1,962 New HIV Cases in 2 Months - DOH
The Philippine Star - Manila, Philippines, 11/30/2017
In a span of two months, 1,962 new cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection were reported in the Philippines. During the two-month period, 118 deaths were recorded. Meanwhile, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach called out the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and some members of the media for disclosing the HIV status of one suspect arrested in a drug bust on November 27, 2017. In a post on Instagram, Wurtzbach – who advocated for HIV awareness and prevention during her reign as Miss Universe – said the incident has worsened the situation of people living with the virus in the Philippines.
Egypt Jails 16 for 'Debauchery' as LGBT Crackdown Continues
BBC News, Egypt, 11/28/2017
Sixteen men arrested in October 2017 during a crackdown on homosexuality by the authorities in Egypt have been sentenced to three years in prison. A court in Cairo found 14 of them guilty of ‘inciting debauchery’ and ‘abnormal sexual relations’ on November 26 and the other two were convicted on November 27, 2017. However, they have reportedly been freed on bail of 5,000 Egyptian pounds ($282; £211) each pending an appeal. The verdict for a 17th man on trial in the same case has been delayed. Homosexuality is not explicitly criminalised under Egyptian law. Instead, the authorities have relied on a 1961 prostitution law to charge people suspected of engaging in consensual homosexual conduct with ‘habitual debauchery’.
Gabriela Launches Anti-Sexual Harassment Chatbot ‘Gabbie’
The Philippine Star - Manila, Philippines, 11/27/2017
Women's rights group Gabriela recently introduced the first chatbot in the Philippines to help make the reporting of sexual harassment easier. Gabriela said Gabbie is a Facebook messenger chatbot which can be searched as ‘Gabbiegabriela’ on the social media site. If you are reporting a case of sexual harassment, Gabbie asks if the incident happened on the street, the workplace, online or if it is committed by a stranger or someone known to the victim. The chatbot compiles the information into a form which can be printed to be given to the victim’s lawyer or human resources department, to any authoritative government unit or to Gabriela for further assistance.
Report on Sex Workers Kept in Cold Storage
The Hindu - Karnataka, India, 11/26/2017
The State Government’s lackadaisical approach on a recent report on sex workers, submitted by a State-level committee constituted under the chairmanship of Jayamala in February 2017, has left sex workers disheartened, particularly those who had hoped to give up that life after interacting with the committee. According to the committee’s report, more than 72% of sex workers in the State were ready to give up their current job if provided an alternative. The committee collected data from a little over one lakh sex workers. It then recommended programmes to rehabilitate them, at an estimated cost of 733 crore rupees.
Lagos Records Drop in HIV/AIDS Cases
The Nation - Lagos, Nigeria, 11/26/2017
Lagos State is said to be impressively emerging out of HIV and AIDS epidemic with a drop in cases of persons living with HIV. According to the CEO of the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency, Dr Oluseyi Temowo, there are about 217,658 positive people in the State, and about 64,554 are on anti-retroviral (ARV). He said the State is planning to commence the screening for HIV status of people living with disabilities starting with the people with visual and hearing impairments soon across the State.
Strengthen Laws on Child Protection, Lawmakers Urged
The Philippine Star - Manila, Philippines, 11/24/2017
With the prevalence of issues troubling children like sexual abuse, exploitation and deprivation of basic services, children are calling on legislators to strengthen further the laws and policies ensuring their protection. Young Filipino ambassadors of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) laid down their proposals during an event in Manila before their supposed ‘take-over’ at the Senate. Children are calling on Congress to pass House Bill 4907 or the ‘Positive and Non-Violent Discipline Bill’ that could help eliminate the practice of corporal punishment on children especially in homes.
17,000 School Children to be Peer Educators in Bihar Under National Adolescent Programme
Hindustan Times - Patna, Bihar, 11/23/2017
The Bihar Government will rope in 17,000 school children, in 10-19 years age group, as Peer Educators (PEs), to address issues of adolescents. The idea of drafting school children as PEs under the national Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram is to allow adolescents feel comfortable in sharing with PEs the problems they encounter while growing up. The PEs will work under the overall guidance of Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANM), who will play the role of facilitators. They will be trained in six thematic areas - nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, non-communicable diseases, violence/gender-based violence and substance misuse.
Ombudsman to Redress Grievances of People Living with HIV/AIDS
Hindustan Times - Jaipur, Rajasthan, 11/23/2017
The Rajasthan Government will formulate guidelines and rules to redress complaints of HIV positive people besides appointing an ombudsman, an official said on November 23, 2017. Rajasthan is the first State that has started work for formulating guidelines and rules as per the provisions laid down in the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017. The act brings in legal accountability and establishes formal mechanisms for inquiring into complaints and redressing grievances of people living with HIV and mandates States to appoint ombudsman for redressing complaints.
Youth urged to play role for HIV awareness
The Nation - Islamabad, Pakistan, 11/22/2017
World Health Organisation (WHO) organised a seminar in Islamabad where it was informed that HIV prevention programmes reduced the number of new HIV infections per year to 2.1 million in 2015, a 35 per cent decline in incidence since 2000. National Programme Manger of the AIDS Control Programme Dr. Baseer Khan Achakzai urged youth to come forward and become advocate to create awareness in society to address stigma and discrimination attached to HIV and AIDS. ‘With well informed youth various myths about HIV can be busted and correct information will enable and empower them to take correct decisions,’ he said.
Transgender People in China Suffer Poor Mental Health; Vast Majority Experience Family Violence – Study
Hong Kong Free Press, China, 11/21/2017
A poll conducted among transgender people in China has found alarming rates of mental health problems and family violence in the community. The study, released on November 20, also revealed that transgender people lacked access to medical treatment, and faced bullying on campus and workplace discrimination. The study was conducted through an online questionnaire which received over 2,000 valid responses. Sixth Tone reported that it was the largest such survey to date. There is a lack of official statistics the size of the transgender population in China, but NGO Asia Catalyst has estimated that there are over four million trans people in mainland China.
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