Rapporteur: Edith Kaggwa, UKC
This meeting was held by African people living with HIV who wanted to get together. A suitable room and time were identified and those calling the meeting publicised it by word of mouth to other African participants. Forty people attended and this included long term survivors, newly diagnosed, workers, participants, volunteers and advocates.
Over the years, negative media coverage and ever changing legislation relating to immigrants and HIV has had a grave impact on the health and well being of African communities. Participants were concerned about the hopelessness and destitution resulting from the ever changing laws around immigration and asylum. There were also concerns about people who tested HIV positive being denied access to treatments. The gathering of such a diverse group of interested African people from around the UK provided an opportune moment to start a dialogue and discussion addressing the concerns.
Participants raised the following as the most important issues:
Deportations within and outside the UK
Dispersal to areas outside London
Expulsion from the UK
Detention
New regulations restricting access to treatment
The promotion of HIV testing amongst African communities without guarantee of treatment
HIV and criminalisation
Those present acknowledged the campaigns and lobbying by organisations like THT, NAT, UKC and others with support from the All Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS. However, those present also recognised that input from African people has been limited. Gay men with HIV led the battle for the rights of positive people and fought for HIV services and much work was done by the minority group of women who founded organisations like Positively Women. However the face of HIV is changing and affecting more and more immigrants.
Participants discussed their appreciation for all the work others had done on their behalf but now felt that it was time for African people to do more for themselves and as a result discussed launching a unified voice of all Africans throughout the UK called Africans Getting Involved. All forty people in attendance signed up and committed to the following:
Motivation
Engaging with the group and others
A voluntary steering committee of five individuals was nominated to take forward the launch and volunteer representatives from around the UK were self-nominated.
KEY POINTSParticipants were concerned about immigration and asylum issues
There were also concerns about access to treatments in the UK
Participants acknowledged the work others had done on their behalf
A unified voice of all Africans throughout the UK was launched called Africans Getting Involved
Africans Getting Involved to lobby for changes in policy (e.g. on treatment, immigration and testing)
Africans Getting Involved to challenge inequalities
Africans Getting Involved to work in collaboration with organisations already in existence (e.g. THT, NAT, AHPN, UKC, PW etc.)
This workshop was evaluated by 4 people. The average age was 43
Gender
3 female, 1 male
Ethnicity
4 black African
Sexuality
3 heterosexual, 1 gay
Usefulness
Very useful |
Useful |
Not useful |
100%(4) |
0% (0) |
0% (0) |
NOBODY said not useful
4 people set themselves action points:
Write and present own grievances
Become more involved
Be more active, support AHPN on policy lobbying
Lobby for change with unified BME voice
Move on to Cultural Activities And Displays