My books so far សៀវភៅរបស់ខ្ញុំ មកដល់ពេលនេះ

Travelers must checkup for swine flu after coming abroad

From left: Dr. Sok Touch, Director of Communicable Disease Control Department of Cambodia’s Health Ministry, his deputy Dr. Ly Sovann , UNICEF Chief of Communication Marc Vergara, and Dr. Nima Asgari-Jirhandeh, Public Health Specialist: Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response, of the World Health Organization.

By Chhay Sophal
chhaysophal@yahoo.com

Phnom Penh (29 May, 2009): Cambodia health experts on Friday urge their people and other travelers to have medical checkup after returning home from abroad and immediately report to health centers when they suspect of having deadly A(H1N1).

Speaking in a roundtable discussion organized by Club of Cambodian Journalists, Dr. Sok Touch, Director of Communicable Disease Control Department of Cambodia’s Health Ministry, said the ministry has closely worked with World Health Organization (WHO) and other health organizations to thoroughly follow up the virus situation.

“I would like to appeal our brothers and sisters who return from foreign countries please immediately go to have medical checkup after one week when they suspect of having A(H1N1), especially when your temperature is going high,” he said.

Dr. Sok Touch also hinted that the scanner machines at the airports in both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap just track down on high temperature, not A(H1N1), of people who cross by. He said people who catch the virus of A(H1N1) at the first day look normal but the virus can develop in a few days later.

“We also would like to urge people who arrive at the airports and at the border checkpoints to fill the health form properly and faithfully with the clear contact such as address and telephone number so that we can be aware of your health condition later,” he said.

Dr. Ly Sovann, Deputy Director of the Communicable Disease Control Department, said some passengers never fill the health forms provided by the airports’ staff. “We do not know exactly why they do not fill the health form. They could be either aiming to hide their health condition or unaware of their temperature. They must fill it in,” he urged.

Though Cambodia has not yet affected by A(H1N1) ), the global concern, the health experts say the country has been preparing to prevent the virus as much it can.

“We do not have the virus yet in Cambodia right now but we are trying our best to prevent it with support from WHO and others. Cambodia like other nations has its health monitoring system at the airports and at the border checkpoints to follow up the issue in case there is something unseal,” he said.

On 22nd May after getting information from South Korean embassy, Cambodian health authorities searched for three US citizens who shared a flight from the US to South Korea with a person later diagnosed with the virus. The three arrived in Phnom Penh on 17th May and the Cambodian Health Ministry and WHO said the three passengers did not display influenza symptoms at the time of their arrival.

On 25th May a Japanese couple who showed symptoms of flu after traveling by air from Vietnam to Siem Reap have been confirmed that they just had ordinary flue but not A(H1N1).

UNAIDS urges journalists to help reduce stigma and discrimination

Geeta Sethi (left) gives her closing remarks at the seminar with K.P. Madhu, AIBD Programme Manager.

By Chhay Sophal
chhaysophal@yahoo.com

Beijing, China (Monday 27 April, 2009): Because of clear understanding of journalists’
important role in the society, a sentence involving with HIV/AIDS is said “Journalists can save more lives than doctors”.

The sentence was voiced by former UNAIDS Director Dr. Peter Poit and it has been echoed by his colleagues and many other AIDS activists around the globe.

During a two-day regional “Media Leaders’ Seminar” last week in Beijing, China, participants who are journalists and AIDS workers from government institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and international agencies in nine Asian countries agreed with the sentence as they think that journalists really have influence to send the mass public messages on the epidemic and prevention of AIDS, killing millions of people in the world.

Speaking in her opening remarks at the seminar, Geeta Sethi, Manager of Regional Support Team in Asia and the Pacific of APLF which is the sub-division of UNAIDS, also reminded the seminar the sentence adding that journalists really have the most crucial role in responding to AIDS because they have provided opportunity to People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) and AIDS affected people a voice to say what they need from the society, especially the issue regarding to stigma, and discrimination.

