Urge UNAIDS to Reject US Global AIDS Strategy's Funding Restrictions Against Sex Workers

The US Global AIDS Initiative to provide $15 billion dollars in 15 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia continues to harm rather than help marginalized communities prevent and protect themselves from the impact of HIV. The Initiative’s emphasis in abstinence-until-marriage programs, which have not yet been scientifically proven to effectively prevent HIV transmission, will only continue to hamper prevention efforts to persons most at risk for HIV in these countries, married women and girls and persons whose gender or sexual identities or practices do not conform to the models of abstinence or monogamous marriage, such as sex workers.

Now the US requires that organizations who receive US government funding for HIV and anti-trafficking efforts implement policies against promoting legal acceptance of prostitution. Other forms of harm reduction, including needle exchange, are also coming under fire. The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) joins the Network of Sex Worker Projects (NSWP) to urge you to write to UNAIDS and demand that they reject the US funding restrictions which would limit HIV prevention monies to go only to organizations who take a stance prohibiting prostitution, alienating some of the strongest groups working with sex workers, sex workers themselves who would not readily take a stance against prostitution.

Individuals and organizations can comment by email to members of the Programme Coordinating Board who attended this meeting and to UNAIDS. Their contact information are:

Kim Nichols: kimn@africanservices.org or africanserve@att.net
Alena Peryshkina: alenajhu@yandex.ru or alena@infoshare.ru
Omololu Falobi: alutamaster@yahoo.co.uk or omololu@nigeria-aids.org
Anindya Chatterjee (UNAIDS): chatterjeea@unaids.org

Model Letter:

Dear Madam or Sir:

We are writing to express our strong belief that UNAIDS must reject the US-required limitations on funding use. It is unthinkable that the nation with the highest HIV prevalence in the developed world should be able to dictate policies on HIV prevention. It is reprehensible that prevention of HIV would be limited to organizations who take a stance prohibiting prostitution, alienating some of the strongest groups working with sex workers. Sex workers are integral to effective prevention efforts with prostitutes, their clients, and their families. Additionally, US funding is not allowed to be used for needle exchange, which is proven to prevent HIV. This US policy is counter to all public health data.

Condoms are the only effective prevention technology available to sexually active people and must be emphasized in every HIV prevention effort. The US promotes a model based on abstinence, fidelity and lastly, condom use. However, in places where HIV prevalence is extremely high, fidelity is no preventive for HIV. Safe sex goes far beyond ABC and requires a comprehensive approach including full information about all ways to prevent HIV. For these reasons, it is imperative that UNAIDS reject the US funding restrictions.

Sincerely,

NSWP Background Information:

The International HIV/AIDS Alliance hosted a meeting 7-8 March 2005 to discuss these and other policies, such as the emphasis on abstinence in US funding requirements, in order to recommend appropriate prevention strategies to UNAIDS. A wide variety of organizations participated, including faith-based organizations, reproductive rights organizations, and organizations promoting new technologies such as vaccines and microbicides. The meeting was co-hosted with the Global Campaign for Microbicides, the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the International Harm Reduction Association. The NSWP was represented by Melissa Ditmore.

The presentations from this meeting and other meeting-related documents are available at the following address:
http://www.aidsalliance.org/sw18122.asp.