God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

04/03/2010 • 7:25 am Comments Off on 03.04.2010 Parliamentarians and UNAIDS seek HIV Travel Ban Removal Worldwide

03.04.2010 Parliamentarians and UNAIDS seek HIV Travel Ban Removal Worldwide

March 31, 2010

Parliamentarians, UNAIDS Seek HIV Travel Ban Removal Worldwide

UNAIDS met with parliamentarians from around the world in Bangkok recently, calling for an end to all HIV-related travel restrictions, aidsmap reports. According to the article, 52 countries have some form of restriction on entry, stay or residence for people living with HIV, while 17 other countries prohibit even short-term visits by positive people.

“Travel restrictions for people living with HIV do not protect public health and are outdated in the age of universal access to HIV prevention and treatment,” commented Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS. Former President George W. Bush lifted the United States’ HIV travel ban in 2008, but the new policy did not go into effect until January of this year.   Source: POZ – POZ Magazine – POZ.com – News : Parliamentarians, UNAIDS Seek HIV Travel Ban Removal Worldwide.

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Parliamentarians have joined with UNAIDS to call for the removal of travel restrictions for people with HIV.

Governments were urged to action by parliamentarians from around the world, meeting at the 122nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Bangkok on March 28th.  A total of 52 countries have restrictions of some type on the entry, stay or residence of HIV-positive non-citizens. China’s continuing near-total ban on visits and residence by HIV-positive individuals was exposed by the refusal of a visa to Robert Dessaix, a novelist who is HIV-positive.  A total of 17 other countries have restrictions on even short-term visits by people with HIV. These range from the complete entry bans in Singapore and the Sudan, to requirements for HIV testing for those wishing to stay in the country for longer periods, as is the case with Russia. “Parliamentarians have a duty to protect the rights of all citizens, including people with HIV,” said Theo-Ben Gurirab, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. “By placing restrictions on the travel and movement of people with HIV, we needlessly rob them of their dignity and equal rights.” Countries on all continents have restrictions on visits lasting three months or more, longer-term residence, or migration. Most of these entry restrictions date from the early days of the HIV pandemic, and were imposed in the mistaken belief that they would help control local epidemics. A number of countries justify longer-term bans as a way of protecting scarce health resources, or as a way of deterring “health tourism.” “Travel restrictions for people living with HIV do not protect public health and are outdated in the age of universal access to HIV prevention and treatment,” commented Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS. In January 2010, the US removed its long-standing HIV travel ban.

Source: http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/4227A15B-AAC5-4179-AB49-2572830C72C2.asp


Filed under: HIV and AIDS, Politics and Society, Society and living environment, , , , , , ,

02/18/2010 • 10:43 pm 1

18.02.2010 office work and good news

Today is mainly an office work day – so many things are waiting to be finalised. In the morning still sitting together with a colleague of mine and exchanging ideas. In the afternoon reading some emails I discover that the South-African Government has agreed to change their guidelines for HIV treatment and that now the 350 mark of the CD4 count is significant for the begin of the treatment. This is indeed good news . I have my little doubts whether the implementation will be smoothly and were the money is coming for all those now eligible for treatment, but we will see.

Another good news is the insight, the local minister of health of the Western Cape gave in saying that there is a good understanding between the Western Cape and the national government in health issues. No jealousy or there like. Also good to hear and my prayers are, that this will last longer than the world cup 2010 is in town.
All steps in the right direction and if correct implemented, we will see many South African being able to contribute to the countries well-being instead of dying to early.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, Politics and Society, Reflection, , , , , , ,

02/16/2010 • 9:56 pm Comments Off on 16.02.2010 POZ and CAN

16.02.2010 POZ and CAN

A whole series of meetings today, amongst others one with our working group looking into the pastoral care for HIV positive priests and religious. We discuss the way forward and how important it is to back up our pastoral efforts with a proper theological and psychological consideration. Obviously it is compassion driving us, but is this enough? When we want to engage bishops and convince them to support us, it would be good for us to have done our homework. Obviously we also have to look at the scale of what we can do and how we approach it. A very constructive meeting and surely a big step forward.

Afterwards meeting with the Catholic Aids Network in Welcome Estate. We are still waiting for our constitution as requested by the National Catholic Aids office and we discussed in length the way forward. The topic HIV and AIDS has indeed changed in the last years and for many church groups and initiatives, it is one aspect of their work amongst others. This is different from when CAN started, where the support groups were partly marginalised and worked very isolated, thus needing much more networking and moral support. We also aim to have a service around World Aids Day, not only as a memorial service for those, who have died already, but also as a sign of encouragement for those, who are still working in this field. And I am convinced we have not reached yet the peak – the PEFPAR funding is going to get less, and we still have to catch up for quite some wasted years here in South Africa; the adherence will be a topic and a problem in the years to come. Whoever thinks, that HIV and AIDS is dealt with – I think the opposite. We still have a way to go – and if we not take care of this way, we will have to pay a costly price.  Between political declarations of intent and reality is here in South Africa still a big gap ( I guess not only in South Africa)…

HOPE Cape Town, Catholic AIDS Network, the poz initiative for HIV positive priests and clergy  and all the other local initiatives will be needed still for a long time…

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Medical and Research, Politics and Society, , , , , , , , , , , ,

01/03/2010 • 7:23 pm Comments Off on POZ.com: How Stigma Kills – by Regan Hofmann

POZ.com: How Stigma Kills – by Regan Hofmann

An interesting article about stigma:

POZ – POZ Magazine – POZ.com – December #160 : How Stigma Kills – by Regan Hofmann.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, Society and living environment, , , ,

12/21/2009 • 10:57 pm Comments Off on 21.12.2009 Preparation time…

21.12.2009 Preparation time…

Time to prepare for the Christmas day service today – it is always not easy to reflect on what Christmas may mean to the people attending the service on Christmas Day.  Every year is different – how it felt and how consequently Christmas is experienced. Like every year for the last 23 years I try to find a tone, that will bring the message of Christmas closer to the attending people. I hope that they are encouraged to let the love and the peace and the intimacy of this special birthday be part of their life; not only on the Christmas Day itself, but being carried over to the next days and month to come.
Then this is indeed the message of Christmas: that we are called to be in the likeness of God – everybody a little Jesus, when born – with all the possibilities and the vocation, to tell the story of God’s unconditional love within the respective life. As God has shared life with us, so we are called to share our life with him/her. That is obviously not that easy – daily life tells us most times another story – where love, sharing, peace, tolerance seems not to be a top priority because abused so many times.
And interesting enough is Christmas in many families also the time for bitter fights at the end of the day – because the pressure, to suddenly turn around the normal way of dealing with each other, is getting to big.  Christmas is for us Christian the culmination of our yearning for harmony in life – and we should train it during the year that it works also on those days.. :-).

Being the likeness of God – that is also a headline when it comes to dealing with our brothers and sisters who are carrying the HI virus with them.  They remain this picture of God – nothing is taken away from them through this virus. Therefore there should be no stigmatization or criminalization or discrimination within any Christian community. I guess, there is still much to do…  In this matter, Christmas acts as a reminder how much is still to do to free our society from the devil of stigmatization and all what comes with it.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , , ,

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