Monday 4 February 2019

Public Ideas and Public Policy Crossroads Influencing Success Or Failure Of Protected Sex Practices By Women In Africa


Background:
The nature of the provider-consumer relation of HIV services further translates into claimants and elite groups who influence sexual-reproductive health policies. Three regime contexts were found to influence HIV response. A hindering context goes so much further to provide opportunities for rule of law, enforcement and empower women to report without fear of repercussions. A restrictive context goes on far enough but allows for those with power to buy themselves out of courts and police. Women are not protected from repercussions even if they can report abuses. In a supportive context, abuses go unreported and women are at the mercy of men!

Claimants mobilize, campaign and influence government authority on HIV response. 

Paternalistic, coercive and occasionally manipulative roles of the elites keep hegemonic male dominance intact. 

An examination of 4 Sub-Saharan African countries finds that the interests of claimants have marginal impact on who decides whether or not to uphold protected sex practices among spouses. 

These practices vary due to public ideas on what is deemed desirable by those wielding political and economical power. 

Public ideas are based on culture, emotions, feelings, mentality and passions that extend into non political realms and belief systems on image of the male, marriage, family life, consent, fecundity, fertility-lores, child raising and sexual practices.

Literature dating as far back as 2006-2017 on consensual sex practices, news articles, police reports, criminalization of non-consensual sex, SRH counselling needs and services in Namibia, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda was gathered, analyzed and processed into this blog. 152 publications were examined but 40 met inclusion eligibility.

Results:
Protected sex practices depend on significant political backing and enforcement of legal gender equality; facilitating knowledge and skills; religious and traditional beliefs into role equity and change. Namibia and Kenya have hindering regimes addressing abuses, fostering legitimate, collective, respectful regard for females and males. State sponsored social services encourage equitable access (role equity). Although, sexual consent reflects more male dominance. 

Uganda has a restrictive context with loopholes in ensuring legal, equal gender rights exploited by both sexes/genders with financial means. 

In South Africa, the supportive context for abuses fosters political, religious and traditional factors demeaning the status of women. Women negotiate for safer sex, but this is seen as emasculating men. This is circumscribed as a threat to male dominance, giving in to women and shift of power from males (role change).

Conclusions:
Safer and protected sex breaks the HIV transmission cycle. However, public ideas on safer or protected sex are tolerant where role equity is promoted. But, repressive where males feel threatened. Role change fears are cited in restrictive and hindering countries. Fear of courts or police cases are a motivator to uphold dignity in supportive countries. Further studies are called for into how precarious hegemonic masculinity and negative stereotypes impact HIV Programming.





















Source: Google

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