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Is Religion a Barrier to HIV Prevention? |
MOSY02 |
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| Organiser: |
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| Type:
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| Venue: |
SR 2 (550) |
| Interpretation: |
None |
| Time: |
11:00 - 12:30, 04.08.2008 |
| Code: |
MOSY02 |
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Co-Chairs: |
Ruben F. del Prado, Suriname
Purnima Mane, India
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 Click here to see a webcast of this session on kaisernetwork.org
Religion, culture, and tradition are all critical issues for successful prevention programmes. While some religious organizations have been very active in providing care and support for people with HIV/AIDS, they have also blocked measures that are regarded as best practice in prevention, and helped perpetuate judgements of sexual behaviors and identities that make reaching vulnerable populations more difficult. This session will provide an analysis of the role of major religious organisations and faiths in HIV prevention.
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Presentations in this session:
11:00
MOSY0201
Powerpoint (756 KB) | Sex, gender, and religion in HIV
Gabriella Rodriguez, Mexico
| 11:15
MOSY0202
Powerpoint (596 KB) | Religion, sex, and HIV prevention
Ashok Row Kavi, India
| 11:30
MOSY0203 | Islam and HIV prevention
| 11:30
MOSY0204
Powerpoint (520 KB) | Religion and HIV in Papua New Guinea
Richard Eves, Australia
| 11:45
MOSY0205 | Challenges and lessons learned in involving religious leaders in HIV prevention
Modibo Maiga, Mali
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Rapporteur report
Leadership report by Nithya Krishnan
This
session was a panel discussion of the role of major religious
organizations and
faiths in HIV prevention. The panel, moderated by Purnima Mane and
Ruben del
Prado consisted of global and regional reports of the relationship
between
Faith Based Organizations and HIV prevention strategies. The session
was
arbitrated well, however, the content could have been more focussed on the topic.
Each
presenter gave
a summary of their own opinions on the current impact of Faith Based
Organizations and their stance on HIV prevention and treatment but
there was
little analysis of such. There was not much criticism of the current
partnership between HIV/AIDS work and faith based initiatives.
Gabriella Rodriguez of Mexico was the only presenter to share misgivings
about
the intersection of politics, religion and HIV prevention. She felt
that the recuperation
of religion into politics has become nefarious as politicians espouse
religious
values as a base for politics, thereby impacting the way the HIV/AIDS
prevention
campaign is carried out. The other speakers seemed to support the idea
of HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns working in tandem with religious
organizations, wholeheartedly supporting a working dialogue between the
two groups.
The general
sentiment was that religion is a reality; sexuality is a reality and the and
there needs to be concomitant work between HIV prevention and religious
organizations. There was no discussion of Islam and HIV which raised concern
among the audience. There was also no analysis of how to incorporate FBOs into prevention in raising awareness about
HIV/AIDS and to what extent they have jurisdiction over the campaign. There
were some questions raised about whether the religious confluence is proactive
or regressive for HIV prevention. The conclusion given by the presenters was simply
that since religion is predominant in many parts of the world, it is
necessary to acknowledge it openly and try to partner with organizations for
prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
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