Kareem MR, Natarajan S; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 2002 Jul 7-12; 14: abstract no. ThPeG8339.
Social Welfare Association for Men (SWAM), Chennai, India
ISSUE: In India, many MSM do not have adequate knowledge about the risks involved in unprotected sex and how to protect themselves from HIV infection. There fore, reaching out to these MSM and educating them about HIV/AIDS and safer sex becomes crucial. DESCRIPTION: As outreach workers of Social Welfare Association for Men (SWAM) we are all self-identified gay men. We meet MSM in nearly 50 cruising areas of the city and educate them about STD/HIV/AIDS. We have faced problems from policemen - safer sex pamphlets will be considered as pornography and giving condoms to MSM as "encouraging homosexuality". Policemen have threatened us to put in jail so sometimes we have to pay bribes to escape from them. All this happens because homosexual behavior is a criminal offence in India. Even if two gay men are just talking in the cruising area they will be threatened by the policemen that they will inform their parents. Sometimes identity cards of gay men will be snatched and will be asked to regularly pay some money otherwise they will be 'outed'. Many MSM were frustrated whenever we distributed condoms or talked about HIV/AIDS. They asked - "What are you going to do with the police?". SWAM now gets the help of a lawyer in South India AIDS Action Program (SIAAP) to solve some of these problems of MSM. LESSONS LEARNED: Homosexual behavior being a criminal offence in India presents a significant barrier to reach out to MSM. Providing HIV/AIDS education and distribution of condoms alone may not be sufficient unless we create an enabling environment. Organizations providing HIV prevention services for MSM should also take up advocacy work. RECOMMENDATIONS: Homosexuality should be decriminalized in India. Policemen should be educated about sexuality issues and about the importance of outreach interventions so that they do not interfere in the programs' activities.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Condoms
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Health Education
- Homosexuality, Male
- Humans
- India
- Male
- Organizations
- Safe Sex
Other ID:
UI: 102256735
From Meeting Abstracts