet the demand for prostitution.

It would be more effective to address the HIV/AIDS crisis, as well as the life crises of girls and women like Beenu, by reducing rather than promoting the commercial sex industry, which plays a tremendous role in the spread of HIV/AIDS. Curbing the demand for prostituted women and holding commercial sex buyers accountable, as provided for in Section 5C of the ITPA Bill, is a critical step in this process. At the same time, there should be provision of sustainable programs to provide prostituted women and girls with real alternatives to prostitution. This is in line with Article 14 of India’s Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of the law, as well as the provisions of the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others (the 1949 Convention) to which India is a party. Under Article 16 of the 1949 Convention, state parties agree to “take or to encourage, through public and private educational, health, social, economical and other related services, measures for the prevention of prostitution and for the rehabilitation and social adjustment of the victims of prostitution.”

Government and NGO reports estimate that there are from hundreds of thousands to millions of women and girls prostituted in India, many of whom are victims of sex trafficking. The majority of women prostituted and trafficked within India are from lower castes and many are girls, some brought into the sex industry as young as 13 years old. The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in March 2007 raised concerns with India about the sexual exploitation of Dalit (lower-caste) and tribal women trafficked into prostitution. India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource and Development when discussing the ITPA Bill 2006 in November 2006 itself drew attention to the prevalence of caste and religion based prostitution, noting that traffickers were clandestinely using this route to traffic the girls into prostitution.” This exploitation of women and girls continues despite Article 15 of the Indian Constitution, which prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.

Kumkum, a commercial sex industry survivor, testified in Parliament in support of the proposed amendments to the Bill:

The pain that I have kept inside myself for years is not only my own, but is shared by thousands of my sisters who are trapped in prostitution and who are the victims of pimps and traffickers, so I wanted to express it for everyone. When we heard that Article 5C, which will penalize the persons who demand prostituted sex from us, will be included in the Act, we were relieved, since these people were the real criminals.”

Recommended Actions - See Equality Now Website: :http://www.equalitynow.org:80/english/actions/action_3001_en.html

HIV and Travel

UNAIDS Statement at the World Health Assembly on the Health of Migrants

Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, governments have prevented people living with HIV from entering or residing in their countries based solely on their HIV status. Such restrictions have stopped HIV positive people from travelling for business, family visits, or tourism; and from entering a country for study, labour migration, and political asylum.

In 1987, the World Health Organisation (WHO) convened an expert consultation which concluded that “no screening programme of international travellers can prevent the introduction and spread of HIV infection”.1 In 1988, WHO stated that: “HIV screening of international travelers would be ineffective, impractical and wasteful…Rather than screening international travelers, resources must be applied to preventing HIV transmission among each population, based on information and education, and with the support of health and social services”.2 In that same year, the World Health Assembly urged Member States “to protect the human rights and dignity of HIV-infected people….and to avoid discriminatory action against and stigmatization of them in the provision of services, employment and travel . To read the full statement, follow this link here.

Beijing Launches Hotel Condom Campaign To Curb Spread of HIV

[May 20, 2008] 

Finding A Better Life

A Better Future for China's Girls

April 22, 2008 —Fourteen year-old Jiang Hua, daughter of a migrant worker from the Chaoyang District in Beijing, wants to be a reporter when she is older. Her classmates, also daughters of migrant workers, want to be teachers, police officers and journalists, too. These all seem like achievable aspirations, but the reality is that the majority of these girls will never make it into senior high school.

In China, girls typically receive only seven years of education despite laws that make nine years of education compulsory for all children, according to the 2000 national census. Migrant girls face even greater odds. Because the migration of their family is often unauthorized, the girls and their families lose access to many of their public benefits when they relocate from the provinces to Beijing. The high barriers to becoming registered make access to public schools in Beijing nearly impossible for these families.

Many migrant parents, with no other options, leave their children behind with relatives in other provinces so that they can continue with school. Others send their children to one of the hundreds of migrant schools, including an estimated 300 unregistered schools, scraping together school fees out of their meager incomes.

