Hivos condemns standpoint of Pope on condom use
On his recent tour to Africa, Pope Benedict XVI said that condoms are not the answer to Aids problem in Africa, and can even make it worse. Africa is a continent where millions have died of the disease and currently 22 million people live with Hiv.
Hivos condemns the statement of the Pope in the strongest possible terms! It is outrageous that the Pope would go against sound knowledge and experiences from the field that show that condoms are very effective in the prevention of Hiv.
Minister Koenders, the Dutch minister for Development Co-operation, has condemned the Pope’s remarks. Hivos wants to stress that the conservative view of the Pope is regrettably shared by numerous political and religious leaders in Africa, which has led to huge stigma and discrimination. Hivos, through its work among vulnerable communities in Africa such as men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers and people with Hiv, has realised that taboos and social exclusion are the most formidable challenges in the fight against Aids.
Rebecca Hodes (Head of Policy & Research) at Treatment Action Campaign, a partner of Hivos, which has campaigned for access to treatment to over 700,000 people with Hiv in South Africa in her reaction said that “The Pope’s opposition to condoms conveys that religious dogma is more important to him than the lives of Africans”.
Hivos acknowledges that some Catholic activists have condemned the statement of the Pope, but it will take more than that and certainly much longer to reverse the effects of outdated views, norms and practices on Aids prevention in Africa.
Hivos approaches Hiv/aids from a human rights perspective, which empowers excluded groups to organise and express themselves as well as lobby for their access to effective and non-discriminatory prevention and treatment services!
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