ICW NEWS 40 - The April/May 2008 Issue Now Online
Since December 2007, Kenya has been plunged into chaos and violence. Kenyan ICW members have written to the newsletter expressing their concern, telling the world what it means for HIV positive women, and calling for peace.
- Elizabeth Akinyi Osewe and Dorothy Onyango sent a press release with information on the numbers of women, men and children who are missing or dead, asking how many of them are HIV positive.
Women Fighting AIDS in Kenya (WOFAK) report that they have not heard from over 1500 of their members who receive support from them.
- ICW member, Otom Selestine writes directly about her experience of being stranded by violence and running out of her vital medications.
What of my sisters who are still stuck somewhere, displaced or physically abused? There has been an upsurge in the number of rape cases since the violence erupted, but many more cases may not have been reported.
ICW takes the opportunity in this focus on Kenya, to also report on the daily lives of Kenyan women and their concerns, which predate the current situation and will continue into the future.
- Rukia Wario lives in northern Kenya and is a member of the Naiolotic tribe. This is a nomadic tribe whose basic living is made from cattle. Rukia describes what life is like, particularly for young HIV positive women and how the specificity of a nomadic life makes women’s lot particularly difficult.
Even when a woman is considered an adult she has no property rights, no rights to the cattle.
We need mobile information, which can go where the nomadic people go. We need rescue centres for young women to run to if they get sick.
- Dorothy Akinyi Ochieng is a strong HIV positive Kenyan orphan who wrote her stirring article when she was fourteen. She tells ICW readers about her life and how the Kenyan Girl Child Network came to her aid in a time of need.
After returning to Nairobi I went to live with my uncle who was 19 and my aunt who was 16. Her father and mother had also died of strange diseases.
It is so great that we have moved from our mad house in the heart of Kibera slum. We not stay in a house, which has cemented floor, electricity, water and a toilet.
I, Dorothy, want to be a doctor.
ICW News 40 is packed with other article:
- In Understanding Our Sexual and Reproductive Rights, Gcebile Ndlovu, ICW’s Southern Africa Regional coordinator, explains clearly exactly what these rights are and why they are so important for HIV positive women.
A sexual and reproductive rights framework offers a powerful took for advancing women’s reproductive health and empowering women to address the social conditions that jeopardise their health and lives.
- In December five members of staff and 15 ICW members came together to review their work to date in South Africa. Funded by Comic Relief, this meeting aimed to develop an advocacy strategy for ICW SA 2008-2010. Emma Bell and Azia Ahmedin Creative Planning in South Africa report.
- Helen, an ICW member from Papua New Guinea sent a heart warming story about the events leading up to the birth of her much loved daughter. Hurani and I also introduces readers to the Papua New Guinea and its diverse cultures.
- The Pitfalls of Prosecution: Why We Oppose Criminalisation, is a two-page spread, which explores the meaning and impact of criminalisation of HIV positive women. There is a report from Aziza Ahmed on the law as it stands in regard to criminalisation in the United States, which gives a framework in which to critically understand and judge how effective criminalisation really is as a prevention tool.
We then look at a news report from Florida about an HIV positive woman who gave birth to a baby who later tested HIV positive and who has now been arrested and charged with felony child neglect. And finally, using matter from Catherine Hanssens, Executive Director of the Enter for HIV law and Policy, we conclude by asking if prosecution is the way to help more HIV positive women feel able to be open about their status and conclude the it is not.
A significant number of those prosecutions have targeted people who are already politically unpopular, such as sex workers. And, a very significant percentage of those have also targeted people of color, particularly when the supposed victim was someone who is white. Catherine Hanssens.
- Lillian Mworeko, East Africa’s Regional Coordinator, sent a wide-ranging and exciting report on East Africa’s Highlights of 2007. From country meeting in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, where democratic elections were held, to the successful Women and Children’s Collaborative Fund for Treatment Literacy in Africa, there is much activity to report on from the region.
- Esther Sheehama from Windhoke in Namibia writes about her life as a young woman in difficult circumstances.
I got the virus through my own mistakes. In 1998, when I was still in school, my mother was sentenced to 28 years in prison. I was homeless and had no place to stay. The only way was to get an older man or a guy with lots of money to go live with. I was depressed all the time because I had to make sure I pleased this guy so that I had a place to stay, food to eat, and taxi money to get to school
I had counseling; today I still wish I had a home but at least I am alive and living in a children’s home. My HIV treatment works like wonder and I am happy to say that my three-years-old boy is negative.
News Flash! Jeni Gatsi reports. ‘After attending a Young Women’s Dialogue, Esther has been nominated to sit on the HIV and AIDS Committee of the Namibian National Council.’
- AIDS 2008 in Mexico, carries a report from Niza Picasso, a member of ICW Mexico and committee member of the Community Program of the XVII International AIDS Conference about how women in Mexico are organising for the big conference this summer.
Through these alliances we have been carrying out collective activities that aim to achieve great visibility and participation of women from Latin America at the conference.
- And finally ICW says farewell ICW’s long term International Network Manager, Fiona Hale in an article called Change in ICW, which also welcomes Negaya Chorley who will job share that position with Helen Kirkland. ICW staff, ISC and board members send Fiona their thanks and love.
The support Fiona offered through her dedication, charisma, professional skills, her commitment as a human being and as a woman was invaluable. Hilda Esquivel, Mexico
And More…
If you want to follow up on any of these stories, or find out how you can support ICW’s work, please contact Emma or Corinne emma
icw.org or corinneicw.org.
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