To read the full story, follow this link here http://www.cedpa.org/content/news/detail/1849

Finding A Way to Make Ends Meet

Under wraps, sex work rife in North Afghanistan

When 19-year-old Fatima returned to her home in northern Afghanistan after years as a refugee in Iran, she struggled desperately to earn a living.  She briefly found work with an NGO, before being let go, and then spent two months learning how to weave carpets, before the factory shut down and she was again out on the streets of Mazar-i-Sharif.  Determined to support her mother, two sisters and young brother, she turned to a profession that has long been practiced the world over but remains deeply suppressed in conservative Afghanistan: sex work.  "I had no other way but prostitution," says 19-year-old Fatima.  "I get up early in the morning and wander around the city," she said, at first reluctant to discuss her work. "My customers stop me and give me a lift and then we talk about the price," she explains.  Sometimes charging $50 a time, her work is illegal and would bring shame on her family if discovered, but it provides a lifeline she otherwise could not have imagined.  And there is anecdotal evidence, supported by doctors concerned about the potential for the spread of HIV and AIDS, that more and more young women across northern regions of Afghanistan are turning to sex work to escape grinding poverty.

Mohammad Khalid, a doctor who runs an AIDS awareness clinic in Mazar-i-Sharif, says he has seen a rise in infections, although from a very low base, and fears that women working in prostitution are reluctant to come forward to be tested.  "Unfortunately the public is not aware of the risk of HIV infection," he says.

Nasrin is a 24-year-old sex worker in Kunduz, to the east of Mazar-i-Sharif.  She says she was urged by her mother to take up the work, as there was no other way for the family to earn a living.  "My father died in the civil war, my mum was a widow and I did not know what she did for work," Nasrin explained. "Later I understood she was a prostitute. One day she encouraged me to have sex with a man who came to our house."  Nasrin said she was ashamed, but felt she had no choice. "I really wanted to be a good lady and live with my husband, but now everyone sees me as a prostitute," she said. "My life is spoiled," she sobbed.  Others are more satisfied with their work, even if they acknowledge it means a normal life is out the question.

"I am happy with what I am doing," says Nazanin, 23, a long-time sex worker in Mazar-i-Sharif who charges $15 a time.  "On the other hand, I have had enough of this. I really want to live like the others do. But who will marry me?" she asked.  "I have had my brothel for at least five years," explained a pimp in one northern provincial city, speaking on condition of anonymity. "I have 10 girls here and my customers are trustworthy."  Asked how he operates under Islamic law, he replied: "My brothel is not in the open. It is something only my customers know about. Once police took notice of what I was doing but I paid them a bribe."  For clients, paying for sex gives them easy access to women that they otherwise would not be able to meet or could only have contact with if they were married, a costly exercise in itself.  "I have sex at least once a week with one of these prostitutes," said Zilgy, a 25-year-old visiting a brothel in Mazar-i-Sharif. "I am their regular customer now. I have their telephone numbers and invite them to many places."

Women's rights workers are concerned about what they see as a rising tide in sex work but believe it will inevitably continue unless the government does something to tackle poverty.

Security chiefs and religious leaders are also keen to show that they are clamping down on the world's oldest profession, but they lay the blame squarely on the sex worker, not the customers.  "Prostitution is completely illegal in Islam," said Qari Aziz, a prayer leader in Mazar-i-Sharif. "Those practicing it must be punished very harshly so that they will never do it again."

Source: PUSH Journal, 22 May 2008

Accessing the Medicines and Services that We Need

Health ministers to debate drug patent dispute

To read the full article, follow this link here http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKL1454849920080514

Over 200 Million Children Lack Basic Health Care, Report Finds

Study Ranks Philippines First, Ethiopia Last

Boosting Number of Health Workers in Communities is Key to Closing Gap and Saving Lives

Westport, Conn. (May 6, 2008) — More than 200 million children under age 5 do not get basic health care when they need it, with the poorest children missing out and most at risk of dying, according to the ninth annual State of the World's Mothers report issued today by Save the Children, a U.S.-based global independent humanitarian organization.

The report includes the first-ever Basic Health Care Report Card of 55 developing countries that shows which countries are doing the best and the worst at reaching children with basic health care. Together these countries account for nearly 60 percent of the world's under-5 population and 83 percent of all child deaths worldwide. Basic health care is defined as a package of lifesaving interventions that includes prenatal care, skilled care at childbirth, immunizations and treatment for diarrhea and pneumonia.

Eight of the 55 countries in the Basic Health Care Report Card reach 60 percent or more children under age 5 with basic health care. The Philippines comes out on top of the Report Card. In 30 of the 55 countries, less than half of all young children receive health care, including bottom-ranked Ethiopia, where more than 80 percent of children under age 5 do not receive basic lifesaving care.

Although some countries are doing a good job of reaching all children with basic health care, a closer look shows disparities in health care provided to the poorest children compared to the best-off. Top-ranked Philippines does a good job at reaching all children under 5 with basic health care. Yet, the poorest Filipino children are 3.2 times more likely to go without basic health measures.

