US AIDS Policy: More Harm Than Good, Says Brazil

In an unprecedented move, the Government of Brazil yesterday refused
a $40 million grant from the United States to fight AIDS, saying its
ideological conditions were too severe.

Nearly 700,000 individuals are inflicted with HIV/AIDS in Brazil,
many of whom are living in poverty. The Bush Administration's grant
would have imposed scientifically unverifiable, ideological clauses,
such as one that asks the country to officially condemn
prostitution. Signing such a clause would have impeded AIDS
interventions within Brazil, which orchestrates open relationships
with prostitutes, homosexual men, intravenous-drug users and other
high-risk groups in order to fight the pandemic.

"It is a simple fact that in order fight AIDS, it's crucial to work
with the populations that face the greatest risk. It would be a
gross human rights violation to deny them life-saving assistance
based on moral grounds." said Atila Roque, Executive Director of
ActionAid USA, and himself a Brazilian. "That's why we should praise
the Brazilian government's decision, which will help to raise the
stakes of international debate concerning the Bush Administration's
ideological influence over foreign aid policies."

Added ActionAid International USA policy analyst, Rick
Rowden, "HIV/AIDS needs to be battled through a public health
approach which requires close working relationships with the most
vulnerable communities. You can't have a cooperative working
relationship with, say, prostitutes' associations that starts off
with a blanket moral condemnation of them. You might think you've
taken the moral high ground, but that is not the same thing as an
effective anti-HIV/AIDS strategy. From this point on, the US is
going to need to decide if it is going to be moralistic or
effective."

According to Dr. Paul Zeitz,Director of the Global AIDS
Alliance, "In turning down the US grant, the Government of Brazil is
actually protecting people at risk by ensuring science-based
prevention programs are implemented rather than ideologically-based
prevention programs that have no basis in scientific reality. This
is a phenomenal development by Brazil, a sovereign government which
is finally standing up against policies that are doing more harm
than good."

Interestingly, there are no Federal laws within the United States
banning prostitution. As a result, prostitution is legally condoned
within some Nevada counties. According to a 10-year UCLA study, the
occurrence of AIDS within condoned rather than condemned brothels is
significantly lower than that of the general population.

States Almir Pereira Jr, program coordinator for HIV/AIDS at
ActionAid International Brazil, "more than the refusal of accepting
the US grant, the Brazilian government's attitude represents its
commitment towards maintaining a democratic and progressive AIDS
program, as opposed to the conservative vision of the United States.

Unfortunately, it seems that the US policy is taking advantage of
the great poverty and high vulnerability of developing nations to
impose its conservative agenda as a condition for the countries to
receive the financial aid they desperately require."

NOTES TO EDITORS
ActionAid International works in Africa, Asia, Europe and the
Americas to fight global poverty and tackle the injustice that
causes it.

For Immediate Release, April 16, 2005
Sandy Krawitz of ActionAid USA
202-835-1240 or 202-492-7207 (cell),
sandy.krawitz@...
or Tony Durham of ActionAid UK,
44 20 7561 7636 or 44 7957 870314 (mobile) or
tony.durham@...