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STRENGHTENING ACCESS TO JUSTICE IN EAST AFRICA

STRENGHTENING ACCESS TO JUSTICE IN EAST AFRICA. MAINSTREAMING GENDER IN HIV/AIDS RESPONSE By Magdalena K. Rwebangira Tanganyika Law Society. Objectives of the Session. To have an increased general understanding of the meaning and objective of gender mainstreaming in programming

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STRENGHTENING ACCESS TO JUSTICE IN EAST AFRICA

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  1. STRENGHTENING ACCESS TO JUSTICE IN EAST AFRICA MAINSTREAMING GENDER IN HIV/AIDS RESPONSE By Magdalena K. Rwebangira Tanganyika Law Society

  2. Objectives of the Session • To have an increased general understanding of the meaning and objective of gender mainstreaming in programming • To have an increased understanding of practical implications in mainstreaming gender in HIV/AIDS response • Have an increased understanding of how to address gender mainstreaming in activities, policy and results.

  3. What is gender? Gender refers to the social attributes and opportunities associated with being male and female

  4. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GENDER AND SEX? • Gender refers to the socially constructedroles of and relations between men and women, while sex refers to biologicalcharacteristics which define men and women

  5. WHAT IS MAINSTREAMING? Mainstream = main or usual way of thinking - Dictionary

  6. WHAT IS GENDER MAINSTREAMING? • A strategy for promoting gender equality • A public policy concept for assessing the different implications for women in planned policy action • The ultimate goal of gender mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality

  7. WHAT IS GENDER MAINSTREAMING (CONT’D)? • Requires that efforts be made to broaden women’s equitable access and participation especially the poor and marginalized • Addresses notions of ‘natural’ male/female behaviour

  8. WHAT IS GENDER MAINSTREAMING (CONT’D) • Gender mainstreaming therefore is the process of creating this knowledge and awareness of and responsibility for gender among all actors in a given programme, institution or profession

  9. 2. GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN HIV/AIDS RESPONSE • In the area of law women experience specific challenges in many countries in the face of high rates of HIV/AIDS • Gender mainstreaming requires addressing issues through ‘gender lens’

  10. GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN HIV/AIDS RESPONSE (CONT’D) • Adolescent Girls • In sub Sahara Africa, disproportionately affected • New infections increasingly concentrated among the young people especially girls • 1 in 4 girls compared to 1 in 25 boys same age

  11. GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN HIV/AIDS RESPONSE (CONT’D) • Gender Lens: • Inter generational sex ‘age mixing’ • Gender- based power relations • Age –based power imbalance • Very high rates of teenage pregnancy • Early marriage, SGBV, adult male preference, presumed safety of girls etc

  12. GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN HIV/AIDS RESPONSE • Men, HIV and AIDS • Men’s vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, their role and responsibility in prevention and care • Cultural belief and expectation of manhood encourage risky behaviour • Their involvement as fathers, brothers husbands, sons and friends is central to any balanced national or local response

  13. GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN HIV/AIDS RESPONSE • Gender Lens: • Men’s health receives inadequate attention • Men’s behaviour puts them at risk of HIV • Men’s behaviour put women at risk • Unsafer/unprotected sex between men endangers both and women • Men need to consider the effects of AIDS on the family

  14. Men (continued) • Men in special settings at higher risk of HIV/AIDS • Male migrant workers –stress and loneliness, increased risky behaviour • Men in the military • Men in prison

  15. 3. ACCESS TO SERVICES • Women have unequal access to services • Receive inferior treatment • Their specific needs often unattended • Barriers that prevent them are still in place in many countries • Substandard and inadequate health care urgent for rural women and other underserved communities

  16. ACCESS TO SERVICES (cont’d) • Gender Lens: • Women not be regarded as equally entitled to resources, their needs secondary • Most drug trials focusing on men • Most ARVs channeled through employers in formal sector where women are few and junior

  17. 3. ACCESS TO SERVICES (Cont’d) • In privatized health care, reduced state funding, family resources exhausted on men’s illnesses, little left for women and girls in sickness, stigmatized, if privacy unprotected, reluctance to seek testing and treatment • Barriers economics, social custom and cultural taboos may prevent women and young people from accessing local health services

