AEGiS-15IAC: HIV/AIDS among MSM Community.

15th International AIDS Conference

Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

HIV/AIDS among MSM Community.

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. D10081)

Sundaram Ravi SR
South India Positive Network, Chennai, India

ISSUE: Many MSM people in India are forced to enter into sex work due to economic necessity and later they were also misled to become Transgender. It is due to low literacy level, absence of support from family, and unemployment, which makes them to do sex workMany MSM in sex work find difficult to negotiate condom use and some may negotiate condom use if their clients offer to pay more. As a result of this high-risk sexual behaviour, many have become infected and many more are at risk of HIV infection. Over the last 10 years many HIV preventive intervention projects for MSM community have taken place in Tamil Nadu, India the outcome of these interventions are not satisfactory. Approach: Many NGOs did not have a clear understanding about the MSM community and did not understand that it was the basic economic need that forces the MSM to enter into sex worker. In some of these projects MSM have worked as outreach workers and peer educators. Many NGOs utilized the Community only as a cheap source of the labour and being a 'Social worker' actually was not an empowering experience since MSM felt that they being misused by the NGOsLack of education and near lack of activism has prevented our community to organize itself against HIV/AIDS. Now there are a few community-based organizations formed by the MSM but they lack the technical and managerial skills to successfully plan and implement projects and they also need skills in fund raising. Lesson Learnt: Efforts should be made to increase the literacy level of MSM communityProvide job opportunityProtect them stigma and discriminationRecommendation: When comparing with the last ten years the vulnerability had been reducedCondom usage increased in the number of levelsAwareness given to them also helped them to protect themselves

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Seropositivity, HIV Infections, Safe Sex, Condoms, Prostitution, Sexual Behavior, Organizations, Health Planning, Interpersonal Relations, India, United States, Humans, economics, education

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D10081