Dear Editor,
"[In Jamaica] dogma trumps everything, including public health." This borrowed statement pretty much sums up the current situation with regard to Jamaica's HIV response.
UNAIDS and our minister of health have made it clear that the most vulnerable populations (sex workers, drug users, men who have sex with men, youth, etc) are not being reached with anti-HIV interventions because of outdated laws and policies. And we know that HIV is bridging from these groups into the general population. However, in order to keep the powerful, religious fundamentalists happy, we retain antiquated laws and enshrine homophobic practices.
Funders are paying attention. They will send their scarce resources to countries that are responding to the health needs of the entire population. Meanwhile, we have to struggle to find (or divert from critical programmes, such as education) even scarcer US dollars in order to support our HIV response.
While rich church leaders all hold visas and travel to inclusive societies for medical care, etc, they doom the rest of the population to life in an increasingly dangerous, unhealthy, and polarised society.
The Lawyers Christian Fellowship (LCF) must be joking if they expect Caribbean governments to continue financing CHART, after LCF had effectively doomed CHART by insisting that someone who does not share the organisation's values be retained as its head. It is time for the LCF and all other religious fundamentalists to put their money where their mouth is. Let them dip into the offering plates to fund our HIV response. The Government must take action and put a stop to these selfish fundamentalists who are threatening our entire society.
Maurice Tomlinson
mauricet@lgbtiawarecaribbean.com
Who will fund the anti-HIV response?
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"[In Jamaica] dogma trumps everything, including public health." This borrowed statement pretty much sums up the current situation with regard to Jamaica's HIV response.
UNAIDS and our minister of health have made it clear that the most vulnerable populations (sex workers, drug users, men who have sex with men, youth, etc) are not being reached with anti-HIV interventions because of outdated laws and policies. And we know that HIV is bridging from these groups into the general population. However, in order to keep the powerful, religious fundamentalists happy, we retain antiquated laws and enshrine homophobic practices.
Funders are paying attention. They will send their scarce resources to countries that are responding to the health needs of the entire population. Meanwhile, we have to struggle to find (or divert from critical programmes, such as education) even scarcer US dollars in order to support our HIV response.
While rich church leaders all hold visas and travel to inclusive societies for medical care, etc, they doom the rest of the population to life in an increasingly dangerous, unhealthy, and polarised society.
The Lawyers Christian Fellowship (LCF) must be joking if they expect Caribbean governments to continue financing CHART, after LCF had effectively doomed CHART by insisting that someone who does not share the organisation's values be retained as its head. It is time for the LCF and all other religious fundamentalists to put their money where their mouth is. Let them dip into the offering plates to fund our HIV response. The Government must take action and put a stop to these selfish fundamentalists who are threatening our entire society.
Maurice Tomlinson
mauricet@lgbtiawarecaribbean.com
Who will fund the anti-HIV response?
-->