The PATA Summit 2022 Pleads For Non Discriminatory Approach In Ending HIV

The Zimbabwe Young Positives hosted the Paediatric Adolescent Treatment Africa (PATA) ,summit hub in Bulawayo from the 21st -23rd of November 2022 which was an opportunity for youth led networks to share experiences, perspectives and learn from others.

Running under the theme ‘Ending AIDS in Children, Adolescents and Young people-A roadmap to 2030 the summit tried to mobilize young people in their diversity this included Young key populations.

Speaking during the summit,Nozipho Mukabeta, a panellist from Zim Young Positives emphasised the point that youths should be included in programs that seeks to address their issues.

“We should ensure meaningful participation of young people in the decision making processes. This will ensure that youths make right decisions at the right time.

“Youths have been suffering from imposed decisions. We need to be included in leadership positions because we know what we want as youths,” Mukabeta said.

Gender binaries such as male and female still exists in health facilities and provide the basis on which sexuality is understood in the Health sector. As such sexual orientation is a subject that devoid from health professionals which affect the quality of services that are offered to Key populations.

Meanwhile, Lonesome Tapiwa highlighted that youths should safeguard their rights especially from the service providers.

“Standing up to stigma and safeguarding the rights of all, in the delivery of treatment, prevention and care services. The Key populations have suffered in the hands of service providers and this led to poor health seeking behaviours by Key populations.

“The Young key populations for a long-time have been inadequately served in public health institutions because the service providers lack Comprehensive knowledge on homosexuality and some have a negative attitude that that perpetuate unfriendly services,” he said.

The key takeaways from the summit hub showed that language has an integration in the dynamics of HIV service integration. Its is a powerful tool and it can make or break a system. It is important to acknowledge the diversity within key populations and their uptake to services is at times shun out by the language used.

The session also highlighted that there was need for sensitization to the pillars in the community on issues affecting key populations in their diversity. Communities have not yet accepted key populations, Communities need sensitisation for us to eliminate stigma and discrimination and negative attitudes to achieve the goal 2030

According to UNAIDS in 2016 outside of sub Saharan Africa key populations and their partners accounted for 80% of the new HIV infections. IN sub Saharan Africa it accounted for 25%.