Social Work with People Practicing Same-Sex ... - ILGA Europe

Sweden: the State Organizes a Network of Friendly Clinics
Another common problem faced by many communities is a traditionally hostile attitude
to MSM by governmental health care facilities. In such situation not every representative
of this group would dare to tell an urologist about the cause of rectal bleeding, anal
itching, ulcers on the balanus or in the mouth. Rees et al (2004) found that most MSM
prefer to be served by physicians, who belong to gay community themselves. If there is
an insufficient number of such physicians, then the establishment of specialized dropin
centres or medical facilities for MSM can be another solution to this problem. For
example, such clinic that provides services exclusively to MSM operates in Stockholm,
Sweden. Founded in 1992, Venhalsan clinic structurally belongs to the department
of infectious diseases of the Karolinska Institutet, but it is located in the Central
Hospital of Southern Stockholm in the downtown. Today this clinic provided health
and psychological services to more than 630 HIV positive MSM and is involved in the
more general HIV prevention work and provides free medical consultations, testing for
HIV, syphilis, hepatitis A and B, and gonorrhoea without a preliminary registration. All
visitors of the clinic are offered to be vaccinated against hepatitis B for free. Medical
personnel of the clinic include 24 specialists and its doors are open for everybody 5
days a week. In 2006 alone it registered 11,400 patients. Venhalsan clinic is funded
from the local budget.
India: MSM Centre Provides Services to Victims of Violence
Another typical situation for many communities is when MSM become victims of violence
on the part of radical groupings or police, or when young gay find themselves in
the street after their sexual orientation has become known to their parents. That
is why many countries have crisis intervention centres that have the goal to
prevent and overcome the consequences of violence against MSM, LGBT, as well
as male and female sex workers. For example, there are two small drop-in centres
in Delhi, India, called Development, Advocacy and Research Trust, or DART, which
can serve as a shelter for MSM, WSW and transgender people who suffered from
violence. On of the DART centres is located in Uttam Nagar in West Delhi, and
the other one in Shastri Park, East Delhi (now it is balancing on the brink of
closure due to the lack of funds to maintain it). The centre in Shastri Park has
a 17-strong staff — six outreach workers and 11 peer educators from among
local MSM and transgender people. On Sundays, 20 to 50 MSM and representatives of
transgender community gather here to dance, debate and hold other cultural activities.
The clients are low income people and most of them cannot read and write. That is why
they are taught Hindi language and helped to open bank accounts. According to Charan
Singh, DART Project Coordinator, a long term solution of the Indian MSM problems lies
in the development of the sense of self-respect and skills to independently improve
their social and economic status. That is why in addition to health and psychological
consultations, referrals to health specialists to the state clinic, condoms distribution,
provision of social support and education on HIV/AIDS and safer sex, and organization
of leisure time, the DART drop-in centres also train their clients in various handicrafts,
e.g., production of postcards, embroidery, etc. Besides, thrice a week, members of DART
outreach team (each of which include one social worker and six peer educators) go to
cruising areas and public toilets all over Delhi, such as places in Dhaula Kuan, Mehrauli,
Kalyanpur, Najafgarh, Janakpuri and Badarpur where MSM and transgender people use
to gather. The teams communicate with them, distribute condoms, and counsel them
about protective sex measures and HIV/AIDS information. Over the past 10 years, DART
has supported approximately 26,000 MSM and transgender people.
Taking into account the social heterogeneity of MSM community (which included the
representatives of middle class, students, working youth, school students, sex workers
and others), many organizations develop their prevention, social and health programmes
to meet the specific needs of specific target groups (e.g., legalization of new names for
transgender people, etc.).
Clients and social workers
of NGO “Self Employed Welfare”,
Karimnagar, India
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