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Regional Approach to Making Wide-scale HIVST a Reality in Southern Africa

Presentation by

Margaret Zulu

Southern African AIDS Trust (SAT)

www.satregional.org[Sat logo]

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Co

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Botswana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique. France, England and the USA.

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HIVST Legal Review Findings• HIVST is legal in Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

England and USA, Not legal in Botswana, Tanzania and France.

• HIVST test kits not presently regulated in South Africa and Zimbabwe

• Law in Malawi, Zambia, England and USA does not expressly give persons the right to be tested except in Botswana, Tanzania and France.

• A person can be forced to take a test in all jurisdictions except for Zambia, France and England.

• All jurisdictions can compel parents to have their children tested for HIV except for France.

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HIVST Legal Review Findings• Persons in all jurisdictions except for Mozambique,

France and England can be compelled to make disclosures on positive diagnosis.

• Individuals who distribute products including medical devices generally have certain obligations towards the users of their products.

• Persons in all jurisdictions require consent to HIV testing except in USA – varies by state

• Test results are confidential in all jurisdictions• Malawi is the only country which does not criminalise

wilful transmission of HIV.

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Proposed Regional Approach for Southern Africa

Driving Demand for HIVST

Support governments in exploring policy

spaces

Pilot HIVST use

across varying

contexts

Knowledge sharing

Integrate HIVST in

CSS for HSS

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Proposed Regional Approach for Southern Africa

• Stigma-free approach and self-testing as an entry point for HTC.

• In-country dialogues based on legal review.

• Awareness raising among communities .

• Parallel operational research needed to monitor HIVST roll-out & uptake.

• Community involvement

Stakeholder engagement for scale up:

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SAT Model for Community Systems Strengthening (CSS).

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Key points

• Less than half of men and women in Southern Africa do not know their HIV status.

• HIV legal environment in Southern Africa is not all bad! – opportunities to strengthen “SRHR for all” exist.

• Need coordinated action to make wide-scale HIVST a reality in Southern Africa.

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Report Linkages and SAT Website, Facebook and Twitter

• SAT website: www.satregional.org• Twitter handle: SATregional• Facebook page: SATregional• URL for HIVST reports:

http://www.satregional.org/publications/reports/

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THANK YOUAcknowledgements

• Legal firms– Arnold and porter (UK) LLP– Arnold and Porter (USA)LLP– Corpus Legal Practitioners (Zambia)– Dechert (France)– Gill, Godlonton & Gerrans (Zimbabwe)– Nexus Attorneys (Tanzania)– Norton Rose Fulbright (South Africa)– Pimenta, Dionisio e Associado (Mozambique)– Rantao Kewagamang Attorney (Botswana)– Savjani & Co (Malawi)– Thomson Reuters Foundation

• Wits Reproductive Health Institute

• Participants to the regional HIV ST Consultative meeting held in March 2014 in Johannesburg

• WHO HIV Dept for this opportunity to share our review