Sexual Orientation, AIDS, and Violence in Eastern, and Southern Africa

1. Sexual Orientation, AIDS, and Violence in Eastern, and Southern Africa Washington D.C., May 7, 2003 Ronald Lwabaayi Livelihood Development International

2. About Livelihood Development International LDI’s Mission: to provide comprehensive health care and education, including HIV/AIDS; to provide education, resources, and tools to support livelihood development, human rights, peace, good governance and social protection, thereby enhancing the dignity and self-sufficiency among stigmatized people, especially gays, lesbians and bisexuals (GLBT).

3. Mission Went on a fact-finding mission to Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe Objectives: To research the current situation of GLBT persons, activists and groups and their activities in Southern, Central and Eastern Africa To build a network of contacts among GLBT groups in this region To prepare a capacity building workshop for them

4. Why Is This Important? Stigma Violence AIDS/HIV Poverty

5. The Study of 250 MSM in Dakar • Lives characterized by rejection and violence • Half verbally abused by family members • A fourth forced to move in the last 12 months • 37 percent forced to have sex in last 12 months • 13 percent have been raped by a policeman

6. Sexual Behavior • Mean age of sample: 25 years • Mean age at first sexual contact: 15 years • First male sexual encounter with a family member for one third of the sample • Vast majority have had sex with women, of these 88 % had vaginal sex, 25 % anal sex • 13 percent are married, 25 percent have children () • Good knowledge about condoms, but low use, even in anal sex • Most reporting have had STI • Scared of seeking medical care

7. 2002 WHO World Report on Violence and Health • Sexual violence against men takes place in homes, schools, on the street, in the military, during wars, in prison, and at police posts. 3.6 percent of men report such violence in Namibia, 20 percent in Peru • Forced sexual initiation during adolescence common for both men and women, but more for women. (More likely to be underreported for men) • Among men in Africa, this ranges from 6. 4 percent of men in a South African study to 30 percent in a Cameroon study

8. Recent History and Developments in East and Southern Africa • No discussion in the Region until 1995 • 1995 Constitution of South Africa guarantees the rights of all, including GLBT persons • Triggered discussion all over Africa and informal organizational efforts • Reaction of religious and traditional groups, culminating in attacks by presidents, starting with Mugabe • Increased incidence of discrimination, violence, but also increased public discussion, organizational efforts • Still very little research and fact finding

9. Review of Situation of GLBT in the Countries Visited • Evidence gathered from discussions with the organizers of informal GLBT groups or circles of friends • Informants knowledgeable about their milieu • Evidence is impressionistic, not survey-based • Scoring of the situation found: L= Low, M= Medium, H= High, ?= No information

10. The Legal Situation

11. Findings

12. Key Social Risks

13. Opportunities to Meet and Organize

14. HIV/AIDS

15. Why Should Policy Makers Care • HIV/AIDS infection of a significant group of the LGBT population, but no prevention programs • Significant spillover of epidemic to women and children • Boys need protection against sexual abuse just like girls • Enormous violence against the marginalized group • No safety net from government, religious groups, or family members • Marginalization of MSM and WSW contributes to disease burden, loss of livelihood, destitution, and poverty

16. Why are GLBT Organizations Needed • Given stigma, secrecy, service delivery from public sector or NGOS cannot reach MSMs and WSWs • Only GLBTs can organize an effective HIV/AIDS prevention and care program • Organizations are needed to spread information, reduce stigma, provide a social safety net, and fight against violence from the population and the police

17. Where are These Groups in their Efforts to Organize and Resist • With the exception South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, associations remain informal, poorly organized and cannot sustain themselves • Nearly impossible for groups to organize because of • oppressive laws and official campaigns against them • lack of information, negative media, deep cultural and religious disapproval • risk of social isolation, violence and livelihood • absence of safe meeting places, financial support

18. Opportunities • Growing public discussion • Traces of recognition of the problem among government authorities, national AIDS programs • Increasing attention from international organizations: UNAIDS and its co-sponsors, UNHCR, Amnesty International, World Bank, HIVOS, Astraea Foundation… • Funding opportunities from community funds of National AIDS programs

19. What is happening in the WB • The Affinity Group on Gender, Sexuality, HIV/AIDS and Violence is including MSM and WSW issues in its work program for next year • Series of small profiling studies on gender issues in West Africa financed by the Gender Board trust fund • With funding from the World Bank, Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) is producing an operational manual for MSM and WSW for Africa

20. Next Steps • Capacity building workshop in Tanzania in July 2003: • to bring together emerging groups and activists within the region • to establish a network for long-term support and knowledge sharing among LGBT groups within the region • To help create practical methods in which attendees can affect the transmission of HIV/AIDS and improve health care provided to LGBT groups in their communities • Design of GLBT-managed sub-regional capacity building program and funding proposals

21. How Can You Help • Talk about it in the context of a broader agenda on Gender, Sexuality, Violence and AIDS • Introduce it into discussions with governments, national AIDS programs, civil rights groups • Facilitate MAP financing of profiling studies • Facilitate access of GLBT groups to funding from MAP Community Funds