Artist, Experts Blast No-Condoms U.S. Anti-AIDS Funding in Africa

A copper sculpture of a pregnant teen-age girl on a crucifix unveiled at the
World Social Forum in early February in Nairobi, Kenya stands as
a stinging indictment of the United States policy of pushing a religious
fundamentalist slant in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa.

The artwork by Jens Galschiot from Denmark inspires strong reactions with
its portrayal of crucifixion, but the artist says it’s not a denunciation of
Christianity but a plea for contraceptive rights and comprehensive sex
education, as opposed to the current U.S. policy of limiting the use of
condoms and restricting sex education as conditions for funding anti-AIDS
programs abroad.AIDS

The situation in Africa is dire, with the AIDS pandemic being the leading
cause of deaths. With only 10 percent of the world’s population, Africa
has two-thirds of the AIDS cases. In some countries, one out of every
five people is infected with HIV/AIDS.

Although the U.S. has been looked upon as a leader in the fight against
HIV/AIDS, the Bush administration has been criticized for playing to
fundamentalist views at the expense of girls and women and effective
comprehensive approaches.

Reluctant to provide condoms for Africa, the U.S. responded to criticism by
giving one billion condoms in 2004-05, but they were intended only for
so-called high risk areas – bars, brothels, border crossings and military
bases.

Heather Boonstra, senior public policy expert for the Alan Guttmacher
Institute, a public health research and education center, says the U.S. is
still only providing condoms in high risk areas even when the epidemic has
spread into the general population.

“It is irresponsible not to provide condoms to the people who need them,
particularly young people,” says Boonstra.

The U.S. has also been under fire for its Global Gag Rule that withholds
funding from any organization that even mentions abortion to its clients as
a family planning option. As a result, many clinics providing condoms to
clients shut down for lack of funds,.

In 2003, rather than put all the U.S. funds for AIDS into the multilateral
Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS established the previous year, President
George W. Bush set up a separate unilateral program called the President’s
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Though widely seen as insufficient for the enormity of the task, the $9
billion in new money spread out over five years was a significant
contribution and encouraged other nations to do their share. Yet PEPFAR came
with restrictive funding requirements that, according to Boonstra, have hurt
countries in combating AIDS.

In accepting U.S. money, countries must use one-third of all funding to
promote abstinence. As a result, countries had to cut back on other
essential programs. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that
the cutbacks included slashing programs that prevent mother-to-child
transmission and others using comprehensive approaches such as condom
distribution to high-risk, sexually active teenagers.

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