VIH/SIDA – French for HIV/AIDS. After six months of living with a French host-family, I discovered the power of this word when I uttered it for the first time a few weeks ago. The whole family had just watched a two-hour fundraising telethon for Sidaction featuring musical performances on the streets of Paris by high-profile artists including Seal and Celine Dion. With concerned looks, my host parents had called to make a donation and listened intently to the statistics and preventive messages being expressed by the hosts.
Having observed their reaction to the program, I thought they might be open to discussing the topic. I brought it up at lunch a couple of days later. “I’m writing a blog entry about French perceptions of HIV/AIDS,” I said. “What do you think?” The table fell silent. My host parents puffed their cheeks, looked shocked, guilty and sad then swiftly changed the subject. I, in turn, lowered my eyes, not with embarrassment but with disappointment that despite an intense three-day fundraising and awareness campaign broadcast on 11 national television and 5 radio stations it had remained a taboo topic of conversation.
Not to let this be my only point of reference, I sought out Sabina, a caseworker at the local branch of AIDES (a national AIDS Awareness Association in the nearby city of Chartres. Located 80 km from Paris and with a population of 90,000, it is the capital of the Eure-et-Loire region where we live. She was not surprised by my hosts’ reaction and the size of their centre revealed that it’s not just residents, but the local government that are turning a blind eye to the AIDS pandemic in France.
Sitting in the center’s tiny lounge Sabina shared her observations about the region, which echoed many of the statistics I found on the National Health Institute’s website.
- In 2007, over 50% of newly reported cases were among heterosexuals
- About a quarter of new cases in 2007 were among immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa; most cases are still among French nationals
- The number of women, as a proportion of new cases, increased from 20.5% in 2001 to 31.3% in 2006
Aside from sharing literature such as the latest copy of the Remaides magazine, and free condoms, she told me about the populations she’s involved with – mainly gay men, migrant women and intravenous drug users.
In the absence of a gay club, or even openly gay-friendly hang-out, in Chartres, Sabina is forced to seek out this group in the woods, where meetings are pre-arranged via the internet. In the company of male volunteers, Sabina makes regular visits to the most commonly designated areas to dispense condoms and information for anyone concerned about recent risky encounters.
Among the women she works with (largely from Sub-Saharan Africa), she noted that most contracted HIV after arriving on French soil. The hardship associated with their displacement makes them vulnerable to risky sexual behaviour, especially since it is difficult to escape abusive relationships.
Aside from providing a confidential, non-judgmental space for empowerment and open communication, AIDES also works to dispel stereotypes and prejudice; but Sabina lamented the slow pace of change with respect to social values. A lack of acceptance and visibility in Chartres has kept progress slow; and the lack of communication between the various HIV/AIDS-related associations in the region has further impeded efforts to strengthen the community. Sabina refuses to be discouraged, however; despite its low-profile, AIDES Chartres continues to be funded almost solely through private, albeit anonymous, donations – a sign that the general population is more concerned than they might let on.
By: Emilie Zaloum
Born in Montreal, Emilie made Calgary her home in 2005. She has spent the last three years living and traveling between Japan, Canada and France. Emilie is an AIDS Calgary volunteer.
What are your thoughts? Do you think Canadians have a more progressive view of HIV in our country? Do Canadians still consider HIV a taboo topic?
0 comments:
Post a Comment