Laws against homosexuality hinder AIDS fight

Dec 11, 2008 News

– Sir George Alleyne

Sir George Alleyne

Laws which criminalize homosexuality in Guyana and the Caribbean present a hindrance to an effective public response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Sir George Alleyne says.

Sir George, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General to the Caribbean on HIV/AIDS, told Kaieteur News the concern is that discrimination prevents groups, such as men who have sex with men, from coming forward and getting tested for HIV and enrolling into a treatment and care programme.

Sir George is in Guyana for a conference on HIV and faith, which is scheduled for the International Conference Centre at Liliendaal today.

In Guyana, as in the Caribbean, homosexuality is a crime punishable by law. Sir George feels that these laws add, or strengthen, negative public perceptions of homosexuals.

Among the population of men who have sex with men in Guyana, 21 percent of them have HIV, as compared to 8.8 percent in the Bahamas and 6.7 percent in Suriname.

Sir George also identified the lack of effective prevention strategies and stigma and discrimination as other major hindrances to the fight against the epidemic in Guyana.

He will be speaking at the Guyana National Conference on “Faith and HIV.” The conference will end with the signing of a Declaration of Commitment.

The conference has been organized by UNAIDS and the Ministry of Health. What UNAIDS hopes to emerge is a “Guyana-grown-and-bred” response of the local faith leadership supporting unified action against HIV-related stigma and discrimination, and putting into action 11 recommendations that were made in Georgetown a few months ago.

Among the recommendations was the setting up of a “Guyana National faith-and-HIV Coalition”. In addition, it was recognized that faith leaders must receive funding and specialised training to take the lead in dealing with HIV-related stigma and discrimination.