Blogging for Rights at the UNAIDS Board Meeting

I learnt at an early age that Christianity and tradition were like fire and water, incompatible. So on Sundays the preachers and deacons at church would emphasize how those who were still clinging onto their traditional gab, spears, stones, ceremonies, names etc, ought to change them. For example, I grew up knowing that everything about traditional and culture practices (maybe except for lobola- the buying and selling of women’s bodies I feel it is in it’s current state- and can be improved as a practice, as long as the men are willing to share power/ or women are willing to fight for power- anyway this is debate for another time- ) were bad, and that my father for example, would burn in hell- the bottomless pit, because he occasionally gave people with snake bites, scorpion bites, tummy aches, head aches…some concoction made from herbs he dug up in the forest. He was a traditional healer. When I became older however, and HIV had been discovered, I started hearing a lot of talk about herbal treatment for positive living. Herbal gardens sprouted all over the village, and donors were pouring money towards that. Home based care groups were formed in church, groups that would be responsible for the herbal gardens, and demanded that only baptized church members would be allowed to join.

This is when I started to see some harmonization (progressive) between the church and tradition, {in the face of HIV and AIDS}.
I know I said earlier that the church and traditional were old enemies, and now, in the advent of HIV, we would witness a merging of ideas as a way of serving the ‘people’. But there is something that I have come to learn. That although these two institutions have for so long seemed to be almost incompatible, for the longest time, they have been fighting each other during the day, and sleeping together at night.

‘Culture’ and religion have both been used to keep women in subordinate positions, and to intimidate those that dare think outside the box, to instill fear and to silence the world into submission
I witnessed that this afternoon at the UNAIDS meeting. Religious fundamentalists basically do not agree on many things, but their ideas tend to converge in supporting patriarchal tendencies that promote hierarchical sexual relationships, sexual domination over, and in denying women control over their bodies and sexuality.

So, today, the UNAIDS strategy for the next five years almost came to a standstill because people want to moralise the debate on HIV and AIDS. So they will disregard the facts. That young people, sex workers and women in general for example are getting infected at alarming rates does not count for some leaders, because they feel they have a ‘moral’ responsibility to police and control people’s bodies, lives, and sexualities….everything. There is certainly a lot of surveillance that goes on, and one wonders where this strategy will get us, if member states who are signatory to a lot of agreements based on human rights principles (which are inalienable, indivisible, interdependent….), still can not endorse an evidence based paper like the strategy before us this afternoon. I am too scared what else can we expect on the ground.

I believe that the world does not necessarily have a deficit for policies and strategies to respond to the AIDS epidemic. What lacks is the political will from some governments; for leadership to set aside their self serving agendas, and choose to respect the rights of the human person, and take responsibility towards implementing evidence based interventions and not let religious and cultural fundamentalisms erode all gains made in the fight against the pandemic.

The key word here is political will. It’s one thing investing in HIV and AIDS interventions by way of providing financing for programming, and yet another to ensure that interventions developed at the local level is responsive to the situation on the ground. For example, I always ask myself why billions would be invested towards male circumcision and targeting 30 and 40 year old men (in my country at least), instead of responding to the issue of Violence against women, which tops the list in fueling the epidemic. Or even directing the scarce resources towards procuring ARVs so that that thousands of people needing ARVs treatment can access the life saving drugs.

It has been universally acknowledged that HIV/AIDS have a woman’s face, but it is disappointing that religious and traditional fundamentalisms that are rooted in patriarchy have come in the way and impede progress towards winning the fight against HIV & AIDS, because violence against women continues to spread like a veld fire, but governments continue in a business as usual mode. Law enforcement is poor, because agencies will cite culture and tradition, that domestic matters should only be solved amicably, citing customary law, which to me is just a set of beliefs and values which benefit men and disadvantage women and which are safeguarded to ensure the sexual slavery of women.

In the name of culture and religion, young girls are married off, and have to endure violent relationships {and it is no secret that where violence is, so is AIDS}. It is the poor, the marginalized groups like women, and sexual minorities who bear the brunt of patriarchal tendencies that promote hierarchical sexual relationships, sexual domination, and deny women control over their bodies and sexuality.

The time is now to ensure that governments who receive support can commit to addressing the critical issues increasing vulnerabilities. The time is now for the women of the world to just say no, enough is enough, and refuse to be represented by people that put their self serving ideas forward, ahead of the people’s real needs.

We refuse any more patronage. We demand that our voices be heard. We demand representation in these boards. It is the women and marginalized populations who are getting infected, and dying, and it is only they that can treat these matters with the urgency they deserve. Want value for money? Do not entrust our resources to elements that are perpetrators of violence, the same agents that fuel this epidemic…femicide…who will support the killing of women in the name of culture of religion. Value for money will be realized if affected groups are at the decision making table, in the field implementing and monitoring progress….every step of the way.