By Magreth Nunuhe
WINDHOEK – Many countries have HIV and gender-based violence (GBV) policy frameworks on how to overcome the burden of the two epidemics, but they do not interweave alcohol abuse into their policies though the latter could lead to HIV.
This was the view of attendees to a three-day workshop organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) titled ‘Integrating gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV prevention treatment and care into national alcohol policies’, which started in Windhoek on Tuesday and ended yesterday.
Dudley Tarlton, UNDP Programme Specialist on HIV, Health and Development and coordinator of the workshop, said the meeting was being held in response to civil society demands about the burning issue.
He said they first held a similar workshop in Eastern Europe, where the same gaps and lack of linkages exist. “We have to find a right policy framework for the programmes to run smoothly,” he said. The workshop brought together health workers on HIV related topics, gender experts, civil society and United Nations representatives.
Tarlton stressed the importance of finding a base for coordinating relationships between the attendants who hailed from nine countries, including Namibia, Guinea Bissau, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho and Zambia.
He said he was however not an expert on the GBV crisis rocking Namibia, but was surprised at the rate of alcohol consumption in the country dominated by beer drinking.
“Men here drink more than 34 litres per year, higher than other countries,” he said. He conceded though that he was not sure whether Namibia was more honest in its reporting on the level of alcohol abuse than other countries.
Rene Adams, the Programme Manager for Substance Abuse, Prevention, Drug Control and Treatment in the Ministry of Health and Social Services said the workshop’s motto was an interesting way of looking at how GBV, alcohol and HIV programmes could be interlinked as opposed to the vertical way in which the programmes and legislation are kept independent of each other.
“It’s opening our eyes on how to coordinate and interlink issues,” she said.
Sandie Tjaronda, Namibia Network of Aids Services Organisations (NANASO) Executive Director, said the strong correlation between GBV, alcohol and HIV has come out clearly during the workshop that ended on Thursday.
He said these policies would however not work unless there was a consistency in applying laws, especially the Liquor Act when it comes to issuing liquor permits.
He took a swipe at the mushrooming alcohol outlets that supply liquor to minors that leads to new HIV infections.
“We have the instruments but no harmonization of policies,” said Tjaronda.
Tjaronda said it was a very relevant workshop, which came at the right time when the levels of GBV are escalating in Namibia.
“We have a nation drinking constantly,” he added.
Amediano Gomes Ga of Guinea Bissau also expressed his concern about escalating violence and abuse of alcohol on the African continent, saying that the workshop was of utmost importance.