Fast-tracking the implementation of comprehensive sexuality education at schools and legalisation of sex work will go a long way to combating sexual intolerance and the spread of HIV and Aids.
Those are some of the points raised by civil society groups who took to the Durban streets on Tuesday to raise awareness.
The march — which coincided with start of the 11th annual South African Aids Conference in the city — was led by the South African National Aids Council (SANAC) and the National Civil Society Forum from King Dinuzulu Park to the Gugu Dlamini Park.
It included youth and women-led communities, solidarity organisations, people living with HIV, people living with disabilities, health professionals, sex workers and LGBTQI people.
They delivered the memorandum to the government team that included health minister Joe Phaahla, KZN health MEC Nomagugu Simelane and eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda.
Delivering the memorandum, SANAC chairperson Steve Letsike called on government to implement the commitments it had been “signatories” to, including the Maputo Protocol, the African commission’s resolution and the Sexual Offence Act, which were “all developed by and for the lived realities of Africans”.
Letsike acknowledged the strides that had been taken to provide access to sexual and reproductive health commodities but noted: “But this access cannot be enjoyed without rights and comprehensive access for all, regardless of gender expressions.”
“It can only be enacted by following a gender transformative approach to building knowledge and skills following the principle of judgment, free health and social services.”
She then called for the protection of comprehensive sexuality education in the face of “national and global” groups whom, she said, are campaigning against the implementation of the curriculum.
“Minister we are concerned at the rise of anti-gender rights groups and significant religious, cultural and political opposition to comprehensive sexuality education who mobilise against the commitment of our country to CSE,” she said.
“We want our country to affirm protection of the CSE at national and global level, where they have been campaigning and organising against this curriculum within the school system and have attempted to erode and block LGBTQI and reproductive rights.”
She said the curriculum would equip people with access to knowledge and information that will shield them from unplanned pregnancies, HIV and STIs, gender-based violence and promote behavioural change.
“We demand a national standardised implementation of CSE that is youth-led, age-appropriate, delivers knowledge, impactful skills and promotes behavioural change.”
“The reproductive wellbeing means all people have equitable access to the information, services and support they need to make their own decisions related to sexuality throughout their lives.”
Letsike also called the government to prioritise the implementation of the National Sex Worker Strategic Plan to “address gender-based violence and femicide and the advance of HIV, TB and STIs”.
“The decriminalisation of sex work further affirms President Cyril Ramaphosa’s commitment in the National Strategic Plan for gender-based violence,” she said.
Health minister Joe Phaahla said government appreciates that it was already committed to addressing most of the grievances, but implementation may have been its downfall.
“I'm happy that you acknowledge that while there may be weaknesses in terms of practical implementation in some of the areas, it’s clear that there is no lack of commitment from top of government,” he said.
“Where there is slow performance, we appreciate you being able to remind us of those commitments. I will make it a point to find a way to deliver this to the deputy president before the end of the Aids conference on Friday.”
Meanwhile, the march was also meant to launch the partnership between eThekwini municipality and UNAids in the called U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) campaign.
The U=U campaign seeks to create awareness about the scientific evidence that people living with HIV who stick to the prescribed treatment can suppress the virus and not spread it to sexual partners and their unborn babies.
Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, who also took part in the march, said the campaign could only produce its intended targets if more people are made aware of it.
Kaunda said the city has placed 27 peer educators and 14 adherence officers at health facilities to strengthen adherence and retention in care.
He also touched on the results from the initiative so far and the efforts they have made to link those who test positive
“We have seen the overall viral load suppression rate among patients improve from 62.8% to 77.5%. We are pleased that through these initiatives more people are living longer, with the average life expectancy increasing to over 64. Currently, South Africa has the biggest antiretroviral treatment programme in the world. We encourage people to get tested and take ARVs so they can be virally suppressed,” he said.
“Recently, 10,498 people tested positive for HIV and 9,598 were linked into care which translates to a 91.4% linkage rate. We have also started a new campaign of actively tracing previous patients who have defaulted on treatment from various health facilities.”
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