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PSN Newsletter Volume 3 Issue 1 September - December 2009 PSN NEWSLETTER

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PSN Newsletter Volume 3 Issue 1 September - December 2009 PSN NEWSLETTER PSN Newsletter Volume 3 Issue 1 September - December 2009 PSN NEWSLETTER Government plus community: A wonderful cooperation in Guangxi, China “It is great to see so many MSM peer vol- unteers working so hard together for a better and healthier MSM community”, Ming Ming also expressed. While in Baise, the local MSM love this fabulous teaching- in-entertainment show, which led to a VCT figure of more than 20 persons. “This large number in a day was never witnessed”, said a representative. The local CDC chair also expressed his confidence of the future MSM work in a city with no MSM interven- tion record. Also worthy being noted is, many MSM need psychological support. Depression By Mr. Yougan Su/Guangxi A provincial MSM website with was prevalent in MSM, who usually confide to the medical checkup doctors. Aside from (China) CDC Clinic most audience was utilized for pre- pressures induced by self-identification, stage propaganda, hoping to reach most MSM people, also to learn their emotion and society, MSM here have to With the second-highest rate of HIV/ interest and suggestions for this tour. face more pressure from their families and AIDS in China, Guangxi has estab- Later, through these city-level shows traditional values. For correction, experi- lished MSM work teams in only 4 of its (including dancing, crosstalk and pre- enced MSM community staff, volunteer and 14 cities for HIV/AIDS intervention. To mium Q&A etc.) and the establishment professional shrinks provided psychological curb the prevalence, the provincial of local MSM work teams, a platform for support (like counseling and group discus- CDC planned to cover the MSM Inter- communication between municipal CDC sion) during the tour to help the community vention Project to all the 14 cities. In and local MSM community can be built. dealing with confusions and pressures. the summer of 2009, a show tour was Wuzhou and Baise were the first two initiated under the co-work of Guangxi cities where performers had reached Good beginning always brought to a CDC, Guangxi Kangxing Healthcare and received enormous compliments. better future. We firmly believe under the Association, Chunai Bar etc. to explore cooperation of the government, MSM com- possible new methods in the HIV/AIDS One Wuzhou MSM community’s munity and individuals, we can make a prevention and intervention campaign. peer leader, Ming Ming dressed himself wonderful life. to perform in this show and ready to . take the chair of local MSM work team. PAGE 2 PSN NEWSLETTER Cambodia: A snapshot of the MSM-related laws and its impact By Sovannara Mey/Cambodia hibit homosexuality. “In my male and female sex work- Khmer HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance location, there were few ers to freely continue their same-sex marriages. No sex industry. The under- official approval for those ground sex work is the marriages. The govern- only way to resume their ment officials participated work. Therefore, HIV pre- in the wedding party, but vention turns messy while they could neither issue sex work still goes on and any marriage certificate the 100% Condom Use nor recognize them as Policy could not reach sex spouse,” said a local NGO workers. member who asked not to be named. Many countries have re- formed their legal policies How many MSM in Cam- that were criminalizing bodia? “Until today there is same-sex behaviour which no study to get any figure were in conflict with HIV of the MSM population in prevention work: the Delhi Cambodia; neither is the High Court in India an- figure of MSM sex work- nulled a 150-year-old law ers”, an expert says. FHI criminalizing “carnal inter- There is not any MSM- 2008 report estimated an course against the order of INSIDE THIS ISSUE: specific law on in Cambo- 18,500 MSM population in nature,” commonly known dia, neither criminalizing nine provinces; however, as Section 377 of the In- 1 Report: Government nor legalizing them. Re- there is no serious study in dian Penal Code, declaring plus community: A garding marriage and fam- 24 provinces of Cambodia the section 377 of Indian wonderful cooperation about MSM population and Penal Code unconstitu- in Guangxi, China ily matter, the Supreme Court of Cambodia does the challenges they en- tional and consensual sex- Laws and MSM: A 2 counter. Some NGO per- ual acts of adults in private snapshot of the MSM- not mention about men related laws and its marrying men or homo- sonnel show their worry should not be criminalized. sexuality (Article 45, para- about the coming tragedy Experience : Myanmar 3 if HIV prevention is not graph 3). However, it does Thus in Cambodia, the anti Participatory work- made on time. guarantee that MSM popu- -human trafficking law lation be equally treated by should be amended in a NEWS: 1. Thailand’s 4 the law: enjoy the same The enforcement of the way that does not conflict weekend workshops: rights and fulfill the same A unique format of Cambodian anti-human- with HIV programmes, the HIV prevention obligations regardless of trafficking law has led to 100% Condom Use Policy, 2. Myanmar race, color, sex, language, the crackdown of brothels, and other community de- H.L.H.S religious belief, political brothel-based sex workers mands for sexual health tendency, birth origin, so- as well as non-brothel- rights. 