PEPFAR may pull HIV funding from hard-hit Caribbean countries ..........

The United States is terminating its funding to several of the Caribbean countries hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Directors of the US President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), America’s global fund to fight AIDS around the world, said that they could no longer justify supporting the upper middle-income countries of the Caribbean, and have ordered fund terminations from as early as this year.

 President Reagan AIDSGATE years

I saw a series of reports out there recently on the decrease of PEPFAR to the Caribbean and it came to me that this is starting to feel like the US President Reagan years when the White House then simply ignored the calls for proper funding for research for a relatively new disease being HIV then known as SIDS and which was pegged as a gay disease or gay plague. 

Thanks to the Act UP campaign and vigorous advocacy in those days.

Upon the rumours and fears expressed by mostly American AIDS experts that funding for HIV prevention work and treatment and care it has come home to action by the Trump administration, obviously playing to his base as he is the most unpopular president in years.

The Bahamas — which has the highest population prevalence of HIV in the English-speaking Caribbean, at just over 3% — will have its funding cut entirely in September 2017, followed by Barbados in 2018. Meanwhile, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago will have their funding slashed to historic lows for two years, before their allocations end in 2019.

Of the middle-income Caribbean countries, only Jamaica will be spared from cuts, but under strict conditions. Far fewer people living with HIV in Jamaica receive treatment than in the other upper-middle income Caribbean countries, and estimates are that more than 3 in 10 Jamaican men who have sex with men are HIV positive. 

To address this, PEPFAR will move 67-75% of its Caribbean regional budget to the island between 2017 and 2019. In exchange, Jamaica will have to meet ambitious targets to curb its epidemic, or PEPFAR will leave the English-speaking Caribbean region entirely, including the member countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.

In the Caribbean, PEPFAR contributes to the cost of HIV prevention programmes, drug procurement, and the treatment, care and psychosocial support of people living with HIV and AIDS. The Fund also works with community organisations to target HIV prevention and care to LGBT people and commercial sex workers who are on the periphery of direct government programmes. PEPFAR’s interventions are further supported by health experts at US diplomatic missions, where some vacant posts have already been frozen as a result of the clawback.

PEPFAR’s moves now increase the burden on regional governments to bring their HIV/AIDS epidemics under control, even as public finances in several of the affected countries are already stretched. With the exception of Haiti, which will retain its PEPFAR funding entirely, a complete regional pullout would leave a US$9m gap¹ in financing for the Caribbean’s response to HIV and AIDS, based on PEPFAR’s 2014/15 expenditure levels.

Despite some progress, the picture of the Caribbean’s HIV/AIDS response is mixed. Prevention messages that focus on abstinence and condom use are mainstays of national health campaigns, and costly interventions such as drug prophylaxis to prevent HIV infection are off the radar for most. Moralistic views and discrimination against the LGBT community are effective barriers to healthcare, and the prevalence of HIV among these marginalised groups can often run times higher than in the general population.

Strong progress and adoption of international best practices, such as Barbados’ decision to treat all people living with HIV, regardless of the stage of their disease, have been largely supported by PEPFAR funds. Central governments will now have limited time to ensure sustainability of these gains and to finance gaps after the departure of US aid.

While PEPFAR’s Directors made no explicit link between their decisions and President Trump’s dictates to cut America’s levels of foreign aid, the repeal of PEPFAR’s reach in the Caribbean follows the administration’s decisions to cut funding to the United Nations Food and Population Fund, as well as its removal of federal dollars from Planned Parenthood and other international development programmes.

The US Congress recently passed the US-Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act, which an analysis featured in this publication deemed to be an important opportunity for advancing the Caribbean’s interests to the Trump administration. As at press time, sources tell Antillean that health and social development imperatives were not among the priorities advanced by CARICOM for the shaping of the future US engagement policy, despite CARICOM’s ambassadors in Washington and New York being briefed on PEPFAR’s decisions.

Thanks to the Antillean Media Outlet for this one (photos added for this post), in a another related story see: Trump administration cuts all future US funding to UNFPA

Breasts right but down there!

So the business of genitalia confusion if not error during sexual negotiations has come up again. A transgender commercial sex worker found herself in exactly such a position over the Christmas/New Year’s holidays as she plied her trade in New Kingston; more commercial sex workers or persons who rely on it to make some money come out to pound the pavement. She reportedly met a man where they left the hip strip to handle business but the man after fondling her breasts went further, the victim tried the old ‘I am having my menstruation’ excuse to avoid the man going too far physically via fondling but he would have none of it. The man while not assaulting the trans woman did eventually got his hands at her genitalia area only to discover a bulge instead of an expected flat surface. 

Transsexual people experience a gender identity that is inconsistent with, or not culturally associated with, their assigned sex, and desire to permanently transition to the gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (including hormone replacement therapy and other sex reassignment therapies).

Things got tense as the man reacted violently but thankfully the young tranny (the friendly version of the word) being petite in body was able to elude her raging attacker as she was not wearing her shoes in the form of a six inch pump. She made her way along the eastern section of Grenada Crescent judge a couple hundred yards from the infamous Shoemaker Gully where the homeless transgender/MSM reside. That part of town has always had some issues over time from shots fired at persons to men pretending to be clients but who unleash an attack when they get close in proximity to the intended target(s). How does transgender sex workers navigate this problem if you will?