To read the full article, follow this link here http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2008/children-lack-health-care.html

Dates for the Diary

JUNE 2008

HARVARD UNIVERSITY JOHN F. KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE EDUCATION - LEADERS IN DEVELOPMENT: MANAGING POLITICAL & ECONOMIC CHANGE

JUNE 9 - 20, 2008

During times of great change, leadership is critically important. This is particularly true today in developing and newly industrialized countries where the pace of political and economic change is accelerating rapidly. Today's leaders face an increasingly complex tapestry of economic, political, and social challenges.

• Sharpen problem solving, analytic, and strategic action skills to help them plan, introduce, and sustain major policy and institutional reform.
• Consider new ways to strengthen representative politics and open markets, and manage the challenges of globalization.
• Share experiences with their counterparts in other countries in a collective search for effective responses to change.

Participants return to their countries with enhanced understanding of the tasks of leadership in promoting reform, greater knowledge of changes taking place internationally, and a renewed commitment to working with others to develop their societies.

For more information, follow this link here

JULY 2008

G8 Summit 2008, 7-9 July 2008, Tokyo , Japan

The G8 Summit 2008, which will include global health as a focus theme, will take place in Tokyo, Japan. An outline of the summit, including preliminary and fixed dates of minister meetings, as well as additional information, can be found at the official website.

Preparatory Ministers Meetings:

May 28-30 2008, Yokohama: TICAD IV – Tokyo International Conference on African Development
June 13-14 2008, Osaka: Finance Ministers Meeting
June 26-27 2008, Kyoto: Foreign Ministers Meeting

Monitoring and Evaluation of HIV/AIDS Programs

(14/07/2008 - 25/07/2008)
Bangkok, Thailand

The workshop offers intensive training that will cover the fundamental concepts and tools for monitoring and evaluating HIV/AIDS programs. The workshop will include sessions on: The Role of Strategic Information in Decision Making; M&E Frameworks; indicators; Information Systems; Evaluation Designs; Developing M&E Plans; Selecting, Calculating and interpreting Indicators; and Use of Recently Developed Tools. In addition, modules on program areas and crosscutting issues appropriate for the Asian region and other will also be included. Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University at Salaya Campus www.ipsr.mahidol.ac.th

AUGUST 2008

International AIDS Conference – Mexico 2008

The AIDS 2008 theme, Universal Action Now , underscores the continued urgency of the pandemic and reminds us of the responsibility we have to take individual and collective action. For scientists, researchers, people living with HIV and other civil society leaders and professionals working in the field of HIV/AIDS, AIDS 2008 is an ideal opportunity to meet new colleagues and learn from the experiences of others engaged at the local, national and international levels. Join us in México City and help bring us closer to the goals of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. For more information about this conference visit the IAC Website.

SEPTEMBER 2008

Global Course: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: Poverty Reduction, Reproductive Health and Health Sector Reform ( Sep 15-27 2008 ), Bangkok , Thailand

The course explores key elements in designing efficient, equitable and financially sustainable population policies and reproductive health programs in the context of health sector reform and Millennium Development Goals. After attending the course, participants learn to recognize how the changing international and national policy environments affect their work in population and reproductive health and to identify the linkages among health, gender and poverty.

This two-week course is designed for staff from governments, donor agencies, international organizations, the World Bank, and NGOs working in the health sector. In addition, it targets staff from training and research institutions, as well as academics and researchers working in the areas of health, public administration and social sector reform.

The course is a face-to-face learning event and will be held at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. The sessions will consist of presentations, readings, case studies and group work. Participants must have a good working knowledge of English to participate.

Information about how to apply and fees can be found through the website which you can access by following this link here.

Australasian Sexual Health Conference 2008

(15/09/2008 - 17/09/2008)
Australasian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine & Australasian Society for HIV Medicine. 

Contact the Conference Secretariat at info@sexualhealthconference.com.au or visit the website http://sexualhealthconference.com.au/home/

OCTOBER 2008

ASIA PACIFIC ALLIANCE CONFERENCE AND MEETINGS - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND - Week Beginning 5th October 2008

NOVEMBER 2008

The AWID International Forum on Women's Rights and Development, November 14 - 17, 2008 , South Africa .

