First National E-Forum on Women and HIV Begins! (2010)
Beginning today, July 12, HIV positive women, advocates, and attorneys can share their experiences as part of a nationwide online community conversation led by HIV positive women and HIV rights advocates at the Summer 2010 Women's Advocacy Resource Connection National Electronic Forum (WARC E-Forum).
The goal of the WARC E-Forum is to share experiences and to learn where the gaps are in human and civil rights protections for women living with HIV. We hope to gather these shared experiences to help inform the White House Office of National AIDS Policy on how the National HIV/AIDS Strategy can most effectively be implemented to respect the needs and rights of HIV positive women on a practical day-to-day level. The information collected through the forum also can help women and their advocates get a better sense of where we need to focus in making sure policies attend to the real needs and experiences of women living with HIV around the country.
The WARC E-Forum is hosted by the Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP), and co-facilitated by the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights, American Bar Association AIDS Coordinating Committee, WORLD/Positive Women's Network, Women of Color United, Latino Commission on AIDS, The National Association of People With AIDS, and HIV Law Project, among other community partners.
Below is a schedule of discussion topics for the WARC E-Forum. Participants may join at any time, as often as they wish, and can join in and add to previous discussions.
First week: (July 12-31, 2010): Direct Service Interactions/Experiences
This week's topics will include discussions on how HIV positive women have been treated in various direct services areas, including but not limited to, housing, reproductive health, health care, and employment.
Moderators Include:
Naina Khanna, Director of Policy and Community Organizing, WORLD/Positive Women's Network
Brook Kelly, J.D., HIV Human Rights Attorney, WORLD/Positive Women's Network
Aziza Ahmed, J.D., M.S., Northeastern University
Alison Yager, J.D., Staff Attorney, HIV Law Project
Antoinettea Etienne, Client Advocate, Iris House
Second Week: (July 19-31, 2010): Local/Regional Policies
Starting this week the WARC E-Forum will address strategies to improve local and regional policies as applied to HIV positive women. (Women will still be able to weigh in on the previous week's topic if they wish).
Moderators Include:
Jacqui Patterson, Organizer/Co-Founder, Women of Color United
Hadiyah Charles, Board Member, CHLP WARC Advisory Board
Dr. Miriam Vega, Ph.D., Director of Research and Evaluation, Latino Commission on AIDS
Third Week: (July 26-31, 2010): International Human Rights and National Policy Strategies
This week's topic will analyze how an international human rights framework can best address a national approach to the needs of HIV positive women. (Women will still be able to weigh in on the previous week's topics if they wish).
Moderators Include:
Vignetta Charles, Vice President, Programs and Evaluation, National AIDS Fund
Brook Kelly, J.D., HIV Human Rights Attorney, WORLD/Positive Women's Network
Sam and Christina Rodriguez, SMARTYouth Founders, SMART
Vanessa Johnson, J.D., Executive Vice President, National Association of People With AIDS (NAPWA)
Dr. Miriam Vega, Ph.D., Director of Research and Evaluation, Latino Commission on AIDS