Using the menstrual cycle excuse is the oldest trick in the book and is a little unethical if you ask me as it is not the truth but then again the client is seeking a fantasy to be fulfilled in the real world so the seller has to try to conform to the needs of the paying customer. Oral sex is usually the way out to avoid too much body contact and fondling, trouble with that based on engaging some persons is that some men are turned on via touching and exploration to strengthen their arousal and such. It was only December 17 this blog observed International Day against Violence towards Sex Workers and it was subjects like this that came up in an online social media group call. The ins and outs of this came out quick loudly.

I am reminded of the murder of transgender vogue queen in the US Amy Mizrahi whose body was found days later under a bed in a motel, as the news spread locally many were disturbed at the murder then in the nineties and the subject came up in terms of safety for street workers. Then the stabbing incident in 2003 of the popular and well liked “Browning” who was killed by a soldier who was a client of hers on the night in question, she too used the menstrual cycle excuse as part of negotiations to guide the client towards oral sex but the attempt failed based on the word allegedly of the perpetrator who was said to be bragging that he killed a ‘battyman’ dressed in women’s clothes. Browning managed to escape from the car and ran and scaled a fence but he pursued her until he got her. Being a soldier with a stronger frame he was able to overpower her and then stabbed her repeatedly and left the body. She was discovered by other walkers and cruisers of the day.

Folding ones penis under between the legs is not necessarily an option that works especially if the genitalia is of a larger size of 8 inches, with walking and so on things can shift and a thong or a similar clothing apparatus may not guarantee a vaginal appearing presentation to supposedly ‘fool’ or trick male clients. “Coming out” as pre-operative transgender is not an option in Jamaica just yet as the level of knowledge is simply not there when compared to our counterparts per say in Cuba. They already have a national program via CENESEX that hosts serials and TV PSAs and so on highlighting transgender issues long before the wave came in the United States and eventually worldwide. They also offer some reassignment surgery services for free essentially for qualified persons but the longstanding problem in that department is the quality of the healing and other post surgery treatments, many prefer Thailand as the place of choice for transitioning.

The US has been reaping some better success since the challenges in the eighties where breast implants would have ruptured from poor silicone gels encasements and leakage into the body causing more disastrous complications, they experts alongside manufacturers of implants have since improved the products from the shape from egg-shape or elliptical to tear drop types that hang better for nipple placement post the surgery. Vaginoplasty has also seen some leaps and bounds with better formed vaginas as it were complete with sensitive areas that act as a clitoris as the tip of the penis is reshaped to attain that. While some local efforts are being done to educate doctors and surgeons one gets the feeling some are not condoning or are receptive to the information. Surgeries locally are not available at this time in as far a vaginoplasty are concerned, breast implants are already here via plastic surgeons but some locals are not too impressed especially the ladies in the dancehall arena who have now taken on enhancement activities to enhance the optics for their careers. 

Many go overseas of pump up via Botox injections and so on. The ugly business of underground pump up actions by some is here with us in ever increasing reports, they do so by using non traditional methods and ingredients such as cooking oil, olive oil, estrogenic laced concoctions, illegally obtained syringes or burrowed/shared ones and so on which can be risky in terms of HIV transmission. Then there is the cross population concerns as gay friends may also be in the presence of some of this at pump parties or so and may also experiment in a desire to conform construct and not feel left out. Then there is the psychology of some of this as I expressed some concern recently to a leading transgender activist that some persons professing transgender may not be so, seeing that it is easier to escape homophobia in a sense by physical appearance adjustments or aesthetic but they may not feel ‘born in the wrong body’ many times after a psychological analysis they are found not to be transgender but gay and effeminate. Besides not everyone’s body can handle hormones either even transgender individuals, that all important pre-surgery physical examinations are so crucial to determine that.

Unless and until the powers that be locally allow more reassignment surgery opportunities for transgender folks who may otherwise cannot afford it fully we may have challenges such as this genitalia mishap, the young transperson has since been on the low hoping she does not come across the man again in case he decides to exact some follow up. Such are the realities of pounding the pavement; a girl has to earn her coins.

Peace & tolerance

H

International Day to End Violence against Sex Workers 2016

Sex Workers Outreach Project joins sex workers, allies and advocates from around the world in recognizing December 17, the International Day to End Violence against Sex Workers. As we approach this day, we come together to remember those lost this year and renew our commitment to the on-going struggle for empowerment, visibility, and rights for all sex workers.

On December 17th, We also renew our commitment to solidarity. The majority of violence against sex workers is not just violence against sex works—it’s also violence against transwomen, against women of color, against drug users, against immigrants. We cannot end the marginalization and victimization of all sex workers without also fighting trans-phobia, racism, stigma and criminalization of drug use, and xenophobia.

Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers was first recognized in 2003 as a memorial and vigil for the victims of the Green River Killer in Seattle Washington. Since 2003, Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers has empowered people from cities around the world to come together and organize against discrimination and remember victims of violence.

During the week of December 17th, sex worker communities and social justice organizations stage actions and vigils and work to raise awareness about violence that is commonly committed against sex workers. The assault, battery, rape and murder of sex workers must end. Racism, economic inequality, systems of colonialist and state violence and oppression must end. The  stigma and discrimination and criminalization that makes violence against us acceptable must end. Please join with sex workers around the world and stand against criminalization and violence committed against our communities.

