In The Picture : A situational analysis of LGBTI health and rights in Southern Africa

M. Ricardo, B. Langen, O. Odumosu, T. Johnston

In order to obtain a good understanding of the context in which LGBTIs live, including the political and social climate, the extent of the HIV epidemic and the HIV/AIDS response in their respective countries, COC Netherlands - in collaboration with its partner organisations - carried out baseline studies on the health and human-rights situation of key populations in a number of countries, each of which is considered in this report. Conducted between 2012 and 2014, those baseline studies focused on three key populations: their primary focus was on LGBTIs, but they also mapped out the situation for sex workers and injecting drug users (IDU). The baseline documents present an overview of the exact situation in terms of legal obstacles, legal protections and HIV-response policies in the countries studied, as well as the extent to which those policies include or fail to include the specific key populations mentioned above. Baseline studies were carried out in Angola (2014), Botswana (2012), Lesotho (2014), Malawi (2013), Mozambique (2014), Namibia (2014), South Africa (2013), Swaziland (2013), Zambia (2014) and Zimbabwe (2013).