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Inicio Quiénes somos Corresponsales Resumen Semanal Coberturas internacionales Servicios SEMlac Archivos Enlaces |
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Colombia: Dealing with HIV-AIDS from a gender perspectiveBy Ángela Castellanos
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and AIDS for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.
The number of infected men as compared to infected women in the country has moved from 11.2 in 1985 to 2.8 in 2004, mainly due to transmission over heterosexual relations, as corroborated by UNAIDS-Colombia, the local Ministry of Health, and healthcare and community-based organizations.
This global trend has been seen for several years and is connected with power relations in patriarchal cultures, Camila Ugaña told SEMlac. She is a leader at Guide me, a non-profit organization specializing in sexual and reproductive health.
The so-called AFC (Abstinence, Faithfulness and Condom) strategy has been very instrumental in prevention programs, but makes no sense to most women because they can not negotiate condom use, as indicated in the new plan. It contains actions to be implemented, comprehensive care and support, and follow-up and evaluation activities.
As this strategy is based on a moralistic theory that highlights abstinence as the only prevention method, it has been rather unsuccessful. "Campaigns for women should be more realistic and take into account specific social and cultural conditions", she added.
"Safe sex requires education of men as well as women and a change in old paradigms", she stressed.
The idea is to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and provide patients with universal access to antiretroviral treatment (ARVT).
Over 57,500 local people were diagnosed with HIV or developed the disease in the 1983-2007 period. Out of this total, around 24,000 have died. These figures are not accurate, however.
Estimates show that there are today 171,500 infected people aged 15 to 49. The 0.7-percent prevalence rate is well below the relevant MDG.
The local health authorities, however, want to exceed the MDGs building upon successful experiences and learnt lessons.
A lot of progress has been made in comprehensive care, with all necessary drugs and procedures included in the Compulsory Healthcare Plan (POS) for government-employed people. Not all national service providers meet quality requirements, however.
They often fail to provide pre-test advisory services and new medications on time, Natalia Arena told SEMlac. She is an advisor to the Colombian League to Fight AIDS, and was involved in the plan preparation process.
Out of the total number of people who have been diagnosed, 23,000 require ARVT. External evaluation reports indicated that coverage reaches 72 percent and still needs to get to 100 percent of those under POS.
The local mother-to-child transmission prevention strategy has been successful and will be further implemented. Out of 547,164 diagnosis tests on pregnant women in the 2003-2007 period, 1,127 (0.21 percent) were HIV-positive. Only 30 babies were born positive.
"Some women do not follow the treatment after they give birth because they think their children are healthy or because they suffer from post-partum depression", Arenas commented.
"While drugs are always available under POS, specific psychotherapies are not", she indicated.
The plan seeks to bridge the current gap in prevention, healthcare and communityservices for seven vulnerable groups: HIV-AIDS patients, men having sex with men, sexual workers, people in prison or living in the street, and displaced people.
It makes special emphasis on teenagers and young adults because 60 percent of cases are in the 15- to 34-year bracket.
The 60-million-dollar plan under implementation does not cover ARV drug supply and direct care expenses.
Mexico: A national AIDS emergency is demandedBy Alicia Yolanda Reyes
This came from Dr. Patricia Campos, representative of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in the country. "There is practically no investment in this area and the number of patients requiring ARVs will grow in the next three years, she indicated. Mexico will not be able to meet local demand", she anticipated.
In an effort to raise public awareness, 150 activists staged a march in front of the Economy and Health secretariats.
The idea now is to make the federal government declare a national AIDS emergency so that negotiations with transnational ARV manufacturing companies can be successfully held.
Three years ago, the government decided to supply ARVs to all patients in need. Around 38,000 are currently receiving them under social security arrangements and those who are not covered are being treated at Health Secretariat clinics.
The local authorities have argued that they can not negotiate with foreign laboratories or buy generic drugs because the country has signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States.
In theory, the two parties should procure and sell products between them, at fair prices. In practice, however, Mexico is unable to buy medicines and other products from other countries, or produce generic drugs domestically because they are patented by transnational companies.
Campos, who headed the State Council on AIDS Prevention for 12 years in Jalisco, is of the opinion that FTA does provide an opportunity to promote public health initiatives.
