Browsing by Author "Van Vliet, Mirjam"
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- ItemA promising opportunity in HIV/AIDS intervention? : the men as partners programme and its lessons for a wider gender interpretation in HIV/AIDS intervention in Southern Africa(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2007-03) Van Vliet, Mirjam; Cornelissen, Scarlett; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa continues to outpace the response to it and, as such, forces a re-evaluation of the nature of the imminent health crisis. The nature of the epidemic in this region reveals that it is fundamentally about the role of gender norms and values in forming male and female attitudes toward sexual behaviour that place both men's and women's sexual and reproductive health at risk. In addition, there is a seeming deficiency with regard to the notion of gender in HIV/AIDS intervention in that gender is a highly contested concept and has often been interpreted from a mainly feminist perspective. Both the contours of the HIV I AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa and the deficiencies in gender theory itself, suggest the need for a wider gender interpretation in HIV I AIDS intervention within this region. Since the need for a wider gender interpretation is multi-layered and manifests itself on a theoretical and practical level, this study differentiates between theoretical and practical usages of gender in HIV/AIDS intervention as reflected in the academic discourse on gender and HIV/AIDS and the international institutional responses to the epidemic respectively. This distinction reveals that the academic discourse is predominantly feminist-centred and inforn1s the conceptual approach toward gender within international organisations such as UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation (WHO) and their practical articulation of gender in the design of HIV I AIDS policies and intervention programmes. As a result, despite awareness of the need for an approach to HIV/AIDS intervention that is sensitive to gender dynamics, both fail to incorporate a satisfactory wider gender interpretation. This study examines the Men as Partners Programme and its implementation in the Western Cape region in South Africa at tertiary level as a case study. The MAP program seems to suggest a promising opportunity in HIV/AIDS intervention in Southern Africa by promoting constructive positive male involvement in HIV/AIDS policies and intervention programmes. This study is exploratory, qualitative and ethnographic and includes face-to-face semistructured interviews and a self-administered questionnaire. Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za The MAP case study reveals an awareness of the need for a more balanced gender perspective in HIV/AIDS intervention. Nevertheless, MAP is not informed by a gender-sensitive discourse and has not incorporated a satisfactory wider gender interpretation in its HIV/AIDS policies and intervention programmes. This study moves beyond the case study of MAP at tertiary level and discusses the main lessons that the initiative yields for a wider gender interpretation in HIV I AIDS intervention in Southern Africa. These lessons are positive in the sense that MAP demonstrates that men can and should be involved, alongside women, in HIV/AIDS intervention. However, on a less positive note, MAP also demonstrates the obstacles that emerge from such involvement. The findings of this study reveal general trends and patterns that provide insight in the limitations and necessary improvements in HIV/AIDS intervention in Southern Africa to facilitate an approach that is sensitive to gender dynamics. Most importantly, it emphasizes the need for a multi-layered approach to a wider gender interpretation in HIV/AIDS intervention m Southern Africa that differentiates between theoretical and practical usages of gender. On a final note, this study identifies potential pitfalls and proposes some relevant recommendations for future HIV I AIDS intervention.