She said stigma and discrimination are still the problems and they are the sensitive issues for some nations because of social norms and cultural restriction. Such case, she said, journalists are really necessary and they can help change the negative attitude so that PLHA and other vulnerable people can get care, support, prevention and ARV treatment easily.

In his welcoming remarks, Mr. Li Xiguang, School of Journalism and Communication Executive Director at Tsinghua University in Beijing, also said “Journalism is the destruction weapon for diseases” as he meant that journalists send messages to everywhere in order to let people be aware of the danger of diseases, especially HIV/AIDS that has no medicine to cure so far.

In Cambodia, HIV prevalence among people aged 15 to 49 has dropped by 2% in 1998 to
0.9% in 2006 and according to the National AIDS Authority, the prevalence could fall to 0.5% by 2012. National and international AIDS workers say the drop is a big part of journalists’ participation and that “HIV transmission is so fast but journalists’ message is faster”.

AIDS workers express their concerns that if there is no more effort the second wave of HIV epidemic could return once again, especially return to vulnerable people like beer promotion women, female massagers, karaoke women, men who have sex with men, mobile people/migrants, including pregnant women who can transmit HIV to their babies if they are HIV-positive.

In the Media Leaders’ Seminar held on April 23-24, participants promised to set up communication network in order to provide information to each other and share what they say “Do you know? You might not know. Never give up and don’t forget. Remove discrimination. (Be) the leaders, responsibilities, and stay well inform. Speak out against ignorance, prejudice, and deception,...”. The participants are from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Thailand and Vietnam.

In their group presentation, Cambodian team raised that stigma and discriminations are the worms causing isolation, being unable to access to information, living separation in society, human rights abuse, and poverty while stigma and discrimination become worst and such things can lead to more HIV transmission.

The Cambodian participants also suggested that the reduction of stigma and discrimination for AIDS affected people and other vulnerable persons can be done until there is participation from all sectors with support from law and law enforcement.

Besides communities’ support, they said, the people who matter must be strong themselves and try to build their own capacity as well.

Geeta Sethi on behalf of UNAIDS also agreed with the points and urged again and again media outlets and practitioners to more help continue their movement of stigma and discrimination reduction saying that “Because of stigma and discrimination, we invite journalists in Southeast Asia, including China and Mongolia, to discuss here in China”.

PLHIV and deadly gunbattle between Cambodian-Thai troops at the border

A young lady draws a cart full of her belongs while her sister is pushing from behind. Hundreds of Cambodian villagers, including People Living with HIV (PLHIV), living along the Cambodian-Thai border evacuated their homes after deadly fighting between the Cambodian and Thai troops on 15 October, 2008.

By Chhay Sophal

People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and AIDS workers living and working near the Cambodian-Thai border expressed their satisfaction that the two nations had agreed to resumes talks for peace after the outbreak of deadly fighting in three different places along the border in the northern part of the country on 15 October. They said if the gunbattle had become more serious and extended, it would have caused mass evacuations and interrupted services and food supplies for PLHIV.

The more than one-hour exchange of rocket and gunfire resulted in casualties on both sides. It happened after the four-month standoff along the Cambodian-Thai border, near the ancient temple of Preah Vihear. The standoff started in mid July after the temple was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, which angered Thai nationalists who argue the site belongs to Thailand and who accused their political leadership of caving in by agreeing to the listing.

After the clashes, thousands of Cambodian civilians, including PLHIV, not only near disputed areas but also in some other places along the border evacuated their homes for safety, while Thai citizens in Cambodia also fled after their embassy in Phnom Penh urged evacuations.

“Fearing of fighting eruption, our PLHIV living next to the border moved to the city center for safety,” said Yorn Nath, a HIV-positive widow, living in Pailin, a town several kilometers away from the border in northwestern country. Nath, who is also an HIV peer educator in her community for Battamabng Women’s AIDS Project (BWAP), said she and other PLHIV are happy to hear of the ceasefire. “When fighting erupts along the border, our people fled their homes to escape bullets and artilleries. Such fleeing is affected to our PLHIV who get ARV and food supply from the WFP.”

