Social Repercussions of HIV in China

Our inaugural event is Friday, December 2, at 10:00 in room 3335, Dwinelle Hall UC-Berkeley (see map).

It will feature short presentations by three people doing pioneering work involving HIV/AIDS in China and a discussion afterwards about the challenges facing China and its citizens in responding to this disease.

Stigma and Discrimination Facing MSM in Shanghai, China
Jenny X. Liu
UC Berkeley, Public Policy, International and Area Studies
UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies

In China, men who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk for HIV. Prevention efforts may be hindered because of stigma facing individuals who practice same-gender sex in Chinese culture. This discussion will highlight some important findings about the types and sources of stigma and discrimination facing MSM from 30 interviews conducted with MSM in Shanghai, China. We make a distinction between felt or perceived stigma and enacted stigma, the latter which involves overt discrimination. Moreover, we document the various ways in which individuals respond to stigma and how stigma influences their behavior.

Incarcerated Sex Workers in China
Joseph D. Tucker, MD
University of California San Francisco Internal Medicine Department

Tens of thousands of Chinese sex workers are coercively detained each year in female "re-education centers" for the purposes of STD/HIV surveillance and case finding as well as moral education. As HIV seroprevalence data from antenatal clinics in parts of southern China suggest that heterosexual transmission among low risk individuals is occurring, connecting incarcerated sex workers to STD referral systems and other public health resources is increasingly important. Chinese administrative detention systems for incarcerated sex workers have not traditionally been linked to HIV/STD information, condom promotion, or skills training. Currently very little is known about what happens to women before, during, and after incarceration. This talk will describe what is known about incarcerated sex workers in China and identify areas for future research in this area.

Targeted Help to HIV/AIDS Victims in Rural China
Humphrey Wou
Program Director, AIDS Relief Fund for China

HIV spread through central China because of poverty. Rural villagers donated blood in exchange for money in the mid 90's. Massive numbers of plasma donors contracted blood born diseases, including HIV/AIDS. Now a decade later, the devastation of these rural villages is well-known. "Sentinals of Henan" is a nine-minute film on the plight of an AIDS village in China. Few people have had the opportunity to visit these places where close to half of the population is affected by HIV/AIDS. But because of the compassionate local volunteers, children will see new hope for the future.

Open to the public
Snacks and socializing to follow
C0-sponsored by CCS