Africa still ignores the needs of men who have sex with men

Attending the International AIDS conference in Mexico was a wonderful opportunity to witness progress on the fight against HIV in Latin America.

It is particularly useful to see how various Latin American countries invest in targeted work with men who have sex with men. The conference is also an opportunity to compare world regions and their responses on the issue of vulnerability of Men who have Sex with Men (MSM).

Unfortunately, this year again (and two years) after Toronto it is clear that Africa - the region most hardest hit by HIV- is still lagging far behind other UN regions when it comes to addressing HIV within its MSM populations.

The notable difference with Toronto 2006 is that this year, there were more discussions and visible presence of several African gay activists.

Several research studies on the vulnerability of MSM in Zambia, Togo and Senegal were presented. All these studies revealed that men who have sex with men in Africa have the highest prevalence rates compared to the general populations. Mexico was also a good platform for many human rights campaigners and African gay activists from the African continent to highlight human rights abuses in their countries. Uganda in particular was singled out by several speakers including the UNAIDS Director Dr Peter Piot - for arresting young men who were requesting attention to their health needs at a recent international meeting with international funders.

The highlight of day 4 (Friday 7th) was the press conference by a French NGO (AIDES) and a newly formed partnership - AfricaGay - formed by gay activists working across francophone Africa. Two reps from Burundi and Cameroun were particularly inspiring. Mexico has provided a platform for young and upcoming health workers dedicated to challenge the status quo and the injustices which are often generated by policy makers in the HIV sector.

Cheikh