Mainstreaming Gender issues into HIV/AIDS

An Overview!!Tilder Kumichii NDICHIA

CONSULTANT – GeED, CameroonJEW workshop, Limbe15th – 18th March 2010

 

What is Gender Mainstreaming?Gender mainstreaming is a strategy

for making women’s and men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects and programs in all areas of work in an organization. Gender mainstreaming efforts seek to improve the gender equality and improve the situation of women in the area of intervention of an organization.

It is a systematic approach to promoting gender equality / equity whether at institutional or project level

Mainstreaming gender simply means taking gender into account in the work you do on a daily basis

It does not mean starting a separate program only for gender and women. It does not mean more money; it is just human development, involving all in the process

How then, should HIV/AIDS initiatives mainstream gender issues?

An understanding of gender issues and its dimensions must be seen as central to all aspects of HIV/AIDS programming. It is important to mainstream gender in all programme stages by ensuring that gender related factors are taken into account in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Key questionsWho is participating, how and with what consequences?

Who is not participating, why and with what consequences?

Who holds power and decision making authority within the community and with what consequences?

Women and Men‘s Vulnerabilities

Men/BoysExpected to be

sexually experiencedAssumption that boys

will automatically know about sexual issues

Societal beliefs Do not often seek

medical advice (untreated sexual diseases)

Migrant labour

Women/GirlsAge of marriage/young girls

married off to older meneconomic

dependence/poverty of girls/women leads to getting involved in risky behaviour

Unequal power relationships – women may not be able to practise abstinence, insist on use of condoms, etc

Violence against womenBride Price

What are the gender issues?

StigmaGender-based

violence Traditional and

Cultural Practices

PreventionVoluntary

Counselling & Testing

CareTreatment/

Advocacy

StigmaStill widespread – people are still

afraid to speak out, they still say relatives die from other dieseases

Women often blamed for bringing HIV and AIDS

Promising approachesSpeaking out, solidarity with PLWHA

by leadersCreating better understanding of HIV

and AIDS and openness in the community and in the churches

Gender based violenceIssuesRisk of infection much higherOften victims are not recognisedTaboos/difficulty to address sexual violencePromising approachesGender awarenessDiscussion of gender issues in male only

groupsMaking visible those issues that gives rise

to gender based violence

Traditional and cultural beliefsIssuesSome practices like circumcision, FGM,

polygamy, initiation may increase the transmission of HIV

Sometimes traditions are misconstrued to cement male dominance

Promising approachesWork with initiation schools and educate

initiators and traditional leadersChallenge practices that have the potential to

spread HIV and discriminate against women

PreventionIssuesMore women are infected than men –

greater vulnerability of womenVulnerability of men through risky behaviourHigh rate of infection among youth/young

girlsPromising approachesTrain peer educatorsSeparate male and female groups in

prevention workWork towards a change of mindset

Voluntary counselling and testingIssuesFear of knowing HIV/AIDS statusFew men going for voluntary testingPromising approachesEmpower people to disclose their staus to

their partnersEncourage men to go for voluntary

testingEducate people on treatment oportunities

Addressing and involving men

Issues Involving men in the fight against HIV/AIDS Changing male sexual behaviour Recognizing male vulnerability Promising Approaches: Address men in their environment (sports

events, unions..) Make use of male fieldworkers to address male

groups Search for/identify and work with male role

models Work with male-only groups before bringing men

and women together again

What to do generally Develop a gender sensitive strategic plan

for the project Re plan activities taking into consideration

the promotion the gender dimension Make sure women are involved in your

field activities. Make sure issues of gender and women

are included into your lobbying and advocacy activities

Use an approach that addresses other women's problems, which may take priority over HIV/AIDS in the daily lives of women living in poverty in developing countries;

Focus on improving communication between sexual partners which acknowledges the difficulties women encounter in talking and negotiating with men about sex;

Increase awareness of the importance to include men in work for the prevention of HIV among men, women and girls;

Acknowledge the importance of a gendered approach to HIV prevention work, which includes discussions of power relations between men and women;

Provide access to voluntary counselling and testing services, along with appropriate referrals;

Acknowledge the support that women can provide to each other through open discussion and the development of networks on issues of HIV and AIDS.

THANK YOU

Group work 1

Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that you see in your work to either facilitate or disturb the mainstreming of gender.

Group work 2

From the presentation, how can your programmes be adapted to adequately take into consideration gender mainstreaming