The International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) in collaboration with ICW- Burundi have launched a campaign calling for an end to HIV criminalization and Sexual Reproductive Health Rights violations in Burundi’s capital city, Bujumbura. The campaign also calls for widening of contraception choices for women.
“The campaign will last one year and will run in five East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania), where ICWEA operates. The campaign has so far been launched in Uganda, Kenya and for the international community at the International Conference on AIDS & STIs in Africa (ICASA) in Harare, Zimbabwe in 2015. This campaign is an opportunity and a call to beat the drum against these injustices to women loud enough for them to come to an end,” says Lillian Mworeko the Executive Director, ICWEA.
The launch included a dialogue with panelists including; Imelda Nzirorera General Director of the Ministry of Solidarity and Human Right and the day’s guest of honour, Richard Manirakiza who works with the National Programme Against HIV/AIDS, Dr Thierry Nahimana a lecturer in the HIV care at the Hospital University, and Donavine Uwimana who works in sexual and reproductive health like a coordinator.
Sexual Reproductive Health Rights including access to Family planning services and freedom to choose is a right for every woman living with HIV. But currently, women living with HIV including women in Burundi experience Sexual Reproductive Health Rights violations including; Forced and/or coerced sterilization, forced abortion, limited access to comprehensive sexual reproductive health and rights programmes, limited family planning methods, choices and options, limited access to information, as well as stigma and discrimination.
Dr Thierry Nahimana says, “Ending violation of Sexual Reproductive Health Rights starts with women living with HIV being informed about their rights and finding out the available health services. If women that know this information pass it on to other women including the key populations, a lot will be achieved.”
Burundi approved the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) but are all the recommendations of the CEDAW being implemented?
No they are not. For them to be realized, Richard Manirakiza says “Women living with HIV in Burundi need to be at the forefront of the solutions especially since the men are still difficult to deal with and need to undergo behaviour change which women can start effecting.”
Clauses in the HIV Laws infringe on the rights of women living with HIV and discourage people from seeking diagnosis and treatment out of concern for their privacy or negative social repercussions. We cannot let them uproot decades’ work.
The guest of honour, Nzirorera, pledged to be at the forefront of calling for reviews of laws that do not favour women living with HIV. She also promised to help bring an end to discrimination at Hope University. This is after members of ICW- Burundi reported that Hope University carries out HIV tests for students who want to join the military and students that turn out to be HIV positive are denied admission.
