Amsterdam 2015
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| Abstract #2269 - Cape to Casablanca: MSM in Africa | ||||
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Session: 20.2: Cape to Casablanca: MSM in Africa (Parallel) on Wednesday @ 16.30-18.00 in C104 Chaired by Theo Sandfort, Mike Ross Authors: Presenting Author: Mr George Victor Owino - International AIDS Vaccine Initiate (IAVI), Kenya |
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| Additional Authors: | ||||
| Aim: To highlight the need for MSM/LGBTI and Sexual Orientation Gender Identity (SOGI) related research for community based programming and advocacy efforts for policy change, and inclusion of this population in national health policies and priority setting processes for HIV/AIDS in Zambia. | ||||
| Method / Issue: Gay men, other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender individuals remain at disproportionately high-risk for HIV. As a recognized ‘key population’ they should be meaningfully engaged in research and considered within in national policy or priority setting processes for HIV/AIDS. However, in Zambia, a restrictive legal environment that criminalizes sexual minorities and a system that impedes research with these populations, has created an atmosphere where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals in Zambia remain voiceless. | ||||
| Results / Comments: Project: A research preparedness project was initiated in Zambia, involving a one-day community training consultation for MSM/LGBTI on research concepts and processes, and an additional one-day national-level consultative forum for MSM/LGBTI activists, researchers and funders. Participants at the training workshop shared their experiences working with researchers (both positive and negative), developed a unified research agenda and identified a mechanism to take forward the agenda. Following the training, a sub-set of the MSM/LGBTI participants convened the first ever consultative forum on MSM/LGBTI research partnerships in Zambia. The forum brought together 22 participants from the MSM/LGBTI community, researchers from key research institutions, national civil society partners and local and international funders. The forum identified challenges in conducting HIV and Sexual Orientation Gender Identity (SOGI) related research among MSM/LGBT individuals in Zambia, and explored ways of strengthening research partnerships. The group developed a research agendas comprised of the 5 priority-ranked issues to be addressed within the categories of biomedical, structural and behavioral interventions. For example, under structural interventions, the number one priority was to better understand knowledge, perception and attitudes of policy makers towards LGBTI/MSM. Participants also developed advocacy and sensitization priorities with a particular focus on enhancing involvement of the MSM/LGBT population in national policy and priority setting processes. Specifically, the group recognized a need for increased published research evidence on MSM/LGBTI population in Zambia. To allow this to happen, restrictive government policies and legal frameworks that impede research on MSM/LGBTI must first be addressed. A short, mid and long-term plan to implement both the research agenda and advocacy and sensitization plans was identified. The research agenda and advocacy and sensitization plan will be championed by a newly formed Zambia LGBTI Research Advisory Team (ZRAT) together with civil society partners. ZRAT is a group of 10 individuals’ representative of various LGBTI groups in Zambia. | ||||
| Discussion: Lessons Learned:MSM/LGBTI HIV and SOGI-related research is essential to understand and address the public-health needs of this population. In addition research data on MSM/LGBTI is required to assist in community based programming and advocacy efforts for policy change. Community leadership and engagement in advocacy with support from researchers, civil society and funders, is key to both push for publication of existing research and design and implement research to address knowledge gaps. Government recognition of MSM/LGBTI, inclusion of MSM/LGBTI as key populations within health related policies, and participation in national priority setting processes helps provide an enabling environment for this critical research to take place. | ||||
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