Key populations! Now who exactly are they and why do we refer to them as key populations? The easiest way to understand them where HIV and AIDS is concerned is that they are groups of people within the general population who are most at risk of contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Key populations include both male and female sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people and sometimes vulnerable groups of people who for some reasons cannot access proper healthcare and treatment for the ailments they suffer from.
Prostitution is seen as a criminal activity in some countries of which Ghana is one. At the just ended 21st edition of the International AIDS Conference held in Durban, South Africa, and organized by the International AIDS Society, Chief Inspector Thomas Salifu Ndeogo of the Public Health Department of the Ghana Police Service made a presentation on who the focus should be on regarding issues of morality when enforcing the law. In the presentation, he made mention of the fact that some time ago, the Police arrested alleged sex workers at various places within the country and used condoms they were carrying as evidence of their sex trade. Now the first question here is, if agencies like the Ghana AIDS Commission, civil society organizations and NGOs are calling for safer sex practices through the correct and constant use of condoms, how then do you arrest someone and possibly prosecute them for carrying condoms?
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| Dr EL-Adas of Ghana AIDS Commission and Chief Insp Ndeogo after his presentation |
Ghana
has recorded significant progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS over the
last decade. The national prevalence has plateaued around 1.3% in the general
population within the 15-49 year gap for the past few years. However, the
situation with persons within the key populations is different and worrisome as
their prevalence rate is about fifteen times higher than that of the general
population. For instance among men who have sex with men, the prevalence is 17%
while it is 11% among female sex workers according 2015 IBSS. The worrying
situation can further be attributed to some social, political, religious and
legal settings and challenges that do not promote access to treatment and care
services for these groups of people.
The
conflict of promoting safer sex amongst the population, and using condoms as
evidence to prosecute sex workers is a bad situation that stands in the way of
advocates, law enforcement agents and the very people who need to be protected.
In
a country like Ghana where some laws are sometimes created based on prejudice,
fear and myths but not on science or research, issues of intolerance and human
rights violations will be on the increase.
The Ghana Police Service
together with John Hopkins University developed a training manual which focused
on stigma and discrimination reduction among key populations. The manual is in
two parts which are the training school manual and the in-service manual for
Officers already in the Service. This is targeted at improving knowledge of
police officers in the area of HIV/AIDS and its related stigma and
discrimination practices.
The
AIDS Control program of the Ghana Police Service is also trying to educate the
officers on issues relating to HIV and AIDS and their role as law enforcement
agents in mitigating the increase in prevalence. Together with the UNFPA Ghana
office, a program using focus group discussions was implemented in six out of
the fourteen Police Regions of the Service to solicit information on how the
Police will identify sexual minorities or key populations, how they can define
and analyze laws that classify key populations and to increase the
understanding of what constitutes the causation of a sexual offense as against
public morals as stipulated in the Criminal offenses Act 29/60.
The
focus group discussions brought to light the low levels of knowledge on
identification of possible offenders especially among junior officers. In a
response as to how a female sex worker can be identified, some responded that
they are identified based on the skimpy short dresses, long earrings, exposed
breasts, chains on their legs, fancy hairstyles and their location especially
at night.
The
discussions also brought to light the fact that some officers of the Ghana
Police Service did not fully understand the Criminal Offenses Act where the
description of offenses relating to unnatural carnal knowledge were concerned.
Issues on what constitutes sexual offenses against public morals also found the
officers generally lacking.
From
these focus group discussions among the various sub jurisdictions, the Service
realized that the Personnel need to be sensitized on being more professional in
their dealings with every segment of the society. Some senior officers admitted
that sometimes they find themselves in puzzling situations where they try to
protect the rights of these key populations but they are compelled to go after
them due to political and societal pressures.
Laws
are usually more rigid than issues bothering on morality, hence the two must be
decoupled while a greater supervision of personnel, especially those in the
patrol teams was called for.
The
Ghana Police Service, noting some of the discrepancies in the dispensation of
their duties, and how closely those dispensations bothered on the rights of some
of these individuals agreed to sensitize its personnel in order for them to
better understand the intricacies of dealing with people within the different
population units. Some may ask why the focus on key populations. Well this has
a simple explanation. Persons within the key population groups are not always
confined to those groups. For instance a man who has sex with other men could
also be having sex with a woman in the general population. This woman could be
having sex with another man who also could be with another woman. Hence,
assuming that the man who has sex with men and then women has HIV, or contracts
HIV from his male partner, he will succeed in infecting the woman who then will
infect the man and the infection could go on and on. In the same vein, a female
sex worker may have lovers who are not her clients. Assuming she contracts HIV
she can pass it on easily to her male lover who is not her client who may also
pass it on to another woman. Bottom line is, issues affecting the key populations
can hit and destabilize the gains already made lowering HIVE prevalence in the
general population. Attention must therefore be given to the members of the key
population groups if Ghana want to win and keep HIV infection at lower
prevalence.
The
program implemented by the Ghana Police Service realized that acceptance of key
populations and their uniqueness is a major breakthrough to reforms. Meaningful
engagement with them will be able to ensure consensus building, transparency
and sustainability of programs.
Chief
Inspector Thomas Ndeogo acknowledged the administration of the Ghana Police
Service from the Inspector General and The Ghana AIDS Commission and thanked
them for being committed to ensuring that the Police personnel get the
requisite training needed to be more efficient in the discharge of their
duties and for getting involved with the reforms.
***Content
picked from Chief Inspector Ndeogo's presentation at the 21st International
AIDS Conference 2016.