Red umbrella symbol

The red umbrella is an important symbol for sex worker rights and is used for events that are held on December 17. The red umbrella symbol was first used by sex workers in Venice, Italy in 2001. Slovenian artist Tadej Pogacar collaborated with sex workers to create the "Prostitute Pavillion" and CODE: RED art installation for the 49th Venice Biennale of Art. Sex workers also held a street demonstration, the Red Umbrellas March, to protest inhumane work conditions and human rights abuses.

The International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe (ICRSE) adopted the red umbrella as a symbol of resistance to discrimination in 2005. A corresponding march was organised as the closing event to the European Conference on Sex Work, Human Rights, Labour and Migration conference, held in Brussels, Belgium, at which almost 200 participants appeared.

Locally the Sex Workers Association of Jamaica, SWAJ seems to be dead in the water as of late, they have been silent, not a word from its President or on their social media pages yet.

Peace & tolerance

H

Call For Order - Negril Stakeholders Want Commercial Sex Work Regularised

Thought I'd post this Gleaner article on commercial sex work given recent developments in Western Jamaica and a raid previously posted Weekend raid of CSWs in Mobay had homeless LGBT in dragnet. The Sex Worker Association of Jamaica, SWAJ based in western Jamaica as well has expressed some interest in the developments and have said they make respond in time.

I do wish though that the Gleaner and media houses in general desist from using the word 'Prostitution' as it is now being seen as a stigmatizing term as the original headline read.

Elaine Allen-Bradley: We should have a health system in place in Negril where we have all the facilities for locals and tourists alike.

Western Bureau:

While stopping short of calling for the establishment of a red-light district in the resort town, some business stakeholders in Negril, Westmoreland, want to see prostitution decriminalised and regulated in order to create safer conditions for sex workers and their clients.

Participating in a recent Gleaner forum on job creation, investment and growth in Negril, the stakeholders admitted that despite being illegal, male and female prostitution has always been part of the fabric of the town, albeit a big contributor to social disorder.

"Prostitutes and rent-a-dreads are quite numerous here in Negril," said Christine Cohen, owner of the Spa Retreat Boutique Hotel.

"Rent-a-dreads have a big underground business. There are already websites where you can rent a dread. You can already have everything set up before you even hit the airport. Within 60 minutes, your arrangement is made."

It is for that reason why Cohen and other stakeholders, including Lee Issa, the president of the Negril Chamber of Commerce (NCC), believed it would best serve the town by having the industry legalised, so it could be regulated to address safety concerns.

"I think you can have some sort of coexistence, but it would have to be confined, controlled and managed, because we are not going to get rid of it," said Issa, who is chairman of Couples Resorts. "If regularised, it would in some way allow for the girls to be checked health-wise."

However, as things are from a health perspective, Negril is far from ready to offer the type of health care that a regulated sex trade would require.


HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE

The town's health infrastructure, which is a woefully inadequate health centre, is struggling to address even day-to-day health issues.

According to Elaine Allen-Bradley, a director of the NCC, the health centre is unbecoming of a town that is considered a premier tourist destination.

"If you should go to the health centre, it's a disgrace. We should have a health system in place in Negril where we have all the facilities for locals and tourists alike," she said.

However, while some stakeholders want to see a decriminalised sex industry in Negril, until that becomes a reality, the police will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to prostitution.

According to Deputy Superintendent Adrian Hamilton, the officer in charge at the Negril Police Station, the police will continue to enforce the law against prostitution, but will partner with the Ministry of Health so that whenever these alleged sex workers are taken into custody, some amount of counselling is provided.

"We recently went to their main area in Negril, their habitat, and we demolished three makeshift structures that were being used as brothels ... . We took some persons into custody," Hamilton said.

okoye.henry@gleanerjm.com 

ENDS

Indeed the rent-a-dread business is real and is not only targeted at females only as there are bisexuals and gay operatives as well in the business who often get very good patronage.

I am in some agreement with the call or concerns expressed and only if there are some forward thinking folks to out in the needed systems and monitoring to make it work.

Peace & tolerance

H

Weekend raid of CSWs in Mobay had homeless LGBT in dragnet

Gleaner photo

Seventy six persons, 43 females and 33 males to include homeless MSM/transgender, who the police say were operating as illicit sex workers, were rounded up and detained yesterday morning in a massive police operation which covered several sections of downtown Montego Bay.

"Then is so much prostitute deh a Montego Bay ... all man prostitute to, but a wha dis father," remarked a passer-by as he watched lawmen loading the accused persons into several police vehicles.

The operation, which involved the Mobile Reserve as well as a team probing human trafficking, targeted several key locations across the Second City, to include the Hip Strip (Gloucester Avenue), Harbour Street, Church Street, Market Street, and the Charles Gordon Market.

Sadly our displaced and homeless MSM are still left out to dry by uncaring family members, the public and sadly or egregiously NGOs who turn their backs on them from years ago not because there was no money but internal politics.

UNDERAGE GIRLS HELD

Among those held were three underage girls, whose unexplained presence on the streets is a major concern to Senior Superintendent of Police Steve McGregor, the commanding officer for the St James Police division.

"Their (the underage girls) cases will be treated differently because this could be a case of human trafficking, which would be most unfortunate," said McGregor, who intimated that the girls' parents could find themselves in trouble with the law if they are found to be complicit in any way.

In addition to the alleged prostitutes, the operators of three of the city's unlicenced clubs, where sex acts were reportedly being carried out, were also taken into custody.

"What is quite glaring is that 90 per cent of these people are not from St James," said McGregor, who held a press conference in the aftermath of the operation. "These ladies are from parishes such as St Ann, Portland and Kingston, as well as neighbouring Westmoreland and Hanover."

