Human rights

“It had just stopped raining. One carried a baton and another had a gun. As they approached, I happily thought my first pay for the night had come,” Sarah Nakato, a sex worker in her 30s narrates her ordeal when two policemen approached her as she stood in a street corner after midnight. go →

The controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009 will return to Ugandan parliament for discussion, ending widely publicised speculation that a Cabinet sub-committee had buried it. Proposed by Ndorwa West MP David Bahati, the bill seeks to criminalise aggravated homosexuality, with those convicted facing a death sentence. go →

In Peru, where cultural norms emphasize women’s subordination and the importance of masculinity, programs with a focus on gender—particularly those involving sex workers—are often underfunded and under represented. This case study (one of nine in a series) describes how three organizations focused on sex workers and transgendered and transsexual people have joined together to advance the rights of sex workers. go →

A support network plus access to legal and psychological support are essential components of HIV programming for most-at-risk populations. In Colombia, obtaining this support is difficult for many members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community due to pervasive stigma and discrimination. Bogotá’s LGBT Community Center was founded in order to help fill this need and serves a clientele comprised mainly of men who have sex with men. This case study (one of nine in a series) examines the center’s efforts to provide a social and educational base for its clients while also advocating for their rights. go →

A woman has died in a Lyantonde government health centre after the doctors failed to get stitches to sew the wound after an operation. The deceased whose name remains unknown had gone to Kasambya Health Centre IV in Lyantonde district to give birth. go →

The death of Cecilia Namboozo in the labour ward of Mbale Hospital, Eastern Uganda last month, mirrors the massive problem health centers are facing all over the country. She is just one in 16 who die everyday during labour. The government last Wednesday outlined a six point ‘fire-brigade’ response to salvage the country’s ailing health care system after the death of a primary school teacher in Mbale District sparked public fury countrywide. go →

This week’s acquittal of soldiers who allegedly gang-raped and incapacitated a young girl in Moroto has copiously added pain to the terrible effect that Ms Teddy Nakiru is carrying after a rape that took place on New Year’s Eve. There was medical evidence that Ms Nakiru was raped and one of the defendants, Pte. James Manana, admitted to have had a sexual encounter with the victim, but claimed she was his girlfriend. The army court, sitting in Moroto District, however, ruled on Tuesday that, “The state had not proved its case beyond reasonable doubt as required by law and subsequently found Pte. Manana not guilty of the offence of rape.” go →

The Rafto Human Rights Prize 2011 has been awarded to Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and its leader Frank Mugisha. SMUG works to promote the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. go →

The magnitude and severity of preventable and treatable NCDs – diabetes, stroke, cancer and heart disease – has brought the affordability of medicines to the forefront of global public health. go →

A drug which is already licensed for use could be used to treat sight problems in some albino people, say US researchers. People with albinism produce little or no melanin, which has a range of health consequences including poor sight and greater risk of skin cancer. go →

Following the death of a woman in labour and her baby in Mbale Referral Hospital, government has started strengthening supervision and operations to track drug thefts and monitor ethical behaviours of medical workers. go →

Community Health Works (CHWs) will soon start gaining from the Performance Based Financing (PBF) - an initiative that offers financial incentives to medical practitioners. With the help of the School of Public Health of the National University of Rwanda, the Ministry of Health intends to conduct a baseline study on 4,800 health workers in 200 sectors across the country. go →

Cholera has claimed 36 more people in Somalia, where unhygienic living conditions have spread the disease among the hundreds of thousands of famine victims, Press TV reports. Doctor Mohamed Salah Abdi told Press TV that the victims died on Thursday evening in Kismayo, the capital of the lower Juba region and a port city about 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the Somali capital Mogadishu. Over 340 people, suffering from cholera and waterborne diseases, also flocked Kismayo’s Alanley hospital for medical treatment. go →

Women legislators yesterday called for speedy prosecution of Mbale Referral Hospital medical officers suspected to have led to the death of a pregnant teacher and her baby recently. go →

