Off the map

A book exploring the ways in which HIV and AIDS stakeholders are denying a basic set of human rights to same sex practising people, and potentially jeopardising overall efforts to combat the AIDS epidemic in Africa, was launched in Johannesburg on 15 February at Behind The Mask.

Titled Off the Map: How HIV/Aids programming is Failing Same-Sex Practicing People in Africa, the book, published by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), aims to get some attention to the fact that same sex practising Africans are at increased risk of HIV because of both biological and social vulnerabilities. 'Challenges to the right of freedom of expression, housing, arbitrary arrest, bodily integrity, increase the vulnerability of our community. But still, little attention is paid to this issue', Cary Johnson, IGLHRC senior specialist for Africa said.

In this book various activists from around the continent contributed personal stories while others interviewed people who had HIV/ Aids related stories to tell. The book relates to Aids Law Project’s Jonathan Berger’s research-Re-sexualizing the Epidemic, where he investigated the issue of little funding and public attention paid to the issue.

Judge Edwin Cameron wrote the preface of the book and various activists from the continent contributed stories as they personally relate to them.

'This is a long overdue book calling attention to a serious and neglected issue –with important ramifications for all people working in the HIV/Aids field.' Sofia Gruskin, Director of the program on International Health and Human Rights from Harvard School of Public Health concluded.

Musa Ngubane - reporter for Behind the Mask, South Africa