HIV and AIDS
Compare and contrast the impact of social determinants of health on one vulnerable group in two different countries.
Instructions:
Compare and contrast the impact of social determinants of health on one vulnerable group in two different countries.
– Can ONLY use the Social determinants that are listed above
– 2 DIFFERENT regions of the world
– AUSTRALIA’S WRITING STYLE (UK ENGLISH/SPELLINGS)
– APA 6 REFERENCING
Solution.
Compare and contrast the impact of social determinants of health on one vulnerable group in two different countries.
Introduction
Sex workers are a marginalized population and for that reason, they don’t receive much attention from researchers and public health officials. The government of Brazil has had to implement measures to combat the spread of HIV among the population and sex workers are the most vulnerable. Sex workers naturally face a lot of stigma and discrimination from people who view them as immoral. It only serves to alienate them further which is detrimental towards curbing the spread of HIV. Women form the bulk of sex workers and the societal setup, just like in many places around the world, does not place men and women on the same pedestal. With one of the highest HIV rates in Latin America, it is no wonder that sex workers face a lot of unequal treatment since people are wary of them.
At the end of 2015, there were an estimated 25,513 people living with HIV in Australia, with at least 10% of them being unaware of their situation (“HIV statistics in Australia – Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations”, 2016). 1025 new infections were recorded in the same year. Heterosexual sex has led to the increase of HIV cases and one of the reasons for this is promiscuity among couples as well as soliciting sex from sex workers (Scaccabarrozzi, 2016). Sex workers have to disclose to their clients if they have any form of sexually transmitted infections before they can engage in sex. Infected sex workers are likely to be stigmatized even by their own colleagues. This stigma may cause some to even hide their condition making it risky for the clients (Boston & Poku, 2009. It is worth noting that the nature of Australian society is built to have systematic gender-based discrimination within it, which leads to biased attitudes within many fields.
Structure
Paragraph 1: Discrimination, Stigma and Social Justice in Brazil
Paragraph 2: Discrimination, Stigma and Social Justice in Australia
Paragraph 3: Gender Inequality and Sexuality in Brazil
Paragraph 4: Gender Inequality and Sexuality in Australia
In Brazil, the HIV epidemic is considered to be stable, according to the national government. There is a prevalence rate of 0.4% among the general population (“HIV and AIDS in Brazil | AVERT”, 2016). The prevalence rate gets higher as you move geographically to the south and southeastern parts of the country. In Latin America, Brazil has the largest number of people who live with the disease. Stigma and discrimination entail the prejudice and negative attitudes that are directed towards people with HIV, and especially the sex workers. The prevalence rate among sex workers is 4.9% but the stigma is greatly reduced since it is legal to engage in the practice in Brazil. There are campaigns that are aimed towards promoting the rights and self-esteem of sex workers. Consistent lobbying by sex worker organizations has led to the recognition of the practice as a profession. However, sex workers still face the risk of exposure to HIV due to the fear of violence and other socio-economic constraints (“AIDS in Brazil | Department of STD, AIDS and Viral Hepatitis”, 2016). Even if sex work is recognized, the workers who are mainly women, still face discrimination and stigma from certain members of the public. In 2016, only about 17.5% of the sex workers went to get tested for HIV and part of this low turnout is the stigma and discrimination associated with the practice (“HIV and AIDS in Brazil | AVERT”, 2016). In the end, it only increases the prevalence rate for people who don’t get tested cannot get help in the form of antiretroviral drugs and therapy. Political and financial support has declined in the case of prevention and the rights of sex workers, making a bad situation worse. Recently, an anti-stigma campaign designed by sex workers and the Ministry of Health was changed to focus instead on the use of condoms with no talk of human rights. It shows that sex workers still have to cope with discrimination even in the higher levels.
Australia became a signatory to the United Nations Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS in 2011. Signing this declaration means that Australia must engage in protecting human rights and promoting the elimination of discrimination and stigma that surrounds people living with HIV including the sex workers. Elimination of stigma, as the declaration found out, was a critical step towards combating the global pandemic in an effective way (Fawkes, 2016). There are different laws regarding sex work within every state. Some of the laws include decriminalization and licensing. Most sex workers and some community-based organizations have recommended decriminalization as a sound strategy that could go long way to eliminating the stigma and discrimination experienced. In New South Wales, decriminalization has proved to be an effective legal framework for promoting the prevention of HIV among sex workers (“HIV statistics in Australia – Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations”, 2016). Decriminalization will further the use of condoms as well as giving sex workers access to peer education that is well resourced apart from eliminating the discrimination and stigma. With decriminalization, the sex workers will earn recognition and this will lead to improved human rights as well as occupational safety. Laws may not be enough to eliminate the stigma, but when the practice is decriminalized, sex workers get a better environment to address any discriminatory practices and trends. The United Nations Population Fund and UNAIDS are all in support of decriminalizing the practice since legal empowerment underpins an effective response to the HIV pandemic (“HIV statistics in Australia – Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations”, 2016). Australia is yet to fully come to terms with decriminalization since voices of religious, moral and sex work abolitionists have made it difficult.