5 cial status, wealth or other Feature：AIDS Vac- based sex workers. Few status (Article 31, para- cine compilation hundreds of female and graph 2). male sex workers were Feature： Top & 6 arrested. Condoms were Bottom in Scientific The 1982 Cambodian law reportedly confiscated by View on Marriage and Family of law enforcement officials. the State of Cambodia re- The forced bribery and PSN Faces: Shwe 7 fers to marriage between sexuality for release ex- Moe and Shao Yang men and women only. Arti- change was reportedly cle 6 of the law does pro- made among arrested sex NEWS: Cambodia 8 hibit marriage of same sex. workers. Under this law it National MSM work- However, it does not pro- seems there is no room for shop PSNPSN NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTER VOLUM E 3, ISSUE 1 PAGE 3 Myanmar Experience: Introducing participatory learning to MSM community By Myo Min Oo by full name, nick name, profession unteer to leave the room for a while Myanmar Country focal point etc. and then draw a picture of each and the rest to hold each other’s other on a small flipchart. Afterwards, hands as a circle, and then asked The Introducing participatory learning them again to MSM community can be a very chal- to tie into a lenging but exciting experience to so- compli- cial workers. Achieved by practicing cated knot. rather than lectures or textbooks, be- Later, haviour change requires experiencing called the and believing in the messages, not volunteer only listening, also a group must come in and told together to reach consensus about him that what they can do together. he has one minute to I started working with Myanmar MSM untie the community since early 2003 as a staff knot, with- in one HIV/AIDS-related international out using NGO. Before introducing the participa- his hands tory learning to MSM community, we and can visited the project sites and talked with only give them informally to understand their instruc- culture, norms and basic knowledge tions. on HIV/AIDS. After that, we used these After a inputs to tailor the workshop content minute, we to be locally suitable. asked the partici- We introduced to them the concepts of they visited everybody with the flip- pants to untie themselves. They un- participatory learning and discussed chart on back, looked at other’s pic- tied very easily within a few seconds. the four steps including experiencing ture and laughed at the picture. Later, In the discussion, we found that this (usually an activity), processing we sat together and let them discuss game showed the importance of a (usually a presentation by the partici- the knowledge gained from that ses- community’s self-mobilisation. sion: people are easy to ignore their pants), analysing (usually a discussion Nowadays, the participants have been own shortcomings while seeing on the key points) and applying(usually established their own community other’s clearly. a discussion on next steps or how to organizations, having the MSM project use what is learnt). This type of learn- manger, finance manger and peer ing can also include methods like body Brainstorming and playing participa- leaders, proving this means of mobiliz- mapping, preparing problem tree, role tory game is also ways of participatory ing their community is quite workable. playing and group working activities. learning. On the last day of workshop, we played a game, hoping to show In the earliest session, we paired the them the importance of community participants and introduced each other participation. Firstly, we asked a vol- PAGE 4 PSN NEWSLETTER Thailand’s weekend workshops: A unique format of HIV prevention By Timo Ojanen junior students, who then feel money and because they give partici- Bangkok Correspondent obliged to take care of their juniors. pants more time to integrate the contents into their lifestyles. In Thai- land, Linjongrut said, various time Weekend workshops piloted by Rain- Most Thai MSM organizations now formats and activities were initially bow Sky Association of Thailand use a similar workshop format, Lin- experimented with, but the weekend have rapidly become the main- format has so far stay of HIV-related peer educa- worked best in tion for sexual/gender minori- most cases. ties in Thailand. Their format, however, greatly differs from Western HIV peer education Linjongrut empha- workshops.
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