SCANTILY DRESSED FEMALES ROAMING THE STREETS

Commenting on the operation, McGregor said that the police had been informed that scantily dressed females were roaming the streets of the city offering sexual favoursat a cost.

"We realise that (we had) females walking on the street scantily dressed, can't properly account for their whereabouts, where they are from or what they are doing, and are posing a danger to themselves and the parish," said McGregor, who also pointed to a recent incident in which an alleged prostitute was killed in downtown Montego Bay - the first murder in St James for 2016. "Police intelligence showed that the woman (who was killed) was a known prostitute who was close to the age of 50 years old," said McGregor.

It is understood that of the men who were detained, some were pimps while others were in the process of engaging the alleged female prostitutes in sexual favours. According to the police, however, at least three of the men were actually "putting themselves out for sale".

At press time, several of the detainees were interviewed, processed and released. Among those kept back were the three teens, whose parents will be brought in for questioning.

see this Jan 9 clearing exercise that made news on TVJ:

Police Raid Jan 09 2016 Homeless MSMTrans... by glbtqjamaica

here is an older eviction by police:


Homeless MSM Eviction 2013 by glbtqjamaica

also see: "DVD Reveller" still displaced? part 2

It was only late last year we saw a series of reports on clashes with men who targeted homeless gays also using the strip to turn a buck while pacing the pavement. As Kingston's challenges persons when they make some case are forced to relocate to other areas to try and keep up; they also track their clients as well to get repeat business.

The Sex Workers' Association of Jamaica has been trying their hand but lack the requisite resources to really make a serious impact while more powerful, older and organised entities are more interested in other issues that creates soundbites sadly than raising to the level of importance.

The detained persons were released the next day and were back on the block working the strip again but with light patrols passing and warning them.

Peace and tolerance

H

also see:
Man accused of extortion tried for coning lecturer of $1.2 
million........ (GJW)

Clash of cruisers & homeless again (GJW)

Major Decline In STDs Among Sex Workers

The National Family Planning Board (NFPB) is reporting a significant decline in the prevalence rate of Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) among sex workers.

A recent sex worker survey done by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) showed that the rate has dropped from 12 per cent to 2.9 per cent.

Director of Health Promotion and Prevention at the NFPB, Andrea Campbell, who made the disclosure at a recent JIS Think Tank, said the results are encouraging, and indicate that the sex workers are receiving and acting on the safe sex messages from the NFPB.

She informed that the entity, through its training and outreach activities, has been able to engage more sex workers and share prevention and safe sex messages.

Ms. Campbell noted that sex workers are among the high risk group for STDs, as they are more likely to be raped, have multiple partners, and often practice inconsistent condom use.

The NFPB team reaches out to them through workshops, by visiting clubs and massage parlours, and doing streets visits.

Ms. Campbell said that many of the sex workers, who attend the workshops, share the information with their colleagues.

Through the NFBP’s intervention some former sex workers are preparing to enter the workforce.

“We have a group of 14 young ladies, who will graduate this year from a vocational institution,” Ms. Campbell informed.

She told JIS News that the NFPB is also placing emphasis on reducing unwanted and unplanned pregnancies among the child bearing age group 16-39 years.

She pointed out that emotional and socio-economic problems, resulting from unwanted pregnancies, can destroy the family structure, particularly if the women have turned to sex work as an alternative.

The NFPB is observing National Family Planning Week from October 25 to 31 under the theme: ‘Building Families, Building our Nation: A Focus on Vulnerable Populations’.

UN Development Commission: Don’t Trade Away LGBT Rights

High-Level Development Debate on Friday Chance to Highlight LGBT Rights Violations

(April 3, 2014 – New York) Heads of state and top government officials from all over the world meeting Friday at the United Nations have a responsibility to acknowledge that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is a barrier to development, said the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) today.

“It’s not rocket science: when you are criminalized, discriminated against, or bullied, chances are you have a harder time at school, at work, or when you are trying to access healthcare,” said Jessica Stern, Executive Director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC). “That’s a development issue. That’s what we are talking about.”

The high-level meeting at the United Nations in New York tomorrow is meant to kick-off a week long discussion on development objectives at the Commission on Population and Development (CPD). The CPD is a 47-seat UN body that meets annually to discuss issues pertaining to health, population growth, as well as economic and human development.

This year, the CPD discussions are happening in the context of ongoing United Nations negotiations for a sustainable development framework, known as the Post-2015 process. The main objective for the Post-2015 process is for UN Member States to agree upon development goals, along with explicit targets and indicators to monitor compliance. IGLHRC recently joined dozens of other organizations in demanding attention to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals (LGBT) and communities in the Post-2015 process.

“Sustainable development simply cannot happen without addressing the systemic discrimination and violence perpetrated worldwide against LGBT communities,” said Stern. “We demand explicit attention to this reality in any new development framework.”

The CPD, which will meet all of next week, comes only two weeks after the closing of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, where this year’s debate also focused on development. At that commission, reference to non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity was left outof the final document at the last minute, as a trade-off to maintain a status quo agreement on the appropriate level of international oversight into national affairs.

“It is unacceptable that our rights are constantly used as a political bargaining chip,” said Stern. “We know governments can do better, and we demand they step up during the Commission on Population and Development, starting with tomorrow’s high-level debate.”