Women who have been sexually assaulted, abused by a partner or stalked may face high lifetime risks of depression and other mental health conditions, a new study suggests. go →

Women legislators yesterday called for speedy prosecution of Mbale Referral Hospital medical officers suspected to have led to the death of a pregnant teacher and her baby recently. go →

A policy banning open homosexuality in the US military has been repealed after nearly two decades. The dropping of “don’t ask, don’t tell” means service members can now reveal they are gay without fear of investigation or discharge. go →

Police have arrested and detained six medical officers of Mbale Referral Hospital as officers commenced an investigation into the death of a pregnant teacher and her baby two weeks ago. go →

Population Connection will screen the documentary ‘The Edge of Joy’ in Seattle. The film follows the lives of Nigerian doctors, midwives, and families in order to shed light on the issue of maternal health. The free event will be held at the North Bellevue Community Center and is open to the public. go →

The contractions had started at dawn. Cecilia Nambozo, a teacher at Busamaga Primary School in Mbale Municipality, knew it was time, so she did what was expected—checked into a hospital at 6am so she could give birth with expert attention at her disposal. But that was not to be, for more than 10 hours after Nambozo checked into Mbale Regional Referral Hospital to bring unto the world a life, she was ignored, neglected and writhing in pain. Her crime? She did not have the Shs300,000 the hospital medical staff demanded before they could attend to her. go →

United Nations’ members this month are setting the future course for global action against a rising public health problem well-known in developed countries and spreading to developing countries: non-communicable diseases. But whether they will – or should – address concerns that intellectual property rights issues might interfere with access to treatments for such diseases as diabetes, cancer, or heart disease remains to be seen. go →

A section of medics have accused the Ugandan government of laxity in its policy to prevent importation of fake drugs, which have severe side effects on unsuspecting patients. This comes at a time when the World Health Organisation and other global players are pressing developing countries like Uganda to strictly observe the international legal guidelines while conducting clinical trials before drugs are admitted for use. go →

Integrating strategies to address gender inequity and change harmful gender norms is an increasingly important component of HIV programs. However, gender integration among programs targeting most-at-risk populations (MARPs) is much less prevalent. This case study (one of nine in a series) reviews how SANGRAM, a women-led network of collective empowerment groups in India, is developing and administering projects that promote and protect the rights—and health—of MARPs. go →

The Busan Police turned violent on peaceful demonstrators at the 10th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (10th ICAAP), which was attended by over 2500 delegates and one of whose main issues is to protect the human rights of populations affected with HIV/ AIDS. Activists including people living with HIV (PLHIV) from all over the world, who attended the 10th ICAAP joined Korean activists in a peaceful anti-Free-Trade Agreements (FTAs) march. go →

On the eastern side of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, is a sprawling slum called Uhuru. Dirt roads run through a maze of shacks. Down a narrow path, Lilian Akoth stands in the doorway of her metal shanty. A number of years ago, she got pregnant. go →

Sex workers worldwide are a key population in the fight against the HIV pandemic. Even though we know about high levels of vulnerability to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, sex workers nonetheless still face a host of obstacles to accessing good HIV prevention services. These obstacles include severe stigma and discrimination, which create hostile environments in some health care settings, and high numbers of violent events, which is directly linked to vulnerability to HIV. go →

HIV and AIDS is a serious health challenge, and the law itself is in crisis in responding to this epidemic in the Asia and the Pacific Region. The legal impediments to universal access, which also enhance stigma and discrimination, were discussed at length at the recently concluded 10th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (10th ICAAP) in Busan, South Korea go →

For a long time, mental health in Uganda has been on the side-lines. It is an area in which little has been done to address the issue. For a population of over 30 million people, only about 25 practicing psychiatrists poses a worrying situation. go →

The International HIV/AIDS Alliance has joined civil society in condemning the recent actions by police at the 10th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP), which has been taking place in Busan, Korea (26-30 August, 2011). go →