"The agreement is governed by the World Trade Organization’s patent legislation", she added.
"If a country declares a national emergency, it is allowed to make use of patents upon payment of a small annuity to the relevant pharmaceutical laboratory", she stressed.
"Rwanda has just made such an arrangement and is currently buying generic drugs from Canada", she emphasized.
"Mexico is paying prices that are up to 400 percent higher than those Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Brazil are paying", she remarked.
"As 40 percent of ARV drugs used in Brazil are generic, the country is in a better position to negotiate on an equal footing", she indicated.
Mexico has conducted no consolidated procurement operations and, therefore, has to pay high prices.
"The Mexican Social Security Institute, which provides treatment to 50 percent of local AIDS patients, makes poor calculations and is forced to buy ARVs from suppliers that charge high prices", Campos said.
The State-Employed Workers’ Service faces a similar situation, but the impact is not so strong because it covers only 10 percent of patients requiring ARVT.
Activists told SEMlac that these institutions pay higher prices because some of their officials are making profits for themselves. This is really difficult to prove because they are very careful about leaving clues.
Drug manufacturers give trips, PCs and invitation letters for international congresses to local doctors and officials if they prescribe/promote their products, said Dr. Luis Soto, co-chairman of the 2008 International AIDS Conference, which will be held next month in Mexico City.
"Some specialists are invited to meetings where English is the only working language and they know nothing about it", he noted.
"Drug costs will drop by half if laboratories stop spending on this kind of promotion", he added.
"The forthcoming conference will provide an excellent framework to exchange experiences and hold multilateral rather than bilateral negotiations", he announced.
Although some scientists do not like the idea of discussing social research works and having activists at the event, they can not ignore the growing significance of the conference.
"Much progress was made in South Africa in 2000, and civil-society participation was not very outstanding in Thailand some years later", he recalled.
As there is strong activism here, we hope to make further headway for the benefit of Mexico and the region.
Guatemala: Severe psychological sequels in women suffering from violenceBy Alba Trejo
Experts at the Foundation conducted a study over 250 abused women and identified around 30 negative personality traits, including low self-esteem, need to control other people’s behavior, and feelings of adaptation inability and/or difficulty.
They examined women who had requested help from the institution, after having endured beatings, rape and verbal aggression.
"We also provide support to relatives of murdered women", Foundation director Norma Cruz told SEMlac.
"We put together a sequel list after having treated violence sufferers for a year. Most of them exhibit similar behavioral patterns", she added.
"These acts leave strong psychological marks on children. Some of them have sought to help their mothers when their own fathers tried to kill them", she stressed.
Family violence is posing a serious problem in Guatemala today. The Lawyer’s Office on Women’s Affairs indicated that around 15,000 women report their cases every year, and the Attorney’s Office on Human Rights announced that over 3,500 children are abused in their homes.
These figures are inaccurate because not all cases are actually reported and accounted for, as a result of patriarchal culture and prejudices, said Hilda Morales, representative of the Guatemalan Women’s Group.
"Local women suffering from domestic violence often suffer from irritability and depression. The problem is further compounded by the fact that the number of women in such a situation is steadily growing", Cruz emphasized.
"A Foundation study over victim profiles concluded that most victims feel they are guilty, keep silent, and justify abuse. As they do not defend from assailants, they get killed", she added.
"After 15 to 24 psychotherapies, the majority of victims are able to live a normal life again", she told SEMlac.
Cristina Azurdia, a representative of the Ministry of the Interior, indicated that, out of 183 cases of extreme–violence murdered women, 82 percent had been suffering from family violence and 10 percent had been killed by their former husbands or sexual partners.
"Women are being killed in all departments of the country. Fire arms are used by assailants after having beaten up and raped victims, so as to be sure that they are really dead", she added.
A report by the No-Violence against Women Network indicated that 3,500 women were brutally murdered in the 2000-2007 period.
Carlos Castresana, chairman of the International Committee to Fight Impunity in Guatemala, remarked that the country ranks third on the list of nations exhibiting high numbers of killed women, after Mexico and El Salvador. "Around 98 percent of criminals go unpunished here", he said.
