Abstract #202  -  Health & Rights Workshops: An intervention targeting migrants living with HIV
Authors:   Presenting Author:   mr Stephane Simonpietri - Association AIDES
Additional Authors:  Mr Christian Andreo, Mr Joseph Situ, Mr. Arnaud Simon, Ms Adeline Toullier, Mr Bruno Spire, Mr Vincent Pelletier,
Method / Issue: Migrants, especially Sub-Saharan Africans are one of the most vulnerable groups in France. Discrimination, late diagnosis, low access to VCT, care and support are characteristic of the group. Repression against foreign people is increased by political influence so they become a hard to reach population. Such stigma may contribute to the high level of HIV prevalence in these groups, as stigma constrains access to information and services. In 2005, AIDES conducted a study witch revealed great differences in the application of migrants� rights by the authorities. The same year, at the � Migrants & HIV General Estates � in Lyon, people expressed their difficulties in access to rights, care and support. Many of them did not have the capacity to deal with the complexity of legislation. As a community based organisation, our job is to contribute to the empowerment of HIV positive migrants instead of implementing services such as consultations by lawyers.
Results / Comments: The aim of the project is to increase the capacity of HIV positive migrants to fight for their rights and take care of their health. 3 objectives: 1. Give concrete tools to the participants 2. Create a collective knowledge based upon the experiences of each participant 3. Contribute to the creation of mutual-support local networks dedicated to the observation of rights breaches 4 steps: 1. Enable people to talk about their main needs and involve stakeholders, community leaders 2. Communicate at every necessary level 3. Implement & facilitate the workshops 4. Stay in touch with the participants & keep the mobilisation alive 5 topics: 1. Access to care: what are my rights? 2. Care: When, where, how, who? 3. Living in France: my rights 4. My health and my rights as a woman living in France 5. To defend, find support, help each other
Discussion: The French Institute for Prevention and Health Education (INPES) has funded the program. All the facilitators were trained. Several workshops have been implemented in Marseille, Bordeaux, and Paris. Our partners of the RAAC-SIDA network (Afro-Caribean CBOs) are going to start to participate in the process. Evaluation is in progress but our preliminary results show that this kind of intervention has a triple advantage: 1. It contributes to the empowerment of HIV positive migrants. 2. It generates solidarity inside the community. 3. It gives concrete information of how authorities can break their own laws and what kind of situation migrants living with HIV have to face.
Go Back