Young sex workers, transgender people, lesbian women, gay men and other men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs and people living with HIV from across Africa came together on 2 and 3 December for a preconference meeting ahead of the 19th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), being held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from 4 to 9 December.
The meeting, entitled Onto the African Map: Youth Key Populations and HIV, was a way for young people to express the challenges that they face, from a lack of opportunities to discrimination and social and legal injustices.
Those barriers make young members of key populations particularly vulnerable to HIV, violence, harassment and a lack of hope. Despite these challenges, attention to the protection of human rights and to the health needs of key populations remains limited in national HIV responses.
The meeting reviewed those challenges and identified key areas of action and recommendations that were compiled in the joint declaration adopted at the meeting. The declaration calls, among other things, for urgent action to stop violence, harassment and other human rights violations towards young people and key populations. It further calls for the participation of young key populations in health, policy and other decision that affect them and stresses the need to increase programmes and investments for services that address the needs of young key populations.
“We live in two worlds: one of progress and one where people are still being left behind. We cannot exclude and fail to address young key populations at a time when we are calling to accelerate the AIDS response. Your coming together is a sign of solidarity and leadership by communities to demand recognition and action.”
Luiz Loures Deputy Executive Director, UNAIDS
“By putting the spotlight on young key populations, we are giving voice to the voiceless, we are challenging indifference and we are calling for action now.”
Berry Nibogora Law and Human Rights Advocacy Manager, African Men for Sexual Health and Rights
“Violence and denial of services for key populations remains serious across the continent. We will take this Abidjan joint declaration forward and promote it with all governments, donors and others to drive change.”
Dorothy Ogutu Regional Coordinator, African Sex Workers Alliance
“I am still hiding my gender identity and sexual preference from my family and community because I know it is not safe to come out as a lesbian woman. I have been forced to be invisible. By being with other young key populations in this meeting, I hope the declaration will help me and others realize that we are here.”
Pauline young lesbian woman from Zambia
