| WWW Campaign Launches in Haiti (October 2007) |
|
Las Mujeres NO Esperamos Women WON’T Wait Fanm PAP Tann Moulin sur Mer, Montrious, HaitiOctober 27- 29, 2007
All along the two day session there were several videos to educate and profile the issues around: the impact on women when they learn they are positive, their solitude and despair; the stigma and discrimination related to the lack of education and HIV AIDS related to poverty. Every video provoked discussions but most of all women would stand up, take the microphone and tell their stories. Marjorie, mother of two, young and passionate from the group VIH en Accion“I stand up here today since, yesterday in the presentation of the groups, only the president of my organization took the floor. I felt frustrated. I went to bed feeling frustrated. I am not going to talk about the organization, you already know it very well. I am going to talk about me My name is Marjorie, I live with the virus for more than 11 years. I had a partner that abused me and beaten me all time. I had two kids with him. He left me. Another friend infected me. I was in a relationship with him. I thought he was like a living God coming to Earth. Some time ago I learnt he died. So he infected me. Then I was told I was probable HIV positive, I did not listen. I was pushed to do a test. I thought that it was a test for my serious cold. If I knew it was and HIV Test, I would probably not having taken it. I do not know . I talked to my cousin. She is at University, so she explained me things better, I was silent. Could not say anything. I became very sick, I lost a lot of weight, lost my hair and felt very depressed. My family came to me and took me to another doctor for another test. Only then I was hospitalized, I started receiving ARV and started my recovery. Today I participate in groups supporting other women. HIV is not a tragedy in my life now, I am not going to take with me the stigmatization. I am still a mother of two , I live with my kids, and I am going back to school again.I am not going to kill myself or hid myself in a corner. There were many powerful testimonies and a sense of solidarity and respect. The campaign is really opening a space for women to speak out and understand their situation in connection with the issues of VAW and HIV AIDS. As we advanced in the presentations, groups were eager to know more about the legal frameworks in Haiti and how to make their Government more accountable. Haiti has ratified CEDAW but the implementation is yet to be seen. The groups need more information and capacity building on Human rights mechanisms and especially instruments signed by their government a regional and international level . We suggested the creation of an action guide that is inclusive of their context needs and legal instruments too. Another great concern was that today, even if rape is considered a crime, if the rape is committed by someone with greater influence at political level, then he can get way with it. In Haiti today the parliament is working on a law that contains several elements that punish people living with HIV and AIDS. The group suggested a campaign for every parliament to do a HIV test. The group also reflected a long time around the behaviors and attitudes men and women have around HIV AIDS and its relationships with Human rights. It was clear that for the first time some women were speaking out issues around: culture, religions, access to health and sexual and reproductive rights and sexual pleasure. Maternity was a big issue too. Many questions around the possibility of positive women to have children led to a heavy discussion that showed the need of more technical information. Many women were coming from rural distant areas and their realities and taboos to talk about these issues was made clear, so the campaign needs to consider the methodologies and strategies to bring these issues to these areas too. Here below I included some interesting information on the situation around VAW and HIV AIDS in the country presented by Rose Anne Auguste ( consultant, activist, )Working with AAI in Haiti
----------------------------------------------- Feminization of AIDS is in Haiti too. Official numbers say every 100 men , there are 15 women infected. What are the dynamics that put women in a more vulnerable situation: Crisis of knowledgeIn the recent years Haiti has seen a raise in migration. Great deal of women to work in rural and urban areas. This has spread the epidemic much more. The State is not considering this mobilization so the responses to the HIV AIDS is not taking into consideration the new sites of infections and there large zones not covered in terms of medicines, treatment, prevention and care In Haiti speaking about sex is a taboo. There is a lot of machismo and hypocrisy since we deny that there is a lot of stigmatization and ignorance around the issues. Economic AlienationThe State is a weak state. The State depends heavily on the international aid. The international aid comes with a baggage of approaches and paradigms. The PEPFAR programme, the publicity that comes with, the approach is only ABC . The State remains silent. There is no adapted research. The University here does not do research so as to know what happens in Haiti. We have foreigners coming and studying us, we are guinea pigs to them. The University is not giving a correct answer to our national situation The Health policies are inappropriate. Many of the women here in the meeting were lucky. Marjorie was lucky. Being lucky is not enough. It is not a care public policy.In Haiti there are only a few health centers in the areas. Millions of dollars arrive to the country but the problems are increasing. Medicines are not well distributed. There are groups that are only under first generation medicines. Very few are under second and third generation treatment, Some dataInternational Aid 16 millions, % 89 .4Public Treasure : only 1 %Private 10 %, 1.8 millions They receive funds form USAID , CDC, TECH, French , Canadian Sweden and other international cooperation . Also UNAIDS Communication and Information modelsAccording to Rose Anne presentation, this is the sector that causes the hardest damage in the population living with HIV and aids. The social discourse reinforces the stigmatization and this is visible in the speeches of priests, and reporters. Their voices are worst than the virus Violence against Women Violence against women is established in Haiti and DR society since everThere are 12 to 15 cases of rape every day. Many women are infected after this sexual violence. “Penis trafique”: Penis as weapons to due harm. There are groups of men, gangs that put balls of steel in their penis so as to make the rape even more painful for women. Many women even commit suicide after the rape. These incidents of sexual violence are increasing the numbers of women infected with HIV AIDS. A recent qualitative study showed that violence is in the daily lives of women. A girl of 10 raped by a neighbor, a girls of 17 raped at home, a girls of 12 kidnapped and raped ( source : panno caraibes mars 2007) General situationThe woman or girls victims of violence are not ready to speak and there are difficulties to prove the rape top. Many times they feel guilty as if they had caused the rape for their dress codes, manners, etc.There is a lot of lack of denounce capacity from women.There is a lack of data, there are many women living this in silence.Rape against women is very serious in Haiti. In spite of the mobilization and the work done by the Ministry of Women, rape is still in the daily lives and many victims every day..There are only 33 institutions in Haiti that can attend women survivors of violence. There is one centre every 253 750 inhabitants Only 5 % of health centers can work on violence against women PLANS FOR CAMPAIGN LAUNCH AND MOVING FORWARD
The groups offered suggestions for the launch and follow up around messages, communication, policy asks and education. See below There will be a meeting before end of 2007 to form a coordination group and plan for 2008. Suggestions to be considered by the group in future meetings Linkages of National coalition with CONCASIDA, AIDS Conference in México 2008 and UNGASS in NY June 2008 Participation in regional and international WWW Meetings and actions. Specific demands Violence against Women demandsNeed of a documentation on historical violence against women, such as Baghdad operation, penis trafique and profile those atrocitiesNeed to have a specific research and visibility of VAW and VIH SIDA.Need to look at the responsibility of partners in relation to feminization to HIV AIDS. Policy AsksSeriously look at the law today on parliament that punishes People living with HIV AIDS and make a campaign to call to all parliamentarians to do the testPaternity law, the Ministry of Women is working on that. So it is an opportunity to see how such law interrelates with Feminization of HIV AIDSNeed of People living with HIV AIDS to be at the centre of decision making processes Research Map the sexual and reproductive centre available for women and HIV Positive womenGive visibility of the international dependence of the State, and do a report to show were is the money !Research on VAW and HIV AIDS intersections.Need to look at all laws that punish violence against women and who is responsible and accountable for that to happenMap laws that protect women workers that are HIV positive.
|