"Out of 2,000 cases in the 2005-2007 period, only two percent have been resolved. Women's murders have become an epidemic", he added.
Statistical data show that assailants who are not family members always manage to get away.
A law seeking to fight women murders, which has been implemented since last April, imposes tough sentences on criminals (25 to 50 years in prison), and five to 12 years on those involved in physical, sexual and/or psychological violence.
Although women make up 51 percent of the local 14-million population, they derive no benefit from national development initiatives. This is especially the case of women living in rural areas.
Mexico: Care for women suffering from violenceBy Sara Lovera
"It is just 1,500 pesos (150 dollars) a month, but it helps cover transportation expenses to make arrangements for divorce, go to the psychologist’s and attend talks that make us feel self-assured", said Elsa.
Yazmín will spend three months at a shelter and then make a final decision (on her marriage).
They are both under a social reintegration program that has been implemented by the local government in the Federal District since last month.
"It is no panacea, but it certainly helps, stressed its manager Carmen Miranda. It is like an insurance policy against gender violence", she added.
More than 66 percent of local women over 15 years of age have suffered from violence at least once in their lives, and 42.2 percent endure it on a regular basis.
Out of 32 states in the country, the 18-million-inhabitant capital city ranks ninth on the list of rape cases.
A Forensic Medicine Service report indicated that 743 women had been killed in the 1995-2005 period alone. Most of them were murdered by their sexual partners, it added.
The State made the decision to implement the new program under a new law on women's right to live in a violence-free society. It came into force a couple of months ago and resulted from a long process that included proposals and recommendations by social groups and specialized institutions. It had been undertaken in 1984.
Under a comprehensive public policy, the program seeks to prevent women’s murders.
The local Division for Social Equality and Diversity indicated that over 600,000 violence cases had been reported to and processed by government agencies last year.
The exact figure is unknown. It is interesting to note, however, that 275,000 women requested care at local public health facilities in 2007 because they had been attacked by their own husbands.
The Health Secretariat in the Federal District announced that 83 percent of these women had required hospitalization.
A report of the Inter-institutional Council on Couple Violence indicated that around 100,000 women had requested guidance and psychological, legal and material support because they did not want to get back home.
A beaten woman who feels very inadequate and exhibits low self-esteem does not usually request immediate help. She tries to manage it on her own.
"Around 90 percent come to us after having been beaten up, insulted and abused on more than one occasion. They are really frightened because they have been intimidated and threatened to be killed. It is difficult for them to make a decision," stressed Pilar Sánchez, director of a shelter for women suffering from violence.
There is an institutional network in place for cases that are reported to the Attorney's Office, the Violence Prevention Unit, the Women's Institute, or Locatel (hot line).
A Council on Violence Prevention and Care was established to gather together agencies that had been working in isolation. We are building an effective structure for police reporting, psychological support, and medical or psychosocial treatment, said Concepción Martínez, violence-care coordinator at the local Division on Social Equality and Diversity.
"It has not been easy. There are gender-violence victims all over the city. We need a good technical team and the involvement of social and civil-society organizations to succeed in our endeavors", she added.
"We have paved the way for these women to have access to employment, education, day-care centers, culture and sports, under a social reintegration program that has been put together by 16 local agencies", she noted.
"Legally established ten years ago, the Violence Prevention Units have played a key role", she stressed.
Stakeholders SEMlac interviewed six women who had decided to put an end to violence and request help.
Beatriz endured violence for four years. She completed secondary education and is now living at a shelter. "I had been beaten up many times, and I finally realized I needed to ask for help. I did not go to my parents’ because my husband would find me there. I feel self-assured now, but I do not know what I will do after I leave the shelter, she added. After we spend three months at the shelter, we get a 1,500-peso allowance and a house for a year (in some instances)", she commented.
Yazmín resorted to the Attorney’s Office Support Center. "I requested and obtained guidance and support. A job will put me at ease", she emphasized.
Elda is very thankful for all the encouragement and support she has had.
Lucía had been stabbed by her sexual partner. He went to jail, but he began harassing me again immediately after he was released, she recalled. "The shelter has given me the opportunity to recover my strength", she said.