Ms Ing Siv Heng, BWAP Director, said her organisation covers more than 150 PLHIV just in Pailin. She said she is happy to hear that the two sides are seeking peaceful talks to return to a normal situation. “If fighting happens and extends, our PLHIV are facing challenges with their health.”

It’s time for Cambodian women to take ICT

OPINION

By Chhay Sophal

What is ICT?
It’s the abbreviation of “Information & Communication Technology”

It sounds complicated not only for most of the Cambodian women but also men, beyond the Information Technology (IT). ICT is the art of communicating and sharing information through a computer system. It’s a fast and very powerful tool to post and get the global issues. Because of ICT, nothing can be hidden and cannot be solved in our world. Through the World Wide Web (WWW) or Web Portal and Blogs, we can establish networks to learn and share experiences, lessons learnt, and best practices to each other. With ICT, we’re ready for positive changes of individuals, families, communities, and the whole society. With E-communication/online communication, we can fast exchange our views.

Cambodia’s widely known as one of the least development nations. To remove such unpopular name from the world list, capacity building is the key part that the Royal Government, especially the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Veterans, in the fourth mandate and NGOs must put into their strategic and operational plans. And capacity building must think about gender equality. Most of the Cambodian women still rely on their spouses in terms of family business and finance. Husbands are the breadwinners and sometimes making decision without consulting with their wives. After marriage, women are responsible for housework, especially looking after children and cooking. They have no chance to take their knowledge to apply in the outside world. Due to the country’s cultural norm deeply rooted in the Cambodians’ concepts, low education, lacking of accessibility to information, and law enforcement, sexual harassment, rape, violent, cheating, sexual exploitation and trafficking, stigma and discrimination still exist in the current Cambodian society. But now, we need a change for our progress, dignity, and prosperity. When women are empowered with IT knowledge and more accessibility to ICT, they get lots of useful information to improve their life quality wherever they are. Through their dialogues on Web Portal and Blogs, women can find solutions to problems, obstacles and challenges they’re facing. Through ICT, women can be aware of, for instance, having sex and marriage at young age can badly affect to their reproductive health. With ICT, women can understand about safe sex without getting HIV transmission and other Sexual Transmission Diseases. When women are healthy, their families are healthy with happiness and the society is also in the same situation.

Notably, countries taking the policy of gender equity and their citizens can equally access to ICT are the open societies with democracy, human rights respect, and rule of law. Women can make a good society. For instance, children are closer and friendlier with mothers than fathers. When mothers have high knowledge and good advices, the children will become the good kids and good citizens in the society. Women, therefore, are the most important developing partners in both inside and outside families. With ICT, women know what’s happening around them so that they can prevent themselves, their families and communities.

To reach these, women must get training and capacity strengthening on IT, especially the basis of computer system. With IT, women can access to WWW or Web Portal and create their Blogs. However, women must have strong commitment to build their capacity. While human resource’s provided to women, all school-aged girls must also be sent to school. Parents must send daughters to school and provide them equal opportunity with the sons to get general knowledge and IT.

That’s why IT knowledge and accessibility to ICT are the essential parts of women’s participation in development. It’s time for women to take ICT in the IT era.

AIDS education in driving schools and buses

A bus taking passengers from Battambang province to Phnom Penh on 20 September played DVD on Mr. Bean to entertain its passengers. The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation wants to insert spots on HIV and AIDS during the entertainment.

By Chhay Sophal
In an effort to raise public awareness on HIV and AIDS
and to bring the country’s AIDS prevalence down from 0.9%,
the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation has started
cooperating with both state and private driving schools.
It is also finding partners or donors to produce some
spots to be shown on public buses.