Background Information

At the 58th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the LBT Caucus—a group of LBT activists from around the world—wrote a statement demanding the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in the CSW process. The LBT statement received overwhelming support and was signed by over 70 organizations and more than 20 individuals. Because LGBT people and issues related to SOGI are often invisibilized in discussions of sustainable development, the LBT Caucus has decided to use an updated version of the statement as our manifesto for SOGI inclusion in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

This manifesto, entitled Demanding a Post-2015 Development Agenda Inclusive of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (excerpted below) will be open to signatures indefinitely. To add your endorsement to the manifesto, fill out the signature form.

We, the undersigned non-governmental organizations and individuals, are outraged that, despite the United Nations’ decades-long commitment to anti-discrimination, governments engaging in the ongoing Post-2015 discussions have so far failed to meet their obligations towards all human beings. They have done this by sidelining evidence of and broad regional support for sexual rights, the right to development, and the need to recognize a diversity of families, sexualities, and gender identities. They have also selectively ignored segments of their own populations, including people who are targeted for discrimination and violence because of their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

We are deeply disappointed at this attempt to render our experiences, communities, and families invisible. And we stand alongside the people in other groups who have been ignored or isolated in similar ways.

We have been told that sexual orientation and gender identity are "too controversial" and that they have nothing to do with development. We know better. And so do our governments, though many appear to willfully ignore our presence and our realities in all regions of the world.

The Post-2015 agenda is meant to set new, universally applicable, development goals. To do this credibly, this agenda must acknowledge the devastating impact of violence, discrimination and marginalization in our lives everywhere. Study after study concludes that individuals stigmatized or targeted because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity face discrimination, violence and bullying that can force us out of growing environments. People assumed to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or trans* are kicked out of housing or denied employment, facts that have direct impact on our lives and earning potential. Legal and socially condoned discrimination against our communities marginalizes many of us, putting us at additional risk of violence, HIV, and other health problems. Discrimination and stigma further prevents us from seeking or receiving needed care. Too often, the result is preventable suffering, institutional violence and poverty.

We are outraged at the continued criminalization of our organizing, restrictions on our freedoms of expression and association, and the relentless attacks on our human rights. These violations take place in all regions. Dialogue and democracy require respect for diversity, not criminal sanctions for human rights defenders, health professionals, and anyone who does not adhere to prevailing social mores. The criminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity, and related homophobia and transphobia do not translate into lasting social benefit for anyone. Quite to the contrary, as the World Bank recently concluded, hateful policies have both an economic and a personal cost.

At the 58th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the LBT Caucus—a group of LBT activists from around the world—wrote a statement demanding the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in the CSW process. The LBT statement received overwhelming support and was signed by over 70 organizations and more than 20 individuals. Because LGBT people and issues related to SOGI are often invisibilized in discussions of sustainable development, the LBT Caucus has decided to use an updated version of the statement as our manifesto for SOGI inclusion in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

UNAIDS Report Launched: "Together we will end AIDS"

UNAIDS Report Launched: "Together we will end AIDS"

Open publication - Free publishing

More than 80 countries increase their domestic investments for AIDS by over 50% between 2006 and 2011

A new report and supplement from UNAIDS shows that as international funding flattens, more countries are increasing their own share of investments for HIV and that a record 8 million people are now receiving antiretroviral therapy

L to R: Anuar Luna, GNP+, Svitlana Moros, All Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV, Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director, Ambassador Eric Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Amina Ibrahim, UN Sustainable Development Goals, Mahmoud Mohieldin, Managing Director, World Bank. 18 July 2012. Washington, DC.


WASHINGTON, DC/GENEVA, 18 July 2012—A new report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) shows that domestic funding for HIV has exceeded international investments. The report, Together we will end AIDS, states that low- and middle- income countries invested US$ 8.6 billion for the response in 2011, an increase of 11% over 2010. International funding however remained flat at 2008 levels (US$ 8.2 billion).

According to the report, 81 countries increased their domestic investments for AIDS by more than 50% between 2006 and 2011. As economies in low- and middle-income countries grow, domestic public investments for AIDS have also grown. Domestic public spending in sub-Saharan Africa for example, (not including South Africa) increased by 97% over the last five years. South Africa already spends more than 80% from domestic sources and has quadrupled its domestic investments between 2006 and 2011.

“This is an era of global solidarity and mutual accountability,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Countries most affected by the epidemic are taking ownership and demonstrating leadership in responding to HIV. However, it is not enough for international assistance to remain stable­­—it has to increase if we are to meet the 2015 goals.”

To further expand country ownership and support mutual accountability, the African Union launched aRoadmap for shared responsibility and global solidarity for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa ahead of the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC. It charts a course for more diversified, balanced and sustainable financing for the AIDS response by 2015 and demonstrates Africa’s new leadership and voice in the global AIDS architecture.

BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) increased domestic public spending on HIV by more than 120% between 2006 and 2011. BRICS countries now fund, on average, more than 75% of their domestic AIDS responses. Domestic sources already account for more than 80% of resources spent on AIDS in South Africa and China—and the Chinese government has pledged to fully fund its response in the coming years. India, too, has committed to increase domestic funding to more than 90% in its next phase of the AIDS response. Brazil and Russia already fully fund their AIDS response with domestic resources.

HIV funding from the international community, on the other hand, has largely been stable between 2008 and 2011, at US$ 8.2 billion. Funding from the United States of America accounts for nearly 48% of all international assistance for AIDS.