Lupita has obtained therapeutic support from a prevention unit for a couple of years and is now determined to get divorced.
Alicia is still living with her abusive husband. She highlighted the importance of monetary aid to get out of domestic violence.
According to Miranda, there are two factors preventing women from getting out of violence: lack of support networks and the role of mothers.
"The program is not a miraculous remedy, but it is a step forward. Although we have supplied only 50 houses so far, the idea is to total 500 by the end of this year", she anticipated.
Boys and girls: Family supporters in NicaraguaBy Sylvia R. Torres
This information comes from a survey that was commissioned by Save the Children-Norway NGO and was conducted by the International Foundation to Meet the Global Economic Challenge (FIDEG).
Those under 14 should not be allowed to work and those under 16 have a number of restrictions that need to be considered.
Children should study and get trained before they join the labor market, as established in various international agreements, but the truth is that they are replacing adults and helping meet basic family needs in Nicaragua.
Sonia Agurto, a FIDEG researcher, said that one of the main reasons behind such a trend has to do with extremely difficult living conditions in the country.
The survey has been conducted every year, since 1995, for the purpose of following up developments and their impact on the local population.
Children and teenagers are involved in paid and unpaid work. The number of self-employed children moved from 2.9 percent in 2004 to 3.4 percent in 2006, while the number of unpaid children moved from 74 percent to 75.9 percent in the period.
Family businesses largely rely on child labor. The number of wage-earning children dropped from 22.8 percent to 20.4 percent in the same period.
FIDEG researchers define child labor as depriving children of their potential and hindering their physical and mental development because they are asked to study and work for long hours at the same time.
While some of these children work at home or at somebody else’s, many of them, especially those aged six to 14, work as street vendors and are exposed to physical and mental abuse, and robbery.
An ILO research work in 2002 showed that a drop in the purchasing power of workers and professionals had created a situation where girls were gradually replacing domestic servants.
Carried out in Central America and the Dominican Republic, similar research works concluded that 65 percent of the girls involved in this activity were suffering from stress, headache and sleeplessness, while 23 percent often cried “for no reason”.
FIDEG study in 2006 also showed that the percentage of children (mostly girls) in charge of house chores moved from 21 in 2004 to 31.6 in 2006.
A common storySponsored by Save the Children, Guardian Angel newsletter included the story of María de Jesús (a working girl) in 2002.
"I learned to do house chores by helping my mother. I have worked as a domestic servant, but I have had quite a difficult time. I have also worked as a laundry girl to make some money".
"When I was 13, my aunt took me to a tobacco plantation to remove veins and stems from tobacco leaves, but I could only stay there for six months. I got ill. I do not know if it was allergy or anemia. I often felt sick because of the bad smell of cured tobacco".
"As we are 11 brothers and sisters, I have had to work to support our mother", she concluded.
An invisible workChild labor is not accounted for, as is the case of women’s labor. A recent gender analysis carried out by Yordana Valenzuela, a researcher at the University of Zamorano, contains some figures about a work that is often considered as “aid”.
Children and women involved in banana growing in Chinandega municipality cover 33 percent of agricultural activities throughout the year. Boys and girls account for three percent.
Reducing poverty and child laborAs the economic crisis intensified in the 2004-2006 period, household income dropped and child labor grew.
Family businesses had to use children to lower costs and keep afloat at the time.
There is a proportional relationship between poverty and child labor. If small-sized companies are supported, they will not require so much invisible, unpaid child labor.
María Ivette Fonseca, a representative of the Norwegian NGO, said that children should be allowed to grow and develop before they join the labor market under competitive conditions.
The Nicaraguan government should invest on children’s education so that they can be properly trained to take well-paid jobs and break away from the poverty cycle. Their rights should be protected because they will play an important role in the future.
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The Women's News Service from Latin America and the Caribbean (SEMlac), International News Agency, offers this weekly service. No reproduction without authorization. Any comment o suggestion please contact us: semlac@redsemlac.net |
Managua,
June.– Children generated 12 percent of overall household income in
Nicaragua in 2006. They worked mainly in the informal and
agricultural sector. There has been an 8.5-percent increase in such
a contribution in the last couple of years.