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The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organization (OCAL) held on 11-12 and 13-14 September 2017 in Lomé two regional meetings to encourage the creation of a platform for exchanges between associations and national networks of homosexuals ( MSM) and sex workers (PS) along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor.
Respect for human rights, one of the solutions to defeat HIV
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (FM) has funded OCAL for the provision of adapted and cross-border services to key and mobile populations in addition to national responses. Within the framework of the New Financing Model (NFM), the FM grant emphasizes a progressive devolution of the supply of HIV services to national programs and a refocusing of interventions towards strengthening the community system and defending rights. humans.
Indeed, MSM and PS / TS are daily victims of numerous violations of their human rights, in particular the right to life, the right to dignity, the right to the family, the right to health, the right to work, the right to education / information, the right to equal opportunities and to non-discrimination, etc. However, these rights are enshrined in most international instruments for the protection of human rights ratified by States, like the Universal Charter of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Declaration of Commitment of United Nations on HIV / AIDS. In addition, the Preambles to the Constitutions of the countries make non-discrimination a fundamental principle.
But hoping for the end of the AIDS epidemic implies results on several failing factors including respect for all human rights
Unfortunately, along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor, the community system of MSM and PS weakened by the different forms of discrimination is characterized by still embryonic associations with little influence, even in the quest for respect for their rights and the Health care access. However, it is by respecting the rights of these targets that they can play a leading role in helping to end AIDS, thanks to their knowledge and their empowerment, their mobilization and their commitment.
The intervention method
For two years, OCAL has set up monitoring committees that are operational and have made it possible to document cases of gender-based violence. These cases are taken care of by psychologists and those requiring legal care are entrusted to the lawyers of the watch committees. The capacities of country hotlines advisers, journalists and lawyers have been strengthened to make them key friendly populations.
Milestones for the future
Today, it seemed relevant to create a framework for exchanges to facilitate the sharing of experiences and the networking of identity organizations of key populations along the corridor and in the sub-region.
OCAL believes that concerted action based on a good strategy in favor of targets to counter gender-based violence, stigma and discrimination thus recognized as obstacles to access to prevention and care services and HIV-related support therefore becomes essential for achieving the objective of accelerating the response to eliminate HIV by 2030.
This is why the Lomé meeting lays the foundations for an exchange platform which will be the place of constant reflection on this situation in order to envisage concerted actions to mobilize funding for the continuity of interventions.
This platform involves associations, national and regional networks, human rights defenders including watch committees, police, lawyers, magistrates and journalists.
One of the concrete actions of this meeting was the establishment of a directorate office for PS associations / networks along the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor in order to ensure the follow-up of the resolutions resulting from the workshop.