The fight against HIV and AIDS cannot be won by behavior modification alone. The context of sexuality in Brazil must be understood critically if the fight is to be won. Accessibility to well-sourced information regarding the disease and its transmission is an effective strategy to reduce the spread of HIV. Political discourse in Brazil has been veering towards gender and sexual equality, so as to kick sexual double standards and homophobia. Most educational materials are intended for the general population, but since 1992, many organizations have been targeting specific groups like women, homosexual men and transgender people (“HIV and AIDS in Brazil | AVERT”, 2016). Government and civil society movements have been implementing various legal framework strategies while also helping to fight homophobia and violence against women so as to fight the spread of HIV (Boesten & Poku, 2009). The access to health information, treatment and prevention information is different for men and women as it favors the former. Most women are forced into prostitution due to poverty and lack of other means to earn income (“HIV/AIDS & Gender Equality: Transforming Attitudes and Behaviors | Bahá’í International Community”, 2016). They are disadvantaged from the beginning since their desperation makes them open to any offers just to make a living. Brazilian culture eroticizes gender and sexual inequalities, and as such, it is hard to develop HIV reduction campaigns while promoting equality for women and sexual minorities.
In Australia, like in most other places, the majority of sex workers are female, but most statistics tend to ignore the prevalence of male and even transgender sex workers (“Face the facts: Gender Equality | Australian Human Rights Commission”, 2016). Women form more than half of the people living with HIV in the world and sex workers, are at a higher risk of exposure. There are clear inequalities when it comes to gender and the situation is exacerbated further when you consider marginalized people like sex workers and transgender women. There are unequal power dynamics between men and women brought about by harmful traditional practices. Women find themselves with fewer choices and access to health and social services (Fawkes, 2016). Traditionally, men are given preferential treatment and this gender inequality has gained global recognition. New infections are increasing faster amongst girls and women than the males. However, it is worth to note that most of the new diagnoses occurred amongst gay and bisexual men. An example of the inequality in power dynamics is seen in the fact that women sex workers lack the power to negotiate for safe sex (Boesten & Poku, 2009). Female sex workers have been subjected to violence from authorities and even their clients because of the traditional position of a woman in society. When people are discriminated on the basis of sexuality and gender, it greatly reduces the opportunities and choices available to them.
Conclusion
The
HIV pandemic is a global problem and every country is employing strategies to
fight the disease. It is evident that, in both Brazil and Australia, the
highest rate of transmission occurs amongst men who have sex with other men
either as sex workers or not. In order
for us to fight HIV in an effective manner, we must do away with the stigma and
discrimination directed towards people with the disease and sex workers. Sex
workers have rights that ought to be respected and making it legal or
decriminalizing sex work is likely to give them recognition and allow them to
enjoy their rights like other people. Governments must structure their laws to
decriminalize sex work so as to reduce most of the stigma that comes with the
occupation. Discrimination on the grounds of gender and sexuality has also led
to an increase in the spread of HIV (Boesten & Poku, 2009). Women have, in
most cases, found themselves at a disadvantage due to the traditional societal
view of a man. laws should be structured such that women and men have a level
playing field and access to information on HIV infection. In doing this, the
prevalence of HIV amongst women and sexual minority groups is likely to go
down. Gender inequality places women at a disadvantage, especially sex workers,
since they are not free to access their rights and privileges (Boesten & Poku,
2009.
References
AIDS in Brazil | Department of STD, AIDS and Viral Hepatitis. (2016). Aids.gov.br. Retrieved 18 December 2016, from http://www.aids.gov.br/en/pagina/aids-brazil
Boesten, J. & Poku, N. (2009). Gender and HIV/AIDS (1st ed.). Farnham, England: Ashgate.
Face the facts: Gender Equality | Australian Human Rights Commission. (2016). Humanrights.gov.au. Retrieved 18 December 2016, from https://www.humanrights.gov.au/education/face-facts/face-facts-gender-equality
Fawkes, J. (2016). Sex work legislation stands in the way of Australia’s commitments – Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations. Afao.org.au. Retrieved 18 December 2016, from https://www.afao.org.au/library/hiv-australia/volume-12/vol.-12-number-2/sex-work-legislation-stands-in-the-way-of-australias-commitments
HIV and AIDS in Brazil | AVERT. (2016). Avert.org. Retrieved 18 December 2016, from http://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/latin-america/brazil
HIV statistics in Australia – Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations. (2016). Afao.org.au. Retrieved 18 December 2016, from https://www.afao.org.au/about-hiv/the-hiv-epidemic/hiv-statistics-australia
HIV/AIDS & Gender Equality: Transforming Attitudes and Behaviors | Bahá’í International Community. (2016). Bic.org. Retrieved 18 December 2016, from https://www.bic.org/statements/hivaids-gender-equality-transforming-attitudes-and-behaviors#FJxDqDThOCMSpb7w.97
Scaccabarrozzi, L. (2016). Sex Workers and HIV. TheBody.com. Retrieved 18 December 2016, from http://www.thebody.com/content/art14140.html
Thomson, A. (2002). How does women’s human rights fit with being a sex worker?. Midwifery, 18(3), 177. http://dx.doi.org/10.1054/midw.2002.0322
Welbourn, A. (2008). HIV and AIDS (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxfam.
What we do: HIV and AIDS. (2016). UN Women. Retrieved 18 December 2016, from http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/hiv-and-aids
