Stigma and Discrimination: Policy and Advocacy Challenges and Opportunities in the Caribbean
Andrew Zapfel, Health Policy Project
The Global Commission on HIV and the Law states in its Executive Summary, "Law prohibits or permits specific behaviors, and in so doing, it shapes politics, economics and society." [1] The societies we live in are influenced by the decisions made by our politicians. Dwayne Jones was a Jamaican teenager who lived in a society, influenced by its laws and policies, which was not open to his gender nonconformity. Bullied in school and kicked out of his home by his parents for his effeminate behavior, Dwayne lived homeless for many years of his life. This discrimination Dwayne faced culminated in his violent murder in 2013, when a mob attacked him because he was wearing a dress at a party. [2] [3]
Advocates say that the stigma faced by Dwayne and many others in Jamaica is fueled by a 150-year old anti-sodomy law. Although laws and policies are not the only barriers to the acceptance of sexual and gender minorities, they can play an important role in shaping society's response to acts of discrimination and hate. A first step in addressing these issues is strengthening the enabling environment for policies that ensure the rights and legal status of LGBT individuals. This means facilitating advocacy at the local and national levels, and creating a dynamic force of stakeholders who are engaged throughout the policy process. Stakeholders must be involved in defining the problems, developing solutions, and coming to agreed conclusions on how policy can best address issues of stigma and discrimination. Addressing the stigma and discrimination that afflict marginalized communities in Jamaica and throughout the world can not only ensure their freedom of expression and basic human rights, but also save lives.
On April 10 and 11, the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) hosted a regional consultation in Kingston, Jamaica, as part of its Justice for All Campaign to address stigma and discrimination. HIV experts, lawmakers, donors, and civil society groups came together to create a "road map" of action steps needed to achieve the goal of eliminating stigma and discrimination in the Caribbean by 2015. These steps would help to change punitive laws and practices against LGBT individuals and work toward the goals of ensuring the human rights of all people in the Caribbean and ending the region's HIV epidemic. Among the action items were creating a regional anti-discrimination charter on HIV, strengthening countries' response to domestic and gender-based violence, conducting sensitivity training for medical students, and focusing on human rights in National HIV Plans. The overall message of the consultation was that policy change must occur on many levels to help marginalized communities and improve health outcomes. [4]
Representatives from the USAID- and PEPFAR-funded Health Policy Project, in partnership with the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition and the University of the West Indies HIV and AIDS Response Programme, hosted a satellite session at this regional consultation to present the Road Map for Implementing and Monitoring Policy and Advocacy Interventions. This set of tools helps stakeholders systematically plan and review the policy process, from problem identification, to policy implementation, to monitoring and evaluation.
As the Justice for All Campaign begins a second round of consultations to include additional Caribbean countries and stakeholders, the Road Map will become a critical tool in the effort to bring together policymakers, civil society organizations, and community members to improve the policy response to issues of stigma and discrimination. Achieving a consensus on the necessary action steps and indicators for measuring their success will constitute an important first step in making the Caribbean a region where all people, regardless of gender expression can live openly-an opportunity that Dwayne Jones should have had.
More information on the Justice for All Campaign can be found on the PANCAP website: http://pancap.org/en/caribbean-news/2474-the-caribbean-answering-the-global-call-to-end-stigma-and-discrimination.html
More information on the Health Policy Project's work in policy monitoring can be found here: http://www.healthpolicyproject.com/index.cfm?id=topics-policyMonitoring
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[1] Global Commission on HIV and the Law, 2012 "Global Commission on HIV and the Law." Retrieved April 30, 2014 from: http://www.hivlawcommission.org/resources/report/Executive-Summary-GCHL-EN.pdf
[2] Besant. 2013. "Transgender Teen Brutally Killed in Jamaica." Global Post. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/130811/transgender-teen-brutally-killed-jamaica.
[3] McFadden. 2013 "In Jamaica, Transgender Teen Killed By Mob" AP Retrieved April 30th, 2014 from http://bigstory.ap.org/article/jamaica-transgender-teen-murdered-mob
[4] Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV&AIDS. 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from http://pancap.org/en/.
