Re: HIV Prevention and Treatment Needs of MSM Community

[Guest guest]

Prevention and Treatment Needs of MSM Community. Both MSM specific and general :

1) The implication of the term MSM needs to be

extended well beyond what it is at the moment. Though

MSM issues are more visible than ever before, we seem

to be getting stuck in a new groove. MSM does not mean

only gay, bisexual, kothi, hijra etc. MSM are there

everywhere, they could be anyone, and in any age

group. So prevention strategies need to be tailored

accordingly.

Addressing formal and informal networks / groups of

MSM is fine. That is being done. But what is not being

done enough is reaching out to the males who may not

be linked to any of these networks / groups. These are

individuals who can probably only be reached through

mass media of all kinds and through components of

civil society that have the potential to influence the

lives of MSM - schools / colleges, newspapers, TV

channels, NGOs working with migrant labourers,

prisoners and industrial labourers, trade unions,

social communication agencies etc. IN short wherever

there is AIDS talk going on, male to male transmission

of HIV should compulsorily be talked about - but

non-judgementally of course. What could be better

advocacy for sexual minority issues than this?

But this mainly means high level and sustained

advocacy and similar funding!

2) Civil society networking needs to happen at all

levels. But we need not depend on conferences and

events only. Networking equipment and

funds needed again!

3) Unattended critical factors : The AIDS

intelligentsia still has not addressed the primary

felt needs of people particularly vulnerable to HIV.

Without these needs being addressed on a war footing,

the AIDS movement (if any that exists) will be headed

the same way as the green movement - forests have to

be preserved, but " along with " the humans living in

and around them. The felt needs that we need to

address first are all basic development needs - food

security, education, primary health and employment.

Without these in place, how do we expect people to be

concerned about an infection that isn't " in your

face " ? So AIDS workers need to tie up with components

of civil society that deal with these primary felt

needs and weave AIDS into their agenda.

Regards

Pawan

E-mail: pawan30@...

______________________________