FeaturesIssue: 143  Crusaid reports: Rise in ‘Older’ generation experiencing HIV-related povertyA young woman is sitting in front of me in the health adviser’s office in a UK prison. The office would look like any consultation room at your GP’s, if it wasn’t for the bars on the windows, and the recurrent sound of keys, and doors being locked in the background. I will call this woman ‘Y’. I have to be very careful about what I disclose about her, even in the pages of this magazine. If accidently other inmates or prison officers knew her identity and HIV status, she could risk bullying, insults, ignorant remarks, refusal of sharing everyday objects such as cutlery and cups, and isolation. Inside prison, HIV is a secret that needs to be kept at any cost.  Positive ProgressDuring the last ten years I’ve lost count of the amount of phone calls that I’ve received from HIV Positive people asking for Life Assurance to cover their mortgage or provide protection for their loved ones. Up to now the standard reply has been to say that cover is not available at this present time, but the insurance industry is working on a solution.  Behind Closed Doors: Women, Prison and HIVA young woman is sitting in front of me in the health adviser’s office in a UK prison. The office would look like any consultation room at your GP’s, if it wasn’t for the bars on the windows, and the recurrent sound of keys, and doors being locked in the background. I will call this woman ‘Y’. I have to be very careful about what I disclose about her, even in the pages of this magazine. If accidently other inmates or prison officers knew her identity and HIV status, she could risk bullying, insults, ignorant remarks, refusal of sharing everyday objects such as cutlery and cups, and isolation. Inside prison, HIV is a secret that needs to be kept at any cost.  PN Regional Spotlight: JATJAT, Jewish Action and Training for sexual health, was established in 1988 and is the only Jewish charity actively working to protect the health and well-being of the whole Jewish community from orthodox to unaffiliated. JAT supports Jewish people and their families and carers who are living with HIV and provides a variety of bespoke education projects for young people and adults.  HIVSport: Kicking into actionHIV Sport was incorporated as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee on 20 September 2007. We are a successor to elements of the Ensuring Positive Futures programme of work which finished in July 2007. In particular we took up the work started by the EPF programme in working with the sports trade unions. NAT speaks outHIV: Reality  That Seven Digit Number!!!From January to May of this year I had been volunteering within the HIV Unit of The Holy Family hospital, situated in Nkawkaw, Ghana. Before I left this country I asserted that I would do everything in my power to raise at least £50,000 for the hospital and by World AIDS Day. Maybe this promise is overly ambitious but observing the pain, misery and suffering of so many HIV and AIDS patients notwithstanding the under-paid and over-worked hospital staff, I felt that I had to leave these individuals, with hope.  The Future of Microbicides for WomenMicrobicides, simply and briefly, are a chemical product, like a gel or a cream, which, if applied in the vagina, could prevent HIV infection. They are female-initiated, so that women can have the choice of whether or not to inform their partner when they are using them. Ultimately, microbicides could give women the power to protect their health, the health of their partner and save many lives; especially in relationships where women are at risk of acquiring infection yet do not have the ability to negotiate safer sex. Since 1993, a coalition of women from different countries has been the initiator and the most vociferous campaigner to promote investment and research into the development of microbicides. Women’s involvement in this campaign is at last bearing fruit.  Educating Tomorrow’s JournalistsPicking up the papers in the UK can sometimes be incredibly frustrating for people living with and affected by HIV. The media has a major impact on public knowledge about, and attitudes towards, HIV, yet many journalists are still ill-informed about basic facts. Sensationalised and inaccurate articles can spread myths, while judgmental language can fuel the stigma that is already faced by many living with HIV.  Barebacking SPECIALBarebacking has been thrust to the forefront of the Gay HIV community recently. The issue has been fuelled by the discovery that three young men contracted HIV on the set of a Britsih porn film. It was the first time actors were known to have become infected with the virus during a UK production. The film, Bareback Vacation, was shot without condoms.  Microbicides – Empowering WomenIt has been a long time since ‘Girl Power’, however the fight to give women, especially in developing countries, the power to protect themselves has been even longer. We have investigated a possible solution – Microbicides  What is this thing called CAB?Why we need independent treatment activists in the UK and how you can get involved. Simon Collins, HIV i-Base and UK-CAB explains all.  Clayton Brown goes to GhanaClayton Brown experiences firsthand how generations of Ghanaian children are forced to grow up too soon – but without ever receiving a proper sex education.  Disclosure - Children & FamiliesDisclosure is definitely one of those easy-to-say – hard-to-do things, when parents say, ‘It’s alright for you, you don’t have to do it’ it’s true. Disclosure will always be a struggle, perhaps more so when parents disclose their HIV status to their children. When placed in the context of ethnicity and culture of African and African-Caribbean families, where the norm is to instruct and direct your children rather that talk to them, there are additional complexities. If you are not used to talking to your children about everyday things, if sex is an unmentionable word, then it is going to be difficult to talk about something as life changing as HIV.  Clayton Brown goes to GHANAOver the next six months we will be featuring the diary of Clayton Brown, a HIV positive man who is volunteering in Ghana. Whilst in the country he will be teaching basic HIV prevention and/or AIDS awareness in schools, churches and community groups. We hope you enjoy reading about his experiences. |
Issue 143
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