GALZ
THE Gays and Lesbians Association of Zimbabwe (GALZ) have revealed that HIV transmission rates are still high in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community partially due to limited access to preventative medications, barrier commodities and discrimination faced when accessing healthcare services.
These remarks were made on the day of commemorating World Aids day on December 1, running under the theme- end inequalities, end AIDS, end pandemics. "Four decades after HIV first affected the world, growing inequalities in access to essential HIV services are still prevalent. HIV transmission rates are still high in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community partially due to limited access to preventative medications, barrier commodities and discrimination faced when accessing healthcare services. Ignorance on challenges faced by sexual and gender minorities including the issue of gender markers infringes upon their sexual and reproductive health and rights. GALZ emphasizes the importance of implementing community-led monitoring to ensure vulnerable populations have a say in all processes that affect their care. Community resilience interventions are vital to widen support systems, where good networks that can interconnect together to fight the HIV epidemic including outreach workers, community focal persons, peer educators, counsellors, advocates, healthcare workers as well as affected communities themselves. GALZ acknowledges partners including the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the National AIDS Council for the interventions offered through Key Populations Departments who work to ensure access to healthcare for LGBTI persons as enshrined in section 53 of the Zimbabwean constitution. GALZ implores policymakers to continue to address inequalities by ensuring that all genders are recognised and that the basket of options to prevent transmission and dually support positive living through HIV management and care, are available to all, including to sexual minorities," read the statement.
