Public Participation of Men Who Have Sex with Men in the Context of Community Empowerment in India

Introduction:

HIV epidemic in India is a major public health concern, featuring high prevalence and infection rates in many states and among high risk groups (HRGs) . Men who have sex with men (MSM) are a high-risk group(HRG) noted for high HIV prevelance and risk status globally and in India . Add latest reference. 

MSM in India remain largely hidden due to social and cultural stigma and the stigmatizing socio-cultural environment, hinders them from accessing essential preventive services from existing social spaces . MSM population has been prioritized under the National AIDS Control Programme but this population remains hard to reach due to high stigmatization, social stigma, and discrimination prevailing in the In

dian society. In addition criminalization of MSM activity by the Indian penal code under section 377 adds to their societieal vulnerability.

In this context of vulnerability, the “organized participation” of MSM in open public spaces, where they identify themselves as MSM without stigma or fear, could be a proxy factor of empowerment against structural barriers that criminalize and stigmatize them.

Studies have highlighted in general, the positive relation of HRG “participation”, with their practice of preventive sexual behaviors . We assessed the MSM “public participation” in an empowerment context, through which they address structural barriers. Our study pertains to the MSM participation in “public” spaces which is a first of its kind in distinguishing and assessing the so far theoretically defined participations in the contextsof community mobilization .

The study used a well represented high risk population which was undergoing wider “community mobilization” process in India. Thus it provided the opportunity to quantitatively verify and assess the transforming nature of participation from a “utilitarian tool” to an “empowerment tool” in a community mobilization process, the factors of community mobilization which influences such participations and other contextual factors.