Search for a new condom slogan

Have a great idea for a new slogan promoting condom use? If so, you could see it in print on our condom packs around the world!

Since 2005, IPPF Member Associations have distributed an estimated 1 billion condoms worldwide. That's a lot of condoms! To celebrate this acheivement, we are looking for a new, creative slogan to print on our male condom packs.

Use your creativity and literary flare to come up with a new slogan promoting condom use, and you could see your slogan on our new IPPF condom packs. Share your idea with the world on the IPPF Facebook page!

Why condoms?

Male and female condoms are the only dual protection method available for the prevention of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. When used consistently and correctly, condoms are also one of the most effective methods. Yet this proven strategy seems to have increasingly been de-prioritised in the global and different national agendas. It is time for a stronger condom movement, one which focuses on pleasure and creates demand for both male and female condoms, as well as lubricant.

As a global service provider and leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, IPPF has a key role to play to ensure that every sexually active person has access to good quality condoms, is motivated to use them, and has the knowledge to do so correctly. 

To read more about this effective and proven strategy, read a previous blog post on condoms: http://ippfaids2010.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/hiv-update-condoms.html

The Global Commission on HIV and the Law: Building Resilient HIV Responses

By Mandeep Dhaliwal (UNDP) and Emilie Pradichit (Global Commission on HIV and the Law)

Law is a critical element of our response to HIV and public health. It can bridge the divide between vulnerability and resilience. Much in the same way that HIV has exposed health and social inequalities; it has magnified weaknesses in the rule of law that the world can no longer afford to ignore.

Legal frameworks can be powerful tools for countries struggling to control their epidemics. The last three decades have given rise to contentious legal debates on HIV-related issues (e.g.: criminalization of HIV transmission, exposure and non-disclosure; legal restrictions on needle and syringe distribution in the US, on methadone in Russia, versus legal comprehensive harm reduction in Australia). The last few years have seen an insurgence of punitive laws and practices related to drug use, HIV transmission and exposure, sex work, and same sex sexual relations. There is also a growing body of evidence on the relationship between HIV and violence against women. There is enough variation in legal responses to HIV around the world to highlight the need to rigorously examine the impact of different legal environments on HIV outcomes. This is why the Global Commission on HIV and the Law (The Commission) was created: to examine the impact of law on HIV responses and to catalyze action at the country level, to create legal environments which protect and promote human rights.

Over the last eighteen months, the Commission, led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the UNAIDS family, has looked at the relationship between legal responses, human rights and HIV and developed actionable, evidence-informed recommendations for effective HIV responses. Based on an analysis of where the law could transform the AIDS response and send HIV epidemics into decline, the Commission has focused on four areas:

1. Laws and practices which criminalize those living with - and most vulnerable to - HIV;
2. Laws and practices which sustain or mitigate violence and discrimination lived by women;
3. Laws and practices which facilitate or impede access to HIV-related treatment; and
4. Issues of law pertaining to children and young people in the context of HIV.

One of the Commission’s key contributions is its evidence on issues of HIV and the law. The Commission has examined public health and legal scholarship, as well as evidence on the impact of legal environments on the lives of people living with and vulnerable to HIV. Perhaps the most compelling evidence came from the Commission’s seven regional dialogues, held from February to September 2011. To inform its deliberations, the Commission received 644 submissions from 140 countries. 40 per cent of the submissions were from Africa and over 70 percent of the submissions described the daily reality of stigma, discrimination, marginalization, verbal and even physical abuse experienced by people living with HIV. 60 percent of the submissions noted human rights violations lived by women, including barriers to sexual and reproductive health and equal inheritance and property rights. 50 per cent of submissions highlighted the negative health and human rights impact of criminal laws. Submissions also highlighted issues such as the negative impact of laws on age of consent which don’t recognise the evolving capacity of the child and prevent young people from accessing HIV and health services and the problems posed by the current intellectual property regime and trends in intellectual property enforcement, such as free trade agreements, which are impeding the scale up of life sustaining treatment.