“It is clear that this is no time for the world to slow down our efforts on global AIDS—rather, we must seize the moment to build on the progress we’ve made and achieve an AIDS-free generation,” said Ambassador Eric Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. “The United States has made it clear that we will continue to do our part in meeting our shared responsibility by making smart investments that stretch each dollar as far as possible to save lives.”

While domestic investments in AIDS are increasing, there is still a large shortfall in global funding for HIV. By 2015, the estimated annual gap will be US$ 7 billion. At the 2011 United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS, countries adopted a Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS in which they agreed to increase investments for HIV to between US$ 22-24 billion by 2015. A concerted effort by all countries is needed to scale up funding if this target is to be met.
Record numbers of people on treatment – lives saved


Although total resources for AIDS have not significantly increased, record numbers of people are accessing antiretroviral therapy. In 2011, eight million people had access to life-saving treatment in low- and middle-income countries—an increase of 1.4 million over 2010. Despite the substantial numbers of people newly starting treatment, it is only just over half (54%) of the 14.8 million people eligible.

People receiving antiretroviral therapy versus the 2015 target and the number of AIDS-related deaths, low- and middle-income countries, 2003–2011

The report also outlines the significant progress that has been made in reducing new HIV infections in children. Since 2009, new infections in children have fallen by an estimated 24%. Some 330 000 children were newly infected in 2011, almost half than at the peak of the epidemic in 2003 (570 000).

In both expanding access to antiretroviral therapy and stopping new HIV infections in children, this progress suggests that countries are on track to achieving the targets set out in the 2011 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS: to eliminate new HIV infections in children and reach 15 million people with antiretroviral therapy.

“HIV prevention and treatment is needed for all, now and always,” said Mr Sidibé. “I believe that together we will end AIDS. The question is not if but when.”

New HIV infections among children (0–14 years old), 2001–2011 and the target for 2015

The increase in access to antiretroviral therapy is helping to reduce new HIV infections. The positive effects of antiretroviral therapy in suppressing viral loads of people living with HIV is helping to stop the transmission of HIV. Changes in behaviour, combined with the natural course of the epidemic and an increase in access to antiretroviral therapy, has resulted in a continuing decline in new HIV infections––by more than 20% since 2001.

The report, launched ahead of the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington DC, gives new data showing that an estimated 34.2 million people were living with HIV in 2011. In 2010, UNAIDS reported that at least 56 countries had either stabilized or achieved significant declines in rates of new HIV infections. This trend has been maintained and new HIV infections have fallen by nearly 20% in the last 10 years worldwide. New data shows that 2.5 million people were newly infected with HIV, 100 000 fewer than the 2.6 million new infections in 2010.

Some 4.9 million young people were living with HIV, 75% of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, young women between 15 and 24 years of age remain the most vulnerable to HIV, and an estimated 1.2 million women and girls were newly infected with HIV in 2011.
Key HIV data in 2011 – at a glance
34.2 million [31.8 – 35.9 million] people globally living with HIV
2.5 million [2.2 – 2.8 million] people became newly infected with HIV
1.7 million [1.6 – 1.9 million] people died of AIDS-related illnesses
More than 8 million people receiving antiretroviral therapy
Rights-based approaches to HIV

The AIDS conference is being held in the United States for the first time in over 20 years––and just two years after the host country lifted travel restrictions for people living with HIV. Data in the report shows that 46 countries, territories and areas, however, still restrict the ability of people living with HIV to enter, stay or reside in them.

Rights-based approaches, which advance gender equality and empower communities, are widely recognized in the report as essential to all components of the AIDS response. The report also underlines the important advantage of community-based responses in delivering HIV services.

“We can see strong leadership and participation of civil society and key populations in the AIDS response in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, but we still have a rapidly growing epidemic in the region,” said Svitlana Moroz of the All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV. “Punitive policies towards sex workers, people who use drugs and men who have sex with men, combined with the criminalization of HIV transmission, are all factors fuelling the epidemic. We need to develop and sustain programmes of integrated treatment for HIV, tuberculosis, drug addiction and viral hepatitis and to find an appropriate balance between HIV treatment and prevention.”

The report outlines that sustaining the AIDS response will require strong country ownership and global solidarity. It also emphasises the need for investments to be sustainable and predictable and that countries must be able to mobilize and use resources effectively and efficiently.

“Every dollar spent on AIDS is an investment, not an expenditure,” said Mr Sidibé. “We need to focus not only on achieving the 2015 targets but we need to look beyond and keep our sights set firmly on realizing our vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.”

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Five cops rape exotic dancer ...... reactions

A horrible gang rape by 5 members of the law enforcement agents has rocked Jamaica when it came to light on radio during the Ragashanti afternoon program firstly on Nationwide Radio. The public has been responding angrily in support of the victim despite her activity at the club which recently changed management. Exotic dancer and commercial sex work have long since been looked at as taboo over the years and frowned upon by some especially the religious community. The cops were said to be on tactical training and were slated to graduate soon.

Here is the Star News take on it:

Cops under probe for dancer's rape


Rasbert Turner, Star Writer

An investigation has being launched in reports that five policemen raped a woman at an exotic club yesterday.

THE WEEKEND STAR learnt that the implicated policemen, all from the St Catherine North Division, have been removed front-line duty.

It is understood that the policemen went to the club, located in Spanish Town, St Catherine, about 12:30 a.m. Some of the policemen stayed inside and search patrons while five allegedly carried out the criminal act during the search. Reports said the dancer was taken to the rear of the building where it is alleged by the victim that the policemen took turns raping her.

