Initiative to fight discrimination in Asia-Pacific
PUBLISHED: 8 Nov 2024 at 05: 30
A chemical gender health toolkit was unveiled yesterday during a two-day conference in Bangkok by two UN organizations.
The toolkit is intended to provide medical to those who engage in biochemical sex, ensuring that those who do so are protected from stigmatization.
Chemical sex ( chemsex ) is the use of specific drugs to enhance or prolong sexual experiences.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS ) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime launched the toolkit on the last day of the “6th Asia-Pacific Chemsex Symposium: Pleasures, Policies, Possibilities”. The Institute of HIV Research and Innovation, Universiti Malaya, Swing Thailand, HEART Taiwan, and the Malaysian Aids Foundation simultaneously held the conference.
The conference aimed to increase members ‘ knowledge of chemsex techniques, substance policies, and their implications for medical systems in the Asia-Pacific area. It looked at people-centred, community-led versions of chemsex-related company shipments, including harm reduction providers and local policies.
The kit focuses on how to provide complete medical to lesbian, bisexual, and transgender men and women, according to Suniya Taimour, the UNAIDS Pakistan Country Office Community-Led Response Advisor for Pakistan and Afghanistan.
” It has been developed jointly… It includes the viewpoints and personal experience of significant groups in various nations, according to Ms. Taimour. Through various components, it likewise provided tutorials, tools, and education, and it emphasizes that engaging with those who have engaged in chemsex must be done in a very sympathetic and compassionate way.
She added that this kit takes into account the gender and gender issues that many people in Asia-Pacific countries face face.
When asked what issues arise when those engaged in chemsex frequently have access to care, Ms. Taimour said there is a lot of stigma against these individuals. She even gave instances of medical professionals refraining from providing quality care because they lacked knowledge about using drugs and having chemsex. Often, healthcare professionals rely too much on the patients ‘ medication use behaviour, making them neglect they are duty-bound to provide patients considerate and compassionate healthcare.
When asked how this toolkit was gain Thailand, she said that, in comparison to other countries in the Asia-Pacific area, Thailand is considered liberal. She suggested that Thailand could use this kit to increase awareness of the issue among healthcare professionals. She continued,” We can start small by demonstrating what a good example is to others across borders and in other service.”