The AIDS2031 initiative in association with the International Center for Research on Women and the UNAIDS Global Coalition on Women and AIDS is calling for abstracts for a meeting to be convened in early 2009 called "Sex, Rights, and the Law in a World with AIDS." The main purpose seems to be to explore dispersed methods of addressing HIV prevention that are not top-down, solely public health oriented.
In the words of the request for abstracts [pdf]:
The goal of the meeting is to identify effective strategies to address sexuality and gender-related vulnerabilities to HIV. The objective of the meeting is to uncover existing strategies, generate innovative thinking and develop recommendations on addressing:
- The complex social, legal and political obstacles to the successful prevention of sexually transmitted HIV, and
- The barriers to effective, gender-transformative and human rights-based approaches to treatment, care and support.
The meeting will produce succinct but thorough guidance for programs, policy and action. The meeting will take place over 2.5 days in late January/early February of 2009, location to be determined.
This is an opportunity for groups concerned with genital integrity to offer their own guidance and opinions on what could become an influential document in developing future programs. Specifically:
- How will the international programmers and program donors express respect for people and groups of people, such as the Luo of Uganda, who abhor sexual surgery or view such surgery as mutilation?
- Will the organizations who take up the call to promote circumcision avoid creating a social environment where genital integrity is disrespected or denigrated?
- Will those who refuse circumcision be refused other resources?
- How will informed consent be formulated?
The possible questions to be posed are really quite unlimited. There was some talk in Mexico City of male circumcision leaving women out of the policy discussion, causing disempowerment, and generally keeping prevention male-centered. Therefore, despite this initiative's focus on women, it involves men, and hence, male circumcision.
If you have an academic bent or occupy a position in an advocacy organization, you should consider participating. Even you are simply an individual with ideas, you should look into this opportunity to be heard.