"I was so shocked that I could not scream," she said while crying yesterday. The victim further said that a gun was held to her head and she was raped.

Workers at the club claim that they were also shocked by the incident. "...The girl no deserve that not because wi a dancer," another exotic dancer said.

ENDS

My notes:

On a radio interview on Nationwide Radio Princess Brown today President of the Sex Workers Association was outraged and said it was not the first time cases such as this occurred but not with such coarseness and horror, she said victims sometimes go quietly recovering on their own and without reporting the matter out of fear. She said the cops would visit bars and exotic clubs and sometimes intimidate dancers telling them it's illegal then blackmail them for sex or money in exchange for avoiding arrest.

Sharon (name changed) said the cops came at 1:30am and demanded they kept their hands up for a long period, they searched the men and then proceeded to search the lockers of the ladies of the night, they took small items including scissors, she complained the police women were abusive, there were seven women according to her as an eyewitness. There was a bus load of police officers who were supposedly on tactical training and were to graduate from the course today February 18th. Sharon continued that the police were very abusive and she realized that the rape victim was missing after the search and abuse ordeal happened. The supervisor for the dancers asked her what was up and she was trembling and said she couldn't say until after the cops left. The condoms that were used were left on the scene which was outside at the second bar which is not visible to the main building. The police officers were said to be masked and their identification numbers were covered. Some of them had no mask but no numbers at all visible to identify them.

The victim when questioned after the cops departed she outlined where the incident took place by the outside bar. The chef who was on the inside who could see the place better was forcibly removed by the cops and told not to look, the owner for the bar was also kept at bay from the area. Sharon surmised that the victim was picked because she happened to be outside at the time, young and attractive a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, she is said to be twenty two years old.

Miss Kadasi Levermore Jamaica AIDS Support for Life's Executive Director said the positive piece is that the girls were committed to report the matter in order to take action, "it's quite unfortunate the men who were involved are to protect and sworn to do so ..... violating human rights" she continued men like to take on gender roles and they want to discriminate against dancers and similar typed stereotype. She asked for all the stake holders to come forward to find solutions.


Ivan Cruickshank Programs manager of Caribbean Vulnerable Communities, CVC said the Sex workers workshop held earlier last year had similar stories and that the legal systems support this kind of behaviour in the form of the law that criminalizes commercial sex work they the cops go in under the guise to effect abuse. They engage sex workers after not being satisfied or comforted enough by the services offered. He said Caribbean Vulnerable Communities, CVC asked the sex workers to mobilize themselves and also on several occassions asked government to condemn such violence.


The Spanish Town police has taken statements from other dancers at the venue and they have offered counseling, the police force has not been having a great image lately with all kinds of happenings damaging the grounds made after the Tivoli Incursion and the little trust they were able to re-establish. Fortunately these animals were not allowed to graduate into the police system as God knows what they would have unleashed on the public in the name of the uniform, the abuses from cops is almost common place outside of sexual abuse and sadly female police officers were present during the operation at the club who while not present on the rape scene according to an interview done by Nationwide on February 17th were abusive to the other girls condemning them as worthless and the usually lower denominator language.

UPDATE: Feb 19th

A letter in the Gleaner condemning the incident was penned by the National Organization of Women - Unforgivable Act:

THE EDITOR, Sir:

The National Organisation of Women is appalled and disgusted at the allegation of the gang rape of a young dancer by five policemen in St Catherine on Wednesday night.

That policemen who have sworn to uphold the law and to protect the citizens of Jamaica may have been involved in the gang rape of a young woman is unforgivable, and these men must be severely dwelt with, if found guilty.

This country needs to send a strong message to all members of the police force that we, the citizens of Jamaica, are not to be ill- treated nor abused. Policemen carry weapons and move in groups and are given awesome authority and power.

Rape is the act of weak men who simply get off on power and control. To engage in gang rape is the ultimate act of a pack of cowardly and dastardly men!

Watching very carefully

We, the National Organisation of Women, will be watching this case very carefully. We want the full extent of the law thrown at these men, if convicted. We are deeply sorry for the young women who had to endure this appalling assault. We commend her for her bravery in coming forward.

We also hope that the other policemen will protect this young woman and the other women who work at this and other nightclubs. It will be up to them to show that they are cut from a different cloth and that they will not stand for this type of behaviour from anyone, even their own colleagues.

I am, etc.,

SALLY PORTEOUS

General Secretary

National Organisation of Women

sally.porteous@gmail.com

ENDS

I hope the victim will be allowed to recover with all the assistance and support available.

Peace and tolerance.

H

Sex workers facing "hell' according to new book

THE hellish working conditions of Jamaican sex workers have been documented by Panos Caribbean in a 48-page book, aimed at highlighting the plight persons in this group face.
The publication provides first-hand account from 15 female sex workers and one male, examining reasons for becoming sex workers, conditions in the industry, health and safer sex issues, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV, legalisation of sex work and gender issues.

Patricia Watson (second right) of Eve for Life and brainchild of the publication highlighting the plight of sex workers in Jamaica, makes a point to (from left) Indi McLymont Lafayette, regional director of media and community & environment at Panos Caribbean, Princess Brown, president of the Sex Workers Association of Jamaica and Dawn Marie Roper, Panos programme officer, during yesterday’s launch at the Altamont Court Hotel in Kingston. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Book-says-sex-workers-facing--hell-#ixzz16IIf0Rkg

President of the Sex Workers Association of Jamaica (SWAJ) Princess Brown, pointing to the issues faced in the industry, said sex workers are forced into the illegal trade there were no other job options.