In his session on the second day of the three-day 3rd National AIDS Conference, Mr. Vann Than, official from Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, said that as part of its National Operational Plan, the ministry plans to have such projects nationwide. “Between 1,500 and 2,000 people get licenses from the driving schools every month just only in Phnom Penh capital. This is a bit huge number. It is therefore a good opportunity to raise awareness for them. If the driving students fail to answer the questions on AIDS, they cannot pass the exam to get the license,” he said. There are more than 10 driving schools in Phnom Penh, and most of them have their branches in provinces, he added.

According to Mr. Vann Than, the ministry also wants to have a project to produce spots on HIV and AIDS and the spots will be shown on buses taking passengers from Phnom Penh to provinces. “Each bus has VCD and DVD players. So the drivers can show the spots to their passengers, a big part of raising awareness on the epidemics and its effect. But such project we need partners and donors.”

There are several private public transportations and thousands of passengers travel on them daily, according to Mr. Vann Than.

Govt. official: Prostitution crackdown and AIDS prevention need to be reconciled

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Council of Minister Sok An gives his remark at the closing 3rd National AIDS Conference.

By Chhay Sophal

In a demonstration of his understanding of some of the challenges in responding to HIV that have arisen due to the country’s new law on “Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation”, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An has urged AIDS workers to send a joint-appropriate request to the royal government to help review the law.

Speaking in his closing remarks on the final day of the three-day 3rd National AIDS Conference on 12 September, H.E Sok An, who is also Minister of the Council of Ministers, said he really understands the difficulties that strict implementation of the law causes for AIDS workers who work for HIV prevention through condom use

The anti-trafficking law was launched on 15 February this year with the aim of cracking down on crimes of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. The controversial article 23 states: “Prostitution in this law shall mean having sexual intercourse with an unspecified person or other sexual conduct of all kinds in exchange for any value”.

Since the launching of the law, sex workers and AIDS activists have expressed their concerns over local police warning owners of karaoke parlors, night clubs, bars and hotels that they will be finned if their premises contain condoms. According to reports of a few NGOs, since the inception of the law many brothels have closed and sex workers are in hiding while people are afraid of talking openly about or displaying condoms. The reports said such law enforcement affects the 100 % of condom use program, and may lead to the widespread of HIV and AIDS. Some sex workers also made complaints that they were arrested by local police and asked for money for their releases.

On 4 June, a group of sex workers gathered in Phnom Penh to urge the government and lawmakers to revise the law. As a result of this law, they said, sex workers are being arrested, detained, fined and forced out of their jobs. According to the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and STDs (NCHADS), there are an estimated 3,430 direct sex workers and 13,723 indirect sex workers in Cambodia.

In his reaction, H.E Sar Kheng, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, said that sex workers had to prove that his police had committed such acts in order for the ministry to take legal action to punish them.

Based on the country’s roper custom, culture, reputation and dignity, Deputy Prime Minster So An said, prostitution is unacceptable. He, however, recognized the truth that prostitution is everywhere around the world, including Cambodia, and that “the crackdown and complete elimination of prostitution in the current situation is an absolutely impossible mission”.

Sok An said he also learnt that police had arrested some women who have condoms as police suspected that they are sex workers. Because of this, he said, sex workers are hiding in secret places where they cannot access condoms, which leads to HIV transmission. He said he had talked to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sar Kheng to find an effective way for crackdown on prostitution that does not affect HIV prevention.

Sok An’s reaction was made after Ms. Erin Soto, Mission Director of USAID/Cambodia, had mentioned in her opening remark at the first day of the conference that the 100% condom use program would only remain effective if “condoms are available in all entertainment establishment”. She said cooperation is needed to “ensure implementation of the new anti-trafficking legislation does not hinder the continued success of HIV prevention program”.

Sok An compared the law enforcement and HIV prevention to taking medicine for health. “If we take much Aspirin to release headache, it can affect stomach. It is the same. If we strictly implement the law it can affect HIV prevention. Therefore, prostitution crackdown and AIDS prevention must go together. While we are keeping the country’s cultural value, we also want to have HIV prevention in the country at the same time”.