27 May 2018

Botswana Family Welfare Association (BOFWA) project director, Mr Segolame Ramotlhwa has appealed for quality health care services to key populations in efforts to achieve zero HIV infection.

Speaking at a media engagement session in Gaborone on May 25, Mr Ramotlhwa pointed out that key populations were exposed to new infections due to lack of protective legislature.

He said female sex workers and homosexuals were key populations who suffered stigma and discrimination in public areas.

These, he argued, were not given audience when either reporting their grievances to the police or seeking medical attention at health posts.

Mr Ramotlhwa said sex workers had reported incidents of violence and abuse to the police and that no investigations were conducted. He added that at times the victims were shamed making them not to report such cases when they reoccured.

That, he said, added to the alarming rate of new HIV infections, which killed the aim of the Ministry of Health and Wellness to achieve zero new HIV infections.

He said rape, violence and discrimination of key populations also contributed in spreading the virus.

Furthernore, he said lack of knowledge on human rights and awareness of access to justice among sex workers led to the abuse of children, drug and alcohol abuse and made sex workers vulnerable to HIV infection.

For her part, Nkaikela Youth Group monitoring and evaluation officer, Ms Neo Monnapula emphasised that “sex workers and homosexuals were human beings before one can see anything immoral about the person.”

Ms Monnapula encouraged the media to influence people on how they viewed them, adding that if the media portrayed them as human, the public would also be informed on how to perceive such people.

She said the media should sensitise the public on underlying issues of sex work.

Men for Health and Gender Justice partnerships manager, Mr Onkokame Ramosweu said the idea was to offer conducive environment for key populations to have access to quality health care.

Mr Ramosweu said people should not make others feel uncomfortable with their opinions. ENDS