via allAfrica, by Festus Mogae and Stephen Lewis

In South Africa and across Africa, HIV continues to prey on women, sex workers and men who have sex with men. It is clear that to end the HIV epidemic, we must protect and support these groups.
Archaic laws and customs make women and girls more vulnerable to HIV. Legally condoned violence and oppression-including genital mutilation, sexual violence, denial of property rights and early marriage- undermine the ability of women to protect themselves. Laws urgently need to protect women, who are often the ones left to care for the sick, tend to the family and till the fields.

Laws across the continent also criminalize homosexuality. Yet, punishing men who have sex with men force them into secrecy. They are unable to access counseling and testing, making it almost impossible for HIV prevention and treatment interventions to reach them. In 2008, when the Senegalese government jailed nine gay HIV outreach workers under a law prohibiting “acts against nature,” health workers went into hiding, advocacy groups disbanded and HIV treatment sites were shut down.

The time has come for African leaders to take action against bad laws that stifle our HIV response. We must challenge societal values rooted in fear and prejudice and implement laws based on human rights and sound public health.

Read the rest.

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