Kampala Key, Vulnerable and Priority Populations (KVP) News

    World AIDS Day (WAD) 1 ST December 2019: We shall arrange the Nature Network Venue to display materials in form of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) on HIV Prevention. The aim of the event is not only to mainstream HIV Prevention themes in our activities but to raise consciousness about vulnerabilities and susceptibilities to HIV. We hope to invite different participants to the fair.

Canadian HIV/AIDS Lega Network/ Reseau Jiridque Canadien This Sunday, December 1 st , is World AIDS Day  — a day when we pause to remember those we have lost, to honour those living with HIV, to celebrate those who continue to advocate for justice and health, and to call on governments to fulfill the commitments they’ve made to some of society’s most marginalized people. The Legal Network has spent years advocating for the human rights of people living with or at risk of HIV and AIDS.  This World AIDS Day, we renew our call for the Government of Canada to do more.  We need them to acknowledge the intersection of health and human rights — and to follow through with the commitments they’ve already made. We’ve already been in touch with the new government on these commitments and many more,  making human rights the priority. HIV Funding Among the commitments made by the Government of Canada is the long-promised HIV funding that was meant to help end HIV as a publi...

IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 29 th November, 2019  LGBTIQ+ Sentencing in Zambia  Pan Africa ILGA condemns the prosecution and sentencing of a gay couple arrested in Zambia. The arrest follows the invasion of privacy that occurred when the two parties were seen being intimate by a housekeeper. This in itself is a gross violation of privacy and by extension, an assault on the dignity of the parties.  We therefore strongly implore the concerned arms of the Zambian government to challenge this homophobic and dated trajectory of their laws and the application of such laws. This is because where people's privacy has been invaded, it is clearly an assault on their fundamental rights to privacy as provided by extant laws and the African Charter on Human and People's Rights and constitutes the impairment of one's right to practice their full identity as a human being.  The harsh 15 year sentence meted out to the two consenting adults has shocked the world and is a blow to...

Take part in our #16DaysOfActivism campaign 💪 | How changing the narrative could revolutionize what it means to do human rights  ✅ #16DaysOfActivism against Gender-based Violence   From 25 November to 10 December we join the #16DaysOfActivism campaign calling for action against one of the world’s most pervasive violations of human rights – violence against women. CIVICUS dedicates its  #16DaysOfActivism  online campaign towards young womxn in civic space and their stories and challenges. By defying gender stereotypes, young womxn activists face continuous harassment in public spaces, severely restricting their work. Follow our channels to hear more directly from young womxn activists and civil society actors on what their challenges are and the role everyone should play in ensuring a safe environment for them. You can also join us in strengthening, amplifying and supporting young womxn activists during  #16DaysOfActivism  by ...

Language is powerful. I hope the marginalized communities invest in mechanisms to craft a language that humanizes them and one that seeks to show action rather than incendiary rebuttals. Even as LGBTIQQ Dignity of Persons Champions learn to articulate issues, even as they learn what it takes to be included in policy, programming and planning, they should be abreast of what the opposition is crafting too. CIVICUS provides such materials and we are grateful to them. This is part of the CIVICUS report excerpt of interest I wanted to share with you here: “ ……..anti-rights groups are genuinely non-state groups and sometimes they are set up as the proxies of state interests, but often they sit somewhere in between, tightly enmeshed with political parties and repressive states. Anti-rights groups are most effective when political leaders, parties and states pick up on and echo their narratives, and when anti-rights groups are able to connect with and amplify regressive discourse t...

Ensuring that people and communities have the power to choose, to know, to thrive and to demand is the key to ending AIDS Game-changing approaches, such as medicine to prevent HIV (PrEP), integration of contraceptive services with HIV testing, viral load suppression (U = U), harm reduction, and comprehensive sexuality education, give people the power to protect themselves from HIV and, for people living with HIV, the power to thrive NAIROBI/GENEVA, 26 November 2019— A new report by UNAIDS,  Power to the people , released ahead of  World AIDS Day , shows that where people and communities living with and affected by HIV are engaged in decision-making and HIV service delivery, new infections decline and more people living with HIV gain access to treatment. When people have the power to choose, to know, to thrive, to demand and to work together, lives are saved, injustices are prevented and dignity is restored. “When people and communities have power and agency, ...

Violence against women Violence hurts women and girls and hampers their ability to thrive in multiple ways. Since the Beijing Conference, an historic two-thirds of countries have put laws on the books to stop domestic violence. Yet gaps in laws, implementation of legal protection and lack of access to essential services remain for women globally. Ending violence against women  is one of UN Women’s key priorities. We support expanding access to quality multi-sectorial responses for survivors covering safety, shelter, health, justice and other essential services. We advocate for laws and help guide policies and action plans to help step-up investments in prevention—the most cost-effective, long-term means to stop violence against women by addressing its root causes. New law spurs action, bringing protection to many With support from UN Women, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia adopted a new law against domestic violence in August 2014, which expanded the defini...

We are so grateful to UHC-Micro Grant for facilitating us in mobilizing other LGBTIQQ to run activities from 25th November to 12th December 2019. The funds that you allocated to us to do community activities will go a long way in increasing critical activities raising consciousness about the full meaning of health. Please follow all our social media handles for progress reports: 1. advocacynetworkafrica.blogspot.com 2.  https://twitter.com/advocacy_africa 3.  https://www.facebook.com/advocacynetworkafrica/

There is hope in Africa. Even marginalized communities can be facilitated to organize health observances within their communities. The UHC Micro-grant will enable us organize and conduct activities targeting refugees not normally prioritized by funders such as the “Africa Hope Chain .”  When it comes to LGBTIQQ Refugees it becomes more complex. These are people who are escaping persecution due to their sexuality, orientation and identity. They have higher chances of appearing in a country of refuge psychologically, emotionally and physically traumatized. Their needs to address trauma and fears include: Need for accepting companions to act as navigators; stable housing; regular nutrition; safe space; linkage to proper registration and documentation services; incomes for sustenance; counseling and guidance; health care; membership to social support mechanisms; and protection and promotion of dignity of person. #Healthforall #UHC2030 #UHCDay We shall be able to init...