Sex Workers And MSMs Affected By Discontinuation Of PEPFAR Funding

JOHN’S, Antigua, Sept. 12, 2014, CNS – A local non-profit organisation targeting commercial sex workers and men who have sex with men (MSM) is one of the first casualties of a decision by the United States to cut funding to the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART).

The Caribbean HIV/AIDS Alliance (CHAA) which benefits from the United States President Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) will close this month.

Antigua and Barbuda AIDS Progamme Manager Delcora Williams said the closure is unfortunate since the entity has over the years supplemented the services offered by the national AIDS programme.

“What we do is that we work along with those agencies because on the books of Antigua and Barbuda buggery is a crime, sex work is also a crime and so we as the ministry cannot be seen as breaking the law. What we do as the Ministry of Health is that we support the organisations that provide these services.”

PEPFAR discontinued funding CHART effective Sept. 1, 2014.

PEPFAR/Emergency Plan started out as a commitment of $15 billion over five years (2003-2008) from then US President George W. Bush to fight the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.

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