Mainstreaming Gender issues into HIV/AIDS An Overview!! Tilder Kumichii NDICHIA CONSULTANT – GeED, Cameroon JEW workshop, Limbe 15 th – 18 th 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 questions Who 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/Boys Expected to be sexually experienced Assumption that boys will automatically know about sexual issues Societal beliefs Do not often seek medical advice (untreated sexual diseases) Migrant labour Women/Girls Age of marriage/young girls married off to older men economic 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 women Bride Price

What are the gender issues? Stigma Gender-based violence Traditional and Cultural Practices Prevention Voluntary Counselling & Testing Care Treatment/Advocacy

Stigma Still 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 approaches Speaking out, solidarity with PLWHA by leaders Creating better understanding of HIV and AIDS and openness in the community and in the churches

Gender based violence Issues Risk of infection much higher Often victims are not recognised Taboos/difficulty to address sexual violence Promising approaches Gender awareness Discussion of gender issues in male only groups Making visible those issues that gives rise to gender based violence

Traditional and cultural beliefs Issues Some practices like circumcision, FGM, polygamy, initiation may increase the transmission of HIV Sometimes traditions are misconstrued to cement male dominance Promising approaches Work with initiation schools and educate initiators and traditional leaders Challenge practices that have the potential to spread HIV and discriminate against women

Prevention Issues More women are infected than men – greater vulnerability of women Vulnerability of men through risky behaviour High rate of infection among youth/young girls Promising approaches Train peer educators Separate male and female groups in prevention work Work towards a change of mindset

Voluntary counselling and testing Issues Fear of knowing HIV/AIDS status Few men going for voluntary testing Promising approaches Empower people to disclose their staus to their partners Encourage men to go for voluntary testing Educate 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