St. John’s Antigua- AIDS Secretariat programme manager Delcora Williams has said that prostitution and buggery laws on island are hindering the governmental agency’s fight against the spread of HIV and she is calling for their repeal.
“I am a civil servant and if I condone illegality I am looking to be fired as a civil servant … So here it is that I am going to go out there and give condoms and services (for) something that is illegal and things like these are what prevent an HIV programme from going forward and being successful,” Williams said in an impassioned plea on the Snakepit Thursday.
She added, “If you take it (prostitution and buggery laws) off the books as being illegal then we can offer the services and we can prevent our HIV rate from increasing.”
The civil servant said that buggery — which prohibits penetration by the male organ into the anus or mouth of another person of either sex — is currently illegal in Antigua & Barbuda, but does not stop the act from occurring.
“Presently we do not arrest a man for having consensual sex, even though you catch them at Fort or wherever,” Williams said. “If somebody rapes somebody, it is a criminal act and that person is charged.”
She also took issue with the prostitution laws, saying that they are “not really serving any benefit.”
The programme manager noted that since prostitution is illegal, many commercial sex workers do not disclose their profession to medical practitioners, who, in turn, fail to properly service their patients.
“As a healthcare provider, you don’t know their sexual risk, so you are unable properly educate them and allow them to make proper choices because they are afraid…” she said. “The fear of being prosecuted prevents these persons from being honest…”
Williams said that because of their fear of prosecution, sex workers do not seek medical attention and then “transmit infections that they can actually be prevented from doing, if the laws are removed and they can be honest.”
According to the AIDS programme manager, prostitution establishments are well known on the island and the agency’s ability to legally interact with the workers is essential to the war against HIV/AIDS.
“We need to critically look at what these laws are doing and what purpose they are serving. Don’t we all know where the houses of prostitution are? Don’t we all know this is happening at the various houses of prostitution? Do you have to look under a branch to see that prostitution is happening here?” Williams queried.
She noted that non-profit agencies on island are currently the main source of outreach for these affected populations.
“Soon from now, if we do not get some of these laws off (the books) a lot of our men are going to be infected with HIV and a lot of our women are going to infect with it also,” Williams said.
The debate was sparked by recent comments made by evangelist Alister Jackson, who denounced dialogues calling for the decriminalisation of buggery laws last week.
“I want to warn our leaders in Antigua & Barbuda that it is wrong to decriminalise it,” Jackson said in response to the Untied States President Barack Obama’s support of gay marriage. “I am for it remaining on the statute books and not because we may want to get favour from other nations who have more money than we do.”
All well and good. We would then need properly-enforced laws/policing to ensure that ‘vulnerable’ people (usually women and children) are protected from ‘legalised’ prostitution and buggery.
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Are problem-solving and critical thinking skills that much lacking among our supposedly educated society? Since when will repealing a law prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS? I guess we would be able to do away with abstinence and the condom then, huh? As it was said in the article, although the acts are illegal, it does not stop them from occurring (and the diseases along with them)so what really is the problem?
That point about getting fired for distributing condoms is weak! Since when is it wrong to give condoms to any adult on this island? We’re bombarded with them at every Carnival show and begged in the media to take them so how now you can’t give individuals who want free condoms without any problems? If you’re so afraid of giving them out then leave it other agencies that lack civil servants to do the job, nuh! Don’t you already have places where workers can go get them for themselves? Don’t supermarkets sell condoms that they can buy for their benefit for their job? Maybe these workers can implement a condom tax so that they don’t have to depend on the Secretariat.
An even weaker point, that one about not being able to educate sex workers because you don’t know their sexual risk. I would think that they should be educated about ALL the possible sexual risks since their work involves a whole lot of sex in any position or person. So, are they to come back for training when they decide to add another type of sex act to their list? Does this seem logical to you? What happen to all that exciting information on the INTERNET which sex workers can access on their blackberries and PC’s in video and print form? Why do you think that you have to limit their learning to a chalk & talk personnel who might give misleading information? Looks like we need to get recently trained teachers in constructivism in these key areas….
And the most ridiculous one of all, sex workers not disclosing their profession to doctors which is why the doctors can’t “service their patients.” Now the way the word ‘service’ was used made these individuals sound like cars or equipment – i.e. lacking the human element. Anyway, since when does one need to disclose their career in order to seek medical attention? Many persons who work in prominent & respected positions are just as promiscuous and more disease ridden than sex workers, yet I don’t see them being denied medical attention. Again, what really is the argument?
