Govt. and civil society must work together to tackle Caribbean HIV and AIDS issues

Sep 01, 2008 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Government and civil society must work together to tackle HIV and AIDS issues in the Caribbean, according to Government and Commonwealth civil society representatives at a recent regional HIV and AIDS conference.

Keynote speaker, Dr. the Hon. Esther Byer Suckoo, Minister of Family, Youth, Sports and Environment for Barbados, said a joint approach was crucial to effectively helping those who needed it, while stemming an increase in the spread of HIV. “To maintain an effective response at ending AIDS in the Caribbean, civil society and the Government will need to demonstrate true collaboration”, said Byer Suckoo.

“Women are some of the most adversely affected by HIV and AIDS, and much more needs to be done on empowering women aimed at reducing their vulnerabilities,” she added.

Dr. Suckoo was speaking at a three-day regional workshop for Caribbean civil society organisations to develop strategies for working on HIV and AIDS by building on effective grassroots initiatives in the Caribbean. The event took place in Dover, Barbados from 25-27 August, and was the first key activity of the Pan-Commonwealth Civil Society Network on HIV and AIDS for the region.

Set up by the Commonwealth Foundation, the Pan-Commonwealth Civil Society Network on HIV and AIDS is headed by the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA) for the region. National and regional organisations working with people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS participated from throughout the Commonwealth Caribbean and overseas territories.

Nelcia Robinson, coordinator of CAFRA, said it was crucial that Governments and civil society were coming together to discuss these issues. “There is an urgent need for civil society organisations in the Caribbean to develop their knowledge and skills in combating AIDS,” Robinson said. “Our presence here is an opportunity to make a difference.”

The workshop theme, ‘Enhancing skills development and sharing of lessons learnt to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean’ addressed specific issues and needs relating to the group dynamics of the pandemic in a Caribbean context. These included people living with HIV, men having sex with men, and youth and gender.

Mark Ross, HIV focal point, represented SASOD at this regional workshop, and presented on ‘Homophobia in Guyana.’ “It is now more urgent than ever to end homophobia if we are serious about stopping AIDS in the Caribbean,” he told the gathering of 22 participants from across the Commonwealth Caribbean.

“We need to stop burying our heads in the sand and change the laws that validate stigma and discrimination against persons of diverse sexual orientations and identities” he added.

Ian McKnight, Programme Manager of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, based in Jamaica, said the event was significant in tackling the region’s most relevant issues. “Stigma and discrimination is one of the key road blocks to ending AIDS in the Caribbean,” McKnight said. “Today, there is enough research and studies about what must be done. What is needed is immediate action!”

Anisha Rajapakse, Programme Manager for Human Development at the Commonwealth Foundation, elaborated on the Foundation’s response to end AIDS in the Commonwealth, and highlighted the ‘rights-based approach’ that guides the work of the network in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

“This common thread ultimately makes individual member efforts global in nature, and move beyond the tokenistic involvement of people living with HIV to ensure their active and meaningful participation in efforts to end AIDS,” Rajapakse said.

SASOD