Building a movement for enabling legal environments

The regional dialogues in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, High Income Countries, Latin America and the Middle East created policy space for frank, constructive multi-stakeholder dialogue between those who influence, write and enforce laws, and those experience its impact. Through these dialogues, the Commission heard from over 700 people living with HIV, sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who use drugs, police and prison officials, ministers of justice and health, public health officials, parliamentarians, judges and religious leaders. The dialogues have been crucial for identifying how the law can advance health and human rights, for example: where police cooperation with community workers has increased condom use and reduced violence and HIV infection among sex workers; where effective legal aid has made notions of justice and equality real for people living with HIV and contributed to better health outcomes; where advocates have creatively used traditional law in progressive ways to promote women’s rights and health; where court and legislative actions have introduced gender-sensitive law on sexual assault and recognized the sexual autonomy of young persons; where governments have provided harm reduction and HIV infection rates among people who use drugs have dropped. The good practice and constituencies mobilized through these dialogues are vital resources for creating legal environments which support effective HIV responses.

Even before the Commission has launched its final report, country level action on improving legal environments is emerging. For instance, Fiji recently chose to not criminalize HIV transmission and lifted HIV-related travel restrictions; in Guyana, a Select Parliamentary Committee chose not to criminalize HIV transmission; the first ever judicial sensitization on HIV and the law took place in the Caribbean; national dialogues on HIV and the law have been held in Papua New Guinea, Belize, Panama and Nepal; and in Moldova and Kyrgyzstan, patent laws are being reviewed. At the Asia Pacific High-Level Intergovernmental Meeting on HIV which took place in February 2012, several governments announced their intentions to review and reform punitive legal approaches towards key populations. The Commission’s work has also influenced the report of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons’ Group which includes a recommendation for the removal of punitive laws blocking effective HIV responses.

The Commission’s final report will be launched at a global dialogue in July 2012. Undoubtedly, the report will emphasize the necessity for an honest appraisal of prejudice, fear and false morality which have confounded the AIDS response for decades. The Commission’s messages and recommendations will form the basis of the next generation of HIV responses, where governments and citizens approach HIV as an issue of health, development and social justice.

All research and submissions will be available on the Commission website when the final report is launched. All Regional Dialogue materials are already available on the Commission’s website. For more information, visit www.hivlawcommission.org.

Article from the March issue of the IPPF HIV Update newsletter: http://www.ippf.org/en/Resources/Newsletters/HIV+Update+Issue+29.htm

HIV Update: Laws & Policies

By Kevin Osborne (IPPF)

Laws and policies that relate to HIV should, by their very nature, support and advance the agenda for prevention as well as treatment, care and support. They should also guarantee and protect the human rights of communities and individuals at the forefront of the epidemic.

Yet the shocking reality is that, after over thirty years of HIV and despite knowing what works and what doesn’t, punitive laws that contradict the very essence of HIV prevention are a growing reality.

In many countries and regions punitive laws and policies continue to hinder access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV information and services. Frequently, these policies undermine efforts to address some of the key structural drivers of the epidemic. Over sixty countries have laws that specifically criminalize HIV transmission or exposure; over seventy that criminalize same-sex sexual activity; over one-hundred deem sex work to be illegal; and over one-hundred still have laws that do not recognize equal inheritance rights for women. These policy barriers act as a disincentive for groups particularly vulnerable to and affected by HIV including people living with HIV, men who have sex with men, sex workers and young women and girls.

Launched in 2010, with evidence gathered through a number of regional dialogues (some of which IPPF were involved in) throughout 2011, the Global Commission on HIV and the Law is providing much needed leadership on this issue. The Commission’s report which will be launched later this year will provide a platform for concerted action.

It has been known for some time that a sustainable response to HIV must also endeavour to create an enabling environment by reducing stigma and discrimination and protecting human rights. To uphold the principles of our Sexual rights: an IPPF declaration, we need to ensure that our advocacy voices are raised even louder as we aim to support, defend and uphold the human rights of all individuals. Member Associations from across the Federation are involved in advocating for legal and policy changes at the national level, and because of the partnerships they have built, are increasingly recognized as key players in regional and international dialogues towards the advancement of these rights.