  18. 3. ACCESS TO SERVICES (Cont’d) • Medical personnel –failure to recognize symptoms and dismissive of young people • Men have difficulty accessing HIV/AIDS services when typically located in facilities that serve women such as pre- natal and family planning clinics • Many prevention strategies urge insistence on use of condoms by partners oblivious of reality on unequal power relations • Women controlled methods of preventing HIV/AIDS and pregnancy not readily available

  19. 4. HARMFUL PRACTICES • Some traditional practices that relate specifically to sex and sexuality increase girls and women’s vulnerability to HIV transmission and infection. • Culturally sanctioned, pose special challenge • Despite progress achieved, lack of knowledge or misinformation about HIV/AIDS may lead to increase in some

  20. 4.HARMFUL PRACTICES (Cont’d) • Gender Lens: • Early Marriage –parental consent, practice increasing, fear of AIDS and demand for younger brides, mistaken virginity cure of AIDS, exacerbated by unequal power relations in unions with older men young girls unable to negotiate use of condoms or contraception. • Miss out on education opportunities

  21. 4. HARMFUL PRACTICES (Cont’d) • Gender Lens (Cont’d) • Female Genital Cutting (FGC/FGM) • Regarded as a rite of passage for about 2m girls, each year mostly in Africa where an estimated 130m women live under its effects • FGM and infibulation may contribute to spread of HIV due to tearing of scarred vaginal tissue

  22. 4. HARMFUL PRACTICES (Cont’d) • Dry Sex • Practice of levirate • Initiation rites for girls etc

  23. II GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN JUVENILE JUSTICE • Design and planning • Who are the marginalized? • Are they part of the target audience? • Does this group include women? • Would the involvement of women and other marginalized in this group of the target audience influence the structure, content and outputs?

  24. II GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN JUVENILE JUSTICE (Cont’d) • Are women and other marginalized groups involved in the planning or delivery of the activity? Specifically: • What is the governing law? • Have the views of children, especially girls and those from poor families and rural environments, single mothers, children born out of wedlock been sought and considered?

  25. II GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN JUVENILE JUSTICE (Cont’d) • Participation • How will attendance be managed to ensure equal participation of women, girls, boys and men including OVCs? • How will attendance be managed so as to ensure that men, women and marginalized groups can participate effectively and equally?

  26. II GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN JUVENILE JUSTICE (Cont’d) • If women and girls are underrepresented how will you ensure that a women’s perspective has been explored and considered? • Has the views of marginalized and disadvantaged groups’ perspective been explored and considered? • Time for reflection on views of women and other marginalized groups

  27. II GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN JUVENILE JUSTICE (Cont’d) • Do accommodations, settings and timings of activity recognize family responsibilities, cultural, religious sensibilities that would encourage women, children and others who need permission and approval of others to participate?

  28. II GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN JUVENILE JUSTICE (Cont’d) • Content of activity • Relevancy of material used to both men and women including the marginalized children, parents, guardians and care takers. • Specifically- real life case studies and examples, documentary, testimonies.

  29. II GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN JUVENILE JUSTICE (Cont’d) • Materials distributed reflect the different experiences of men, women, children (including those from marginalized groups) and law enforcers • Topics covered explore and pay attention to the different needs of women and men including those of marginalized groups

  30. II GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN JUVENILE JUSTICE (Cont’d) • Outcome of the Activity • Awareness- contribute to resolution of gender or social exclusion problem, contribute to a better understanding of the differences of men and women’s roles and experiences, including those of marginalized groups • New ideas –generate further activities relevant for women and men as well as marginalised groups

  31. II GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN JUVENILE JUSTICE (Cont’d) • Evaluation • Evaluation indicators relevant to both men and women including marginalized groups • Disaggregated data/results by sex • Does the evaluation questions include measuring how well the gender or other inclusion aspects of the activity have been addressed?

  32. Conclusion • The SAJEA Projects seeks to bring to reality the norm of Justice for All. • Gender mainstreaming helps to ensure that justice, legal aid, representation and assistance to women and other vulnerable groups is institutionalized Thank you for your attention

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