CIVIL SOCIETY CALLED TO LOBBY FOR PRISONER ACCESS TO HIV PREVENTION

Enayi Phiri

The Commissioner General of Malawi Prison Services Masauko Wiscot has called on Civil Society Organizations in Malawi to lobby with government to explore ways of making condoms accessible to prisoners to help reduce HIV infection. He said illegality of homosexuality in Malawi prisons constrains accessibility of condoms to prisoners. He noted that Malawi Prisons has been receiving calls from various stakeholders which needs attention.

In an exclusive interview with Network of Journalists Living with HIV (JONEHA) during a Steering Committee Meeting for Malawi Prisons held at Ekhaya Hotel in Mangochi on 15^th and 16^th February 2024 Mr. Wiscot explained that the irony of introducing condoms in prison will indirectly mean accepting homosexuality in prisons. He said this is so because in prison people are kept according to sex; so there is no mixing of females and males. For this reason, the law of no same sex marriages is restricting Prison authorities in Malawi from distributing condoms to prisoners.

Masauko Wiscot  There are lessons for Malawi from Lesotho

However, he shared interesting lessons from Lesotho which has the same context with Malawi. That despite the law against same sex marriages in Lesotho; they make condoms available and accessible to the prisoners in bathrooms and toilets. This has helped to reduce HIV infections in prisons. Wiscot further said whether people can accept or deny it; sexual activities happen behind scenes in prison. This has been evident in situations where a prisoner tests HIV negative on admission but positive on discharge. Currently; Malawi Prison Services HIV prevalence is at 16.3% while the 2024 UNAIDS Spectrum HIV Estimates Data put the national HIV prevalence for Malawi at 7.7% for the 15 to 49. This means Prison services is more than twice higher than the national prevalence.

Malawi Prison Service Steering Committee sharing lessons from Lesotho

In addition; Wiscot said since the issue of making condoms available in prison is a constitutional issue; it is beyond the mandate of Malawi Prison Services. However; being part of government; it has the responsibility to look into the issue for addressing. But government as law custodian and enforcer needs to be moved by national stakeholders like the Civil Society who can lobby for it. The basis for lobbying would be existing evidence about practices in prison that have the potential to transmit HIV. There are also policies that promote prevention of HIV transmission among Malawians irrespective of where they are. We must therefore find a way of developing a mechanism through which the prisoners can benefit from the national policies as they also have the same health rights like those outside it. CSOs should therefore continue to lobby on how prisoners can benefit from such health rights and be part of the national HIV prevention efforts.

SADC Minimum Standards for HIV and AIDS, TB, Hepatitis B and C, and Sexually Transmitted Infections Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support in Prisons in the SADC region reports that most prisoners are males aged between 19 and 35 years; age groups in which HIV prevalence tend to be high. In addition; the Minimum standards call upon all SADC member countries including Malawi to provide services that reach all members of society including individuals in prisons and other places of detention.