Kenyan women are set to receive much focus in HIV and AIDS programming following the launch of an action plan that seeks to integrate gender into the country's HIV and AIDS programme planning and implementation. This is because the government through the National AIDS Control Council (NACC) has launched a National Action Plan for Gender mainstreaming in its war against HIV and AIDS.
The launch was held on September 06, 2011 at the Panafric Hotel, and was attended by among others the UNAIDS Country Coordinator Mayer Harper, the Minister for Gender, Children and social development, the Hon (Dr.) Naomi Shabaan, and the UNFPA Country Representative Fidelis Zama Chi. Also represented at the launch were other stakeholders including representatives from the Government, the private sector, media, several women groups, international Organisations, Networks of People living with HIV and several and several community based organisations. Among the members of Civil Society present at the launch who are involved in programming for gender sensitive and genders transformative HIV and AIDS programming were the Health Rights Advocacy Forum (HERAF) and the Network of People Living with HIV in Kenya (NEPHAK).
Dr Naomi Shabaan, in her capacity as Minister for Gender, Children and Social Development said the National Gender Action Plan will serve as a national benchmark to facilitate mobilisation of stakeholders in the determination and design of prioritized actions, targets and other initiatives that accelerate the response and act as a guide for the coordination of the intersecting gender issues within the Kenya National AIDS strategy. She said the development of the gender action plan will address the issues of gender equality which we all know is critical in maximising the impact of programmes. In her speech she stated that, "This action plan will go a long way in reducing the gender disparities that have remained pertinent as evidenced by recent studies including Kenya AIDS indicator survey, the Kenya Demographic Health Survey and the Kenya Modes of Transmission Study".
The Gender Action plan is a deliberate effort towards the realization of the KNASP III approach that emphasizes that ‘Human rights, gender equality and responsiveness' issues must be addressed across all aspects of the plan in the national response to HIV and AIDS. It follows the development of the Kenya National AIDS Strategic Plan III (KNASP III) by the National AIDS Control Council which recognised the importance of gender integration in HIV and AIDS programmes.
The UNFPA Country Representative Fidelis Zama Chi said that while gender mainstreaming was increasingly gaining importance as a significant building block for sustainable development in Kenya, gender disparities in programming outcomes were still present as evidenced by recent studies including Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey (KAIS, 2007). "Gender disparities are evident in virtually all sectors of the economy including sexual and reproductive health and rights", he said. He noted that HIV and AIDS care and support services which are aimed at lessening the effects of the HIV epidemic, are not widely available, especially to rural women and adolescent girls whose social mobility is slow. This is based on the fact that research has shown that young women of age 15-24 are 4 times more likely to be infected than men in the same age bracket i.e 6.1% compared to 1.5%.
Observing that discrimination and violations of human rights influence both the spread of HIV and AIDS and women's access to its prevention, care and treatment, Mr. Chi stated that consequently, the HIV responses must be based on and infused with full respect for human rights for all, regardless of gender. He affirmed that, "We hope this Action Plan builds on the need to invest and be accountable for protecting and promoting the rights of women and girls and focus on their needs in all different types of epidemics." He said the UN through the HIV and AIDS Joint programme has worked closely with NACC and other stakeholders and continues to play a role in addressing HIV and AIDS concerns.
The National Action Plan for Gender Mainstreaming in HIV will provide a platform to accelerate action and monitor response to the issues of women, girls and gender equality in the context of HIV and AIDS in Kenya. Themed towards "Accelerated Country Action for Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV", gender plan puts in place decisive steps that will drastically transform the approach taken towards implementation of HIV and AIDS programmes in the country, and is seen as a child of the current Kenya National AIDS Strategic Plan (KNASP III), which in its four year strategy (2009/10 -2012/13), seeks to integrate gender and human rights as a core cross cutting issue that should guide the overall implementation of the National HIV and AIDS plan.