It is time that we stop putting a plaster on the problem and deal with the true source of the problem. This article had so many red herrings that even a rational, critical-thinking person would have been blinded to reality on the first glance. The arguments are all weak and any secondary school debater would have been able to debunk all of it. I respect the task that the programme manager has undertaken, it is not an easy one. However, she needs more efficient problem-solvers in her camp to avoid another unflattering write up like this one.
Think on these things…
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The only way progress will be made,is to FIRST,create equality,in the form of Human Rights.This then removes the illegality and accomanied predudice&stigma promoted by the law,and desire by”holyer than thou”groups,who only serve to negativiely impact on socially isolated groups of people.
It is not about critising the presentation of the persons trying to react to a problem,or indeed citing reasons why they need not bother.It is about effectively dealing with a social problem,without the interference of legalised predudice.
Everything flows from a base of human equality-a basic building block of a caring society.YOU think about that&ask yourself whether you would find it acceptable to be on the fringe of society,not be legallly regarded as “normal”&subsequently not a worthy as your neighbour,in terms of how you were treated.Is that senario,one that is destine to build success?
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*sighs* Again, it’s evident that comprehension skills, critical thinking skills & problem-solving abilities are limited in today’s society, but here goes.
After surfing over this, I get the gist of what you were trying to say. You support the repeal and you’re ‘holier than thou’ about it. Let’s just say that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but should understand that `sometimes` it could just be claptrap.
Anyway, we all know how the legal system works especially on the island. By the time all the bureaucratic red tape has been cut through, many more lives would have been lost when there are solutions that could be implemented (see original post). The law is not being enforced so it’s practically like it has already been repealed, no? And we’re still losing persons to the disease, right? So how about being more active in doing something meaningful (like hooking up sex workers with credible websites) while working on the legal issues on the side, huh? Oh should those affected by the law just keep taking one for the team?
Let me sort out this statement you made for yuh —>["It is not about critising he presentation of the persons trying to react to a problem,or indeed citing reasons why they need not bother."] First, point me to the paragraph and line where any exact reasons were given to not ‘bother’ with repealing the law. Your comprehension skills should have clued you in to the fact that solutions were being offered to the stated problems. It was all “about effectively dealing with a social problem,without the interference of legalised predudice (correct spellling -> prejudice)” but you couldn’t comprehend…smh.
Next, aside from my rhetorical questions, there was constructive criticism to give another point of view. So, if a person gives a presentation or reacts to on an issue means that we should all gobble it up without thinking and asking questions? No wonder both political parties have us like fools!
Despite the temptation, I’ll resist from truly picking the rest of your word jumble apart. Majority of the population are on the fringe of society for being too black, white, male, female, young, old, fat, marga, tall, short, educated, autistic, heathen, christian, rich, poor, red party, blue party etc. Human equality is an abstract concept but the reality is that we will NEVER be all equal (at least not until we end world hunger, have world peace and find a cure for cancer & HIV/AIDS). However,the revolution has to start in the mind and no amount of laws can make anyone think differently – that comes from our morals, values and the collective norms of the society. Change that and everything else will fall into place.
P.S. I sacrificed a few brain cells to read through your post & after reviewing your statement (which you should have reread before posting by the way), I was reminded of this.
*I am on the fringe of society. My civil servant salary, which is legally regarded as normal with a degree,continues to make me a laughing stock when I try to get a loan from the bank. Subsequently, I am made to feel unworthy than my non-national neighbour whose work is to accommodate various married men by night in her own home while my almost homeless self can’t even afford to buy a piece of land. As a result, I may just have to start considering becoming a sex worker and put myself at risk just to get ahead in life and pay for my next degree.*
Is that senario,one that is destined to build success?
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How sad it is that she is incorrectly quoting the law and in doing so misinforming the public. this might be a minor point but the law doesn’t cover a man’s penis being placed into another’s mouth. there’s no excuse as the laws are easily accessible to everyone.
(2) In this section “buggery” means sexual intercourse per
mum by a male person with a male person or by a male person
with a female person. (The Sexual Offences Act, 1995 s 12 (2) )
differently she makes a good point about the pointlessness of the laws regarding prostitution. make prostitution a profession with health benefits and help stop the spread of easily preventable infections. give the gays rights so they can come out of the woodwork and be honest about their sexual histories so they can get the help they need. they are human no different than the rest of us and it is time we start treating them as such
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At last someone with her thinking cap on.
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