Noticias
Noticias
This meeting is held with the participation of representatives of the ASICAL Network on Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th of November at the Hotel Excelsior. The main objective of this meeting is to validate the contents of the guide on Advocacy and Sexual Health for men with a strong focus on human rights, in the current context of the HIV epidemic in gay men in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Association for Comprehensive Health and Citizenship in Latin America and the Caribbean (ASICAL), founded in 1997, currently has a membership of 20 organizations throughout Latin America and the Hispanic Caribbean. ASICAL pretends to strengthen advocacy in local, national and regional spaces through information management based on the monitoring of indicators of Universal Access and production of analysis information on the status of HIV in this population in Latin America and the Caribbean.
HIV now affects over 40 million people around the world, without distinction of race, creed, gender , age , sexual orientation or socio-economic level. In Latin America, gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are the group most affected by this epidemic because of the stigma and discrimination that have contributed to deny their existence in the field of public health, thus causing absence of government action to ensure their access to prevention and treatment programs for HIV.
This activity is performed as part of "Red Ribbon Week" where there were also special talks, Free Testing Days for HIV and syphilis at several points in the city of Asuncion, where information materials, condoms and lubricants will be distributed. Also beginning on Monday, November 25th to Sunday December 1st, the lights of the National Pantheon of Heroes will remain red for every night. This initiative is carried out by the Organization SOMOSGAY and the Kuimba'e Clinic commemorating the World’s AIDS Day, dedicated to raising awareness on the advances of the HIV/AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection.