Love
Kevin

Download the March issue of the IPPF HIV Update newsletter: http://www.ippf.org/en/Resources/Newsletters/HIV+Update+Issue+29.htm

HIV Update: Learning Lessons

By Kevin Osborne (IPPF)

Keeping abreast of all the latest developments and ensuring that our organizational response to HIV remains proactive requires that we must carefully and consistently apply the lessons that have been learned. But how do we apply these important lessons across the Federation?

While the HIV epidemic continues to be one of the most challenging health and development issues confronting the world today, it has acted as a catalyst for wider social transformation. From spotlighting the importance of gender equality and the necessity of the human rights aspects of health, to galvanizing the united power of activism – it has been transformative. And the latest data from UNAIDS shows some reason for cautious optimism, with evidence that new HIV infections have fallen to the lowest levels since the peak of the epidemic in 1997.

With new scientific advances, greater recognition of key populations at higher risk, and a tangible commitment to the SRH and HIV linkages agenda, we need to constantly renew our learning and adapt our response. This should be based on honest and critical reflection; systematic strengthening of our organizational capacity to respond to new trends and ensuring that strategic lessons are applied and shared.

As information is updated and new trends slowly emerge, we need to review and utilize this information to better inform our response. And we have a clear role to play in this, as demonstrated by the recent global IPPF survey to determine the involvement of Member Associations (MAs) in national processes of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which was conducted in an effort to increase the number of proposals linking sexual and reproductive health and HIV (see page 3). With the news that the Global Fund has both cancelled Round 11 and has adopted a new strategy, this survey could help shape our ongoing engagement.

The end of a calendar year provides an opportunity for reflection on our own response. Recent IPPF data suggests a ten-fold increase globally in the HIV-related services provided by IPPF Member Associations between 2005 and 2010. Even with this impressive increase in service provision, it is important to assess these achievements critically. While the responsibility for this success is not equally shared across all MAs and regions; the framework for increased global action on linking SRH and HIV has been established. One of the key lessons for the Federation is, that by strengthening our collective HIV competency capacity, we have a reservoir of untapped potential to significantly increase our range of HIV-related services along the prevention-to-care continuum, and ones which go beyond just health services.

IPPF’s strategy of concentrated HIV capacity building for a select number of Member Associations, has demonstrated success that must now be shared. Working together on this can only lead to increased cumulative action and answers.

Love
Kevin

Download the December issue of the IPPF HIV Update newsletter: http://www.ippf.org/en/Resources/Newsletters/HIV+Update+Issue+28.htm

Older and Wiser

By Rachel Albone, HIV and AIDS Policy Advisor (HelpAge International, United Kingdom)

HelpAge International has been implementing programmes addressing the needs of older people affected by HIV for 10 years. As the work of HelpAge initially focussed on mitigating the impact of the epidemic on older carers, Rachel Albone, HIV and AIDS Policy Advisor, gives her perspective on the changing importance for supporting older people living with HIV:

While supporting older carers remains central to HelpAge International’s work, we like others, have been witnessing a shift in the epidemic with an increasing number of older people living with HIV. In 2005, UNAIDS estimated 7 per cent of people living with HIV worldwide were aged 50 and over. While a more up to date global estimate is not available due to the focus on 15-49 year olds, where data is being collected, significant increases are being seen. Recent data shows 14 per cent of people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa are aged 50 and over. By 2015 at least 50 per cent of those with HIV in the US will be in this age group.

Despite these increases, the response to HIV remains largely restricted to the 15-49 year age group. Policies and programmes rarely include older people or their need for access to services and support. HelpAge is working in east and southern Africa to raise awareness of the impact of HIV in and on older people and to support older people to live positively.

Prevention, treatment, care and support programmes must be age sensitive and address older people’s specific needs. Our approach is one of peer education and support. We establish peer support groups for older people living with HIV, providing psycho-social support, advice on adherence, and support to mitigate the impact of epidemic. We also recognize the need for improved access to bespoke counselling services for older people. With an ever increasing number of older people living with HIV, what we need and want to see is a policy and programme response that is fully inclusive of the needs of older people.

