Memorial Notice: In loving memory of our friend and human rights warrior Andrew Paul Hunter

Vale Andrew Paul Hunter
 22/01/1968 - 26/12/2014

We are still so deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and colleague Andrew Hunter who died suddenly in Bangkok on Boxing Day. 

Andrew had devoted his entire adult life to social justice for maligned and marginalised communities particularly that of sex workers and people living with HIV. His passing has not just left a hole in our hearts but has also left a giant hole in the sex worker rights movement.  

We will miss his leadership and seemingly unstoppable energy in advancing the rights of sex workers and other marginalised communities that he represented so admirably and selflessly. Known by some as the gentle mentor, Andrew was the current President of the Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP), founding co-ordinator of the Scarlet Alliance and a founding member of the Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW).

The M-FORCE : Media, HIV and Young people

'We would like to invest in young people by increasing their capacity, so the approach should be situated  in their dynamism. 

'Developing skills in interpreting and using data, content development, media and advocacy in a fun and participatory ways is needed' - Setia Perdana, Media coordinator of GWL-INA.

On 14 -15 December 2013, 15 young gay, waria (transgender) and other MSM gathered in Jakarta for a two day workshop called 'M-FORCE, the Media for Change'.

The purpose of this workshop was to develop capacity and skills on media, HIV and human rights for the gay, waria and other MSM community in Jakarta.

Setia Perdana reports on the workshop for AFAO.

AFAO's ICAAP11 highlights

One of many discussions at the AFAO booth.
More pix at afao.smugmug.com

AFAO representatives from our International Program and Sydney office joined the recent International Congress on AIDS in the Asia Pacific (ICAAP11) in Bangkok.

AFAO worked with our key partners Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) and Asia Pacific Network of AIDS Service Organisations (APCASO) to jointly present a number of sessions, and also supported the participation of our partner in Papua New Guinea, Kapul Champions.

The right to health crucial to HIV advocacy

Michael Kirby and Anand Grover.

On the final day of the 11th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, the importance of human rights in the HIV response was highlighted in a session hosted by the Asia Pacific Council on AIDS Service Organisations (APCASO).

The Honorable Michael Kirby opened the session arguing the need for improved human rights protections for all vulnerable groups, including prisoners, migrants and refugees, which he drew from the 2012 Global Commission on HIV and the Law Report.

FOREPLAY - The final push towards three zeros

A series of community events was held across two days in the lead up to ICAAP11, to allow community delegates to come together and network, and to be discuss key issues related to HIV and key populations in Asia and the Pacific.

The first of these events was FOREPLAY, a one day community pre-conference hosted by APCOM on 17 November.

What's the next step for HIV testing services?

After moving at glacial pace for years, HIV rapid testing is now being ‘rolled out’ in different forms around the country. Although this will make testing more accessible and convenient, there has not been much attention paid to the experience of the users of testing services, and how services might change their models and their design to enhance the user experience.

To help explore this question, AFAO teamed up with Sydney and South Western Sydney Local Health District to commission a research project using innovative methods that focused on the ‘user’. 

New publication puts focus on HIV in Asia and the Pacific

18 November 2013, Bangkok, Thailand - On the eve of this year's International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP11) - the largest HIV conference in the region -  two leading community HIV organisations, the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) and the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) , have released a special edition of AFAO's flagship publication, HIV Australia, discussing HIV in Asia and the Pacific.

The special edition aims to create discussion around the significant human rights, HIV and funding gap issues for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people. These issues include:

• Across the Asia Pacific region, rates of new infection have decreased among the general population but continue to grow among MSM and transgender populations.
• Young MSM are at particular risk. One study from Bangkok showed that over a 5-year period, 30% of the young men involved in the study became infected with HIV.
• Globally, transgender women are up to 48 times more likely to have HIV than other adults in the same population. Rates of HIV among transgender groups were: 43% in India, 26% in Indonesia and 12.5% in Thailand.