 photo courtesy: owtvŠ |
Musicians (L to R) Brian May, Dave Stewart, Ms Dynamite, her manager Tyrone Hinds, and Roger Taylor at the launch of the 46664 campaign, a new initiative launched by Nelson Mandela to raise money for HIV/Aids. 46664 was Mandela’s old convict number during his 18 years in prison.
By dialling 09 06 01 46664 callers will be able to hear tracks recorded by stars all over the world which are unavailable anywhere else - while at the same time donating £1 per minute to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Songs can also be downloaded for £0.69 each from www.46664.com. The 46664 campaign will culminate in a concert to be broadcast on World Aids Day.
Mohammed Dica, 37, was sentenced to eight years in prison on 3 November for infecting two women with HIV through sex. Dica had been convicted on 14 October and remanded for sentencing. Sentencing the father of three, Judge Nicholas Philpot described Dica’s behaviour as ‘despicable’.
“In each case you abused a loving relationship, loving on one side at any rate, and inflicted GBH,” the Judge said. “Each woman is now infected with an incurable disease...and manages to control her life, but only with very frequent and heavy medication and that on a permanent basis.”
The only previous successful prosecution for HIV transmission in the UK was when Stephen Kelly was convicted under Scottish law for ‘reckless and culpable conduct’ in March 2001. But whereas Kelly had directly denied to his partners that he had HIV when asked, Dica lied by omission, and by behaving in a way designed to mislead.
He told police both women knew of his condition before they had sex.
But the court heard that the first woman only agreed to a four-week sexual relationship with 37-year-old Dica after he told her that he had had a vasectomy and could not have children. In contrast he told the second woman, with whom he had a five-month relationship, that he wanted to start a family. Dica’s wife (with whom he was still living) told newspapers that she could not believe he had not told the two women and that he had always been a loving father.
HIV organisations reacted with concern to the sentence. Lisa Power, the THT’s Director of Policy and Communications, told Positive Nation: “I am not surprised at the length of Dica’s sentence, especially because there is a long history of ethnic minorities getting longer sentences.
“I think this case will have frightened a lot of people. The general public will be frightened there are ‘HIV assassins’ out there. And HIV positive people will be frightened that ex-lovers may make false complaints.”
Cipla Chief visits UKCDr Yusuf Hamied (pictured second from right), chairman and managing director of India’s Cipla Pharmaceuticals – the leading manufacturer of generic HIV drugs - visited the UKC last month as part of the charity’s support for worldwide access to affordable antiretrovirals. Pictured with Dr Hamied are (left to right): Stephen Bitti (UKC chief executive), Bernard Forbes (chair of the UKC Board), Aiden Keightley (UKC deputy chief executive), Thandi Haruperi (UKC trustee) and Martin Flynn (Positive Nation News Editor). An interview with Dr Hamied appeared in Positive Nation (PN 91, June 2003). |
‘Jumble Sale’ raises money for the Global Fund
The campaigners, led by a dog-collared ‘Tony Blair’, offered old clothes, second-hand books and homemade jam to passers-by and civil servants working at DFID. Following the theme of Private Eye’s ‘St Albion Parish News’ the
Rev A R P Blair writes: "A jumble sale is the British solution to a rather
tricky global problem. Why raise serious money when we can donate peanuts instead?" |
“It will take the harnessing of young people’s energies to turn the Aids epidemic around,” said Jenny Ross, campaign organiser of the new Student Stop Aids campaign launched in parliament on 22 October.
Ross was joined by Neil Gerrard MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Party Group on Aids, and student activists who gathered to challenge British politicians on why they were not doing more to tackle the global Aids disaster.
The parliamentary debate kickstarted a ‘Unite to Fight Aids’ tour of 10 English university campuses this month. Several young Aids activists including Clint Walters, who runs the UK’s HIV peer support group HIFY (Health Initiatives for Young People with HIV), will raise students’ awareness of the sexual health crisis facing young people here in the west and in Africa.
In the photo with Jenny (right) and Clint (second from left) are student activists Sean Barry from the USA and Sentuma Sparks from Uganda. Rose de Freitas
A full report on the student SAC will appear in Positive Nation 99, out January 2004.
It is with great sadness that Positive Nation announces the death of Paul McCrory. Paul died peacefully on 14 October of HIV-related brain impairment.
Paul had been a prominent UK Aids activist for most of the 20 years he had been diagnosed. His two most high-profile roles were as Editor of Body Positive’s Newsletter and as Chair of the National Network of Self-Help HIV and Aids Groups.
Gibert Vieri, Paul’s partner of 33 years, spoke to PN.
“Paul was an enigmatic character. Right up to the end I was discovering new things about him. He was both fiercely independent yet very dependent on me, his house and his garden. The latter was his creation, his pride and joy and will be where his ashes will be scattered.
“As an activist, self-help was his thing. He spoke up for people with HIV, not always to other people’s liking. He believed very strongly that the voice of people with HIV and Aids should be heard and not mediated through people who were not positive.
“Despite his 20 years living with the virus and high-profile activism, Paul had always refused to take treatments. He finally decided to start in April this year.
“As well as his HIV work, Paul was a talented picture restorer - he had trained as an art teacher - and was also devoted to the Burmese cats he bred. In his youth he had been a semi-professional skater. I met him at St Mary’s teacher training college in 1970 and among my fondest memories are of us going to Richmond ice rink.”
Paul was cremated at St Pancras and Islington Cemetery on 27 November. Anyone wishing to pay tribute to Paul’s life and work are asked to make donations to The Patrick Manson Unit, Cecil Flemming House, University College Hospital, Grafton Way, London WC1E 3BG.
Campaigners protesting against the inadequacy of UK funding for the Global
Fund for Aids, TB and Malaria held a spoof church jumble sale outside the Department
for International Development (DFID) in London last month.