For more information on HelpAge International: http://www.helpage.org 


Article from IPPF HIV Update newsletter - Issue 27: http://www.ippf.org/en/Resources/Newsletters/HIV+Update+Issue+27.htm

David Kato Vision & Voice Award

By Tewodros Melesse (Director General of IPPF) 

On 26 January 2011, the world was deeply shocked and saddened by the news of David Kato’s murder. As the Litigation & Advocacy Officer with Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), David campaigned tirelessly for human rights and particularly for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people across Africa. And this campaigning work had lead him to work on a number of initiatives with the HIV team at IPPF on a number of occasions.

In recognition of his life and courage, and the continued struggle of LGBTI individuals around the world, I am pleased to announce the call for nominations for the David Kato Vision & Voice Award. IPPF - along with other partners - established this award to be presented annually to an individual who demonstrates courage and outstanding leadership in advocating for the sexual rights of LGBTI individuals, particularly in environments where they face continued rejection, marginalization, isolation and persecution. Nominations for the award can be submitted until 1 November 2011 and are accepted for any individual whose leadership and life work has directly contributed to addressing the sexual rights of LGBTI people in their community. The award recipient will be announced on Human Rights Day (10 December 2011) and will be invited to attend part of the IPPF Donors’ Meeting at the end of January 2012 to collect the award.

If you know someone in your community who is particularly deserving of this award, I strongly encourage you to submit a nomination. For further information and to submit a nomination, please visit the award website: http://www.visionandvoiceaward.com/.  

 

50 Plus – the experiences of older people living with HIV

By Lisa Power, Policy Director (Terrence Higgins Trust, United Kingdom)

As treatments for HIV improve in both quality and accessibility, people are living longer with the virus. In some countries, provided their HIV is diagnosed in good time and treatment provided, people can now hope to live well into old age. The over 50s is the fastest growing group of people living with HIV. But what quality of life can they look forward to, and how can it be improved?

The UK’s 50 Plus research, done by Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), MBARC and Age UK for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, surveyed 410 older adults with HIV – one in twenty of all those with HIV in the UK. They found that HIV systematically disadvantages those infected across their lifetime in three key areas – health, financial and social wellbeing. Older people with HIV, as a group, have twice as many other long term conditions (on top of their HIV); they are less economically active and less likely to have savings for old age; they are less likely to have their own home; they have significant levels of social isolation and poor mental health and considerable fears for the future. Not everybody ends up alone and in poverty, by any means, but some do and many others are disadvantaged across their lifetime in ways that could be changed, with proper planning and support.

These findings echo similar research in the US and the Netherlands, which suggests that whatever your health and social care systems, some of these problems will occur. For all these studies, people over 50 with HIV were a mixed group of the long term and more recently diagnosed. Obviously, those diagnosed longer ago - when everyone expected to die and many stopped work and spent their savings, and when many people saw their friends and partners die - had the greatest problems with health, wellbeing and poverty but even those more recently diagnosed were often disadvantaged in comparison with their peers.

With HIV, however well you start off, you may encounter stigma and ill-health that leads to broken relationships, lessens employment opportunities and damages your ability to provide for the future. At THT, we believe this means we need to change our services, not only to support those currently over 50 who are in greatest need, but also to work with younger people and those more recently diagnosed to minimise the problems they may face as they age with HIV. We need to help people stay in work or get back to it; manage their money and plan for the future; guard against social isolation and poor mental health; live healthy lives to reduce co-morbidities and improve quality of life.

One of the important aspects of this research is that it was undertaken at every stage with the close involvement of older people with HIV; on the advisory panel, as community researchers, as writers and as communicators of the findings. In the West, our elders are often neglected and survey respondents reported experiencing as much stigma around age as HIV. But older people with HIV are an enormous resource for the future.

The full report of A national study of ageing and HIV (50 Plus) is available at: http://www.tht.org.uk/binarylibrary/peoplesexperienceofhiv/50-plus-final-report.pdf

Article from IPPF HIV Update newsletter - Issue 27: http://www.ippf.org/en/Resources/Newsletters/HIV+Update+Issue+27.htm