Politics of Prevention: A Global Crisis in AIDS and Education
Seventeenth Global AIDS Conference, Mexico August 4th-8th 2008
Launch of Politics of Prevention: A Global crisis in AIDS and Education by David Archer and Tania Boler
Preventing HIV has become so political that young people are being denied their right to life saving education, according to the Politics of Prevention, a controversial new book to be launched at the 17th Global AIDS conference in Mexico August 4th-8th, 2008.
“The most political issues hampering the response are unlikely to be resolved at the conference despite the $100 million being spent”, said Tania Boler, one of the authors.
“Successful HIV prevention involves talking frankly about controversial issues like young people’s sexuality or condoms or homosexuality,” said Boler.
“But conservative governments are using their aid money to distort scientific understanding, spreading the abstinence only message with very little scientific evidence to support it,” she added. The book argues that too often prevention has become politically volatile and those who should be part of the solution have become part of the problem.
The effect of the US sponsored ‘abstinence only’ model in Africa has been to undermine the reputation of the condom – by far the most important prevention method.
“American funding for HIV (PEPFAR) is aid at its worst: tied to the purchasing of certain models of HIV prevention and certain products, and in many cases, undermining government provision of basic services,” said David Archer, International Head of Education at ActionAid.
The IMF is accused of undermining spending on HIV and education – directly contradicting the aims of the international development goals set for 2015.
“The IMF is supposed to help countries achieve economic stability - but by blocking spending on HIV and education, the health and future potential of workforces are being stopped in their tracks, to the detriment of both the people and their country’s development,” added Archer.
The UN is accused of being too timid to show leadership on issues which might prove controversial with influential member states.
“The UN appears unable to lead the way on targeted support for gay men, condoms and needle exchange programmes despite scientific evidence that these work,” said Archer. “It’s also reluctant to talk about the holiest of grails – sex”.
The authors urge the international AIDS community to recognise the underlying politics of HIV prevention and to stop wasting money on programmes which don’t work.
The Politics of Prevention: A Global Crisis in AIDS and Education by Tania Boler and David Archer. Published by Pluto Press, Details attached.
ENDS
Note to Editors:
For media interviews contact: Natalia Truchi on + 55 21 8301 0047
David Archer is International Head of Education at ActionAid in London
Tania Boler is a leading researcher on HIV and education who has worked with ActionAid and the United Nations.
ActionAid is an international anti-poverty agency working in over 40 countries taking sides with poor people to end poverty and injustice together. www.actionaid.org
The Politics of Prevention
A Global Crisis in AIDS and Education
Tania Boler and David Archer
Pb / 9780745327327
‘‘David Archer and Tania Boler have given us a wonderful investigation of the ways and means of fighting the spread of AIDS through the expansion of education: better schooling, enhancement of public knowledge, understanding of science. With their rich collection of empirical studies, they show that the newest of the perils facing humanity (viz. AIDS) can be powerfully confronted by the oldest of human endeavours (viz. education)."
Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize-winning Professor of Economics and Philosophy, Harvard University.
"The Politics of Prevention brings together stories from around the world that explore and expose the nature of the twin crises - in education and in HIV. This timely book places the HIV epidemic in the context of wider international affairs. The realisation of rights needs to serve as the foundation for responding to the global challenges of HIV and education. The Politics of Prevention offers us real and inspiring examples of how this vision can become a reality, advancing the notion of shared responsibility for the global challenges of HIV and education."
Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland / Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