You can expect to be enlightened, provoked and inspired by an exceptional group of thoughtful, forward-looking and fiercely committed women and men. You can expect to move beyond simply talking to getting involved in global action plans and campaigns that will emerge out of the Forum, but will last well beyond it. You can expect to work hard and gain an abundance of new skills, new knowledge, new colleagues, and new ideas for the long road ahead. You can expect to be welcomed, nurtured, fortified and challenged by a group of like-minded activists, academics and practitioners. And finally, you can expect to have more fun than you thought was possible at a conference!

For more information, visit the AWID Website.

DECEMBER 2008

Regional Conference on TB, HIV/AIDS and Respiratory Diseases

(15 December, 2008)

South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation *(SAARC) Second Conference on TB, HIV/AIDS and Respiratory Diseases *is being  planned from 15-18 Dec, 2008, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Log in to below address for more details: http://www.saarctb.com.np

The deadline for abstract submission is 30th June, 2008

SAARC Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Centre,
Thimi, Bhaktapur,
GPO Box: 9517, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel: 00977-1-6631048, 6632601, 6632477,
Fax: 00977-1-6634379

E-mail: saarctb@mos.com.np
Website: saarctb.com.np

2009

The 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific in Bali in August 2009

Welcome to the 9th ICAAP

The organizing committee and sponsors warmly invite you to attend the 9th ICAAP. The congress will be held at the Bali International Convention Center (BICC) in Nusa Dua, Bali – Indonesia from 9 – 13 August 2009. Bali International Convention Centre is the largest and most technologically advanced resource in Bali for meetings and events. It is ideally located in Nusa Dua, home to the island's most luxurious hotel and resort accommodation and conference facilities, just 10 kilometers from Bali's international airport and 25 minutes from the chic and vivacious Kuta, Legian and Seminyak districts.

Why should you consider attending?

Leading scientists in the world in this area will be invited to present plenary lectures focusing on developments in different areas over the past two years and to discuss possible future developments and fruitful areas for research.

Discuss social, economical and programmatic aspects of HIV/AIDS including stigma and discriminations

Strengthen collaboration and networking of nations, leaders, activists, community in general in Asia and the Pacific to fight HIV/AIDS and related issues

Leaderships and political commitments 

Many different aspects of the AIDS response will be discussed with delegates from Asia and the Pacific. We expect in the order of 5,000 delegates.

There will be special exhibitions running alongside the conference. These will include stands of international organizations, displays of various AIDS programs from PLHIV groups and organizations offering technical and financial help to the AIDS response.

Place for sharing experiences, learning, speaking up, updating information, networking

Bali is also known as the "Island of the Gods", where temples and ceremonies can be found almost everywhere and everyday.

In Bali the passage of life is measured through elaborate rituals performed by artistic and hospitable local people. The Balinese maintain a precious heritage of unique arts and a dynamic culture amidst breathtaking panoramas of cultivated rice terrace, awesome volcanoes, pristine beaches and thousands of temples, augmented by an unrivalled range of modern leisure activities.

There will be exciting pre and post congress activities as well as attractive day-trips designed to immerse you in the Bali experience.

ICAAP9 ProgramThe theme of the 9th ICAAP is "Empowering People, Strengthening Networks"

For more than 20 years countries around the world have faced the AIDS epidemic more or less alone. Best practices have been documented to help countries deal with their specific epidemics, but as the world becomes more globalized and country borders become more fluid, interventions that address mobility, migration and global and regional responses become more important.

The empowerment of people – both HIV-positive and HIV-negative vulnerable to HIV – and the strengthening of networks - PLHIV groups, faith-based organizations, communities, governments, regions, sectors, as well as individuals - are important components to addressing this change.

With increased mobility in-country and across borders, nations can no longer expect to work alone in its response to HIV and AIDS. Regional and international cooperation is needed to address HIV transmission among migrant populations. Strong networks are of utmost importance when countries need effective interventions to halt the epidemic in its tracks.  The 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific in Bali in August 2009 aims to address, among others, issues of mobility, migration, as well as gender and people with disabilities in order to empower the people and strengthen networks to effectively respond to AIDS.

Congress Tracks
Track A - Empowerment for Prevention & Epidemiology
Track B - Strengthening Treatment & Care
Track C - Enabling and empowering environment: tackling social,
economic, cultural & religious barriers
Track D - Leadership & Broadening the Response
Track E - Universal Access, Networking & Partnerships

http://icaap9.aidsindonesia.or.id/

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APA UPDATE is produced by the APA secretariat, c/- 43rd Floor, United Centre , 323 Silom Rd, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Thailand.
Contributions and feedback are welcome - please send to email apa secretariat, phone (+64 4) 801 2621.

 

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