“Seeing your children hungry with tears in their eyes looking to you is one of the hardest thing to see,” Brown said, as she addressed the book launch at the Altamont Court Hotel in Kingston, yesterday.
“Before you judge ask the question why they become a sex worker; no one wanted to become a sex worker when they were children,” she argued.

Brown said a number of sex workers, both males and females, were sexually abused by family members and still continue to be abused by clients, employees and even the police.
The association, she said, was formed two years ago to protect the rights of sex workers.
Sex work, though illegal in Jamaica, is widely practised in the island where unregulated commercial sex facilities have been blamed for helping to spread HIV in the general population.
A significantly higher rates of HIV infection exists among sex workers and their clients, compared to other population groups in many countries, according to the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS).

Meanwhile, executive director of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC), Ian McKnight, in lauding the decision to highlight the plight of sex workers, said these persons are constantly exploited by the police because the trade is illegal.
“The police will draw down on them to get money and when that happens they have very little recourse,” he said.

Marion Scott, project officer for the sex workers’ programme in the Ministry of Health, said the testimonies outlined in the publication would guide the way interventions are conducted.
While acknowledging that the sex trade was illegal, Scott said the ministry addresses the vulnerability associated with sex work and not the profession itself.
“Yes sex work is illegal but they are considered vulnerable so vulnerability is what we speak to and not the profession,” she added.

She, however, pointed out that although there has been a decline in the spread of HIV among sex workers there is more work to be done.
She explained that while sex workers use condoms with 90 per cent of new clients, only 20 per cent use condom with regular partners.

According to Scott, the ministry is faced with the challenge of reaching some sex workers, many of whom are afraid to come forward for fear of being prosecuted.
“It is difficult to gain the trust of the sex worker because of the fear that we are going to expose them,” she said.

Dawn Marie Roper, programme officer at Panos Caribbean, explained that the sex workers interviewed for the publication consisted of persons working as massuese, exotic dancers, street sex workers and those who engage in live sex on stage and for film.
“What is unique about this is it’s coming straight from the mouth of the sex workers themselves,” she said.
In the meantime, Samuel Blake of the National Taskforce Against Trafficking in Persons said the information gleaned from the publication will be used in the unit’s planning process as it address the issue of human trafficking which has linkages at times with sex work.

DRAG QUEEN TRICKS MEN - Pretends to be female hooker

A man who dresses like a woman while operating as a prostitute along Tom Redcam Drive in St Andrew is stirring up anger among those who have come across his path or heard of him.

Investigations by THE WEEKEND STAR found that the man, who uses the name 'Goodaz', has tricked a number of men who have reportedly tried to solicit his services, thinking he was indeed a real woman.

On a number of recent occasions, men have been seen chasing the cross-dresser from an open lot along Tom Redcam Drive after finding out his true sex.

"A crazy man a get trick ... Me see him and trust mi, yu haffi look good fi see seh is a man or yu haffi try go deh," Patrick Hunter, who works in the area, said, while laughing.

Hunter has seen the cross-dresser several times and has even seen him getting dressed in an open lot along the road close to Oxford Medical Centre.

"A suh me know seh a man mi naw lie ... . A one night mi a lef work late and a go look a taxi round di road and see somebody over di open land a put on some clothes ... . When mi look good mi see seh is a man a put on woman clothes and mi watch him until him come out pon di road, and him did all a fan down man weh a pass in a car," the man explained.


security guards

Last night, the Cross Roads police said they were not aware of such a happening; however, security guards Timmy Dreadand Jim Skeng, who work on Tom Redcam Drive, said they have seen and heard of him.

"Mi see him couple time a walk up and dung di road yes ... A since wah day mi start see him but cause mi nuh deh yah too late mi can't say too much ... . Mi neva know seh man all get trick," Timmy Dread said.

"Mi hear bout him, but mi did a hear seh a New Kingston him use to deh and end up down ya suh," Jim Skeng added.

Similar to the description which Hunter gave of the cross-dresser, Timmy Dread said one would have to take a good look to see what lies beneath the tight, short skirts and blouses he has seen the cross-dresser sporting.

Last night, THE WEEKEND STAR drove along Tom Redcam Road some time around 9:30 p.m. in search of the mischievous character but was told that it was too early.

"Yu wouldn't see him now, yu haffi circle back in a di late hours," Timmy Dread said.

*Names changed on request 

ENDS

UPDATE October 17, 2011

This phenomenon is not new and there are men some very hypermasculine in nature who like or prefer men dressed as women maybe for a kind of or closeness to an autogynephilic tendency or possible substitutional sex in the heat of the moment. Given also that stealth is a perfect tool to operate without being easily identified or outed in public but the risks as this incident if it is to believed are too ghastly to consider for many. There have been fatalities in this arena of commercial sex in the form of one named "Browning" who was infamous for her successful transactions where she met men and had arrangements carried out however her luck supposedly ran out in early 2001 or there about when a man wanted more than just oral sex and fondled her only to realise it was a man.


She was allegedly murdered by the soldier at the time, there were also stories of chases by a set of antigay taxi men at the time in New Kingston when she was outed by another rival on the strip she worked.


also see from GLBTQJA on Wordpress: Cross dressing drama in Portmore


Peace and tolerance


H