Asia Catalyst Annual Report 2015 | Page 14

REGIONAL RIGHTS TRAINING With support from Asia Catalyst, 8 CBOs are currently implementing advocacy to end discrimination in Asia. The plans focus on the following issues: The problem statement Stigma and discrimination are among the main barriers to HIV prevention, treatment, and care. For the 4.9 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Asia and the Pacific, HIV-related discrimination reduces overall access to healthcare by 33% (People Living with HIV Stigma Index, UNAIDS). Marginalized groups like LGBT persons, sex workers, and people who use drugs are disproportionately affected. Most HIV services in Asia prioritize a ‘test and treat’ governmentled response, which preclude meaningful participation in program design by PLHIV. Strong community involvement is crucial to ending the epidemic and protecting the human rights of people living with HIV and other affected populations. Community based organizations (CBOs) can create the social, political, legal, and financial environment needed to effectively respond to the epidemic and prevent further infections. However, CBOs around Asia are often ill-equipped to effectively represent the communities they serve and lack vital skills and resources to advocate for human rights, change policy, and combat discrimination. China: Myanmar: 1) Discriminatory fees charged to sex workers living with HIV when accessing health services 2) Discriminatory fees charged to people living with HIV when accessing health services 1) Discrimination against transgender persons living with HIV when accessing all types of surgery 2) Discrimination against gay and bisexual men living with HIV when accessing all types of surgery Participants from Cambodia discuss documentation strategies.Asia Catalyst photo, 2015. Stopping discrimination in its tracks In December 2014, Asia Catalyst launched the first cycle of the Regional Rights Training (RRT) program. This 18-month program works with eight CBOs representing PLHIV and other affected populations from Cambodia, China, Myanmar, and Viet Nam. The RRT program aims to increase the human rights knowledge of these organizations, develop their skills to conduct human rights research and documentation, and build their capacity to develop and implement evidence-based advocacy plans. participants held internal coaching sessions within their community organizations and peer networks, increasing the capacity of 209 staff, volunteers, and community members on human rights frameworks, documentation, and advocacy. With the skills and knowledge learned from Asia Catalyst’s training, the participating CBOs were able to interview 202 people on issues of discrimination against community members due to their HIV status. Each group used this evidence base In order to effectively train participants to design and support their advocacy in the full spectrum of human rights strategy and, in August 2015, Asia knowledge, documentation and Catalyst provided seed funding (US advocacy, Asia Catalyst convened $3000) to each CBO to implement representatives from all 8 organizations these strategies. Participants are for three multi-day training workshops working in both their own localities in Bangkok throughout 2015. Asia and in coalition with other program Catalyst tailor-designed a new participants from around Asia, curriculum to meet the needs of ensuring the impact will be local the participating groups, and gave as well as regional. The 8 CBOs follow-up assignments after each represent communities totaling 9,199 workshop to ensure the training had people across four countries. been absorbed. Between workshops, 12 8 COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS representing 9,199 marginalized community members from 4 countries trained in 3 WORKSHOPS interviewed 202 marginalized persons to document human rights violations Implementing comprehensive evidence-based human rights advocacy, with support and seed Viet Nam: Cambodia: 1) Discrimination against women living with HIV when accessing sexual and reproductive health services 1) Discrimination against women living with HIV when accessing childbirth services 2) Discrimination against gay and bisexual men living with HIV when accessing health services 2) Discrimination against women living with HIV when accessing sexual and reproductive health services funding from Asia Catalyst 13