The [him] moderator wonders how international NGOs in Myanmar who receive USAID funding are handling the tricky issue of the prostitution pledge.

Have PSI, Medecins du Monde, or Medecins sans Frontieres Holland (AZG) signed a pledge? Have they responded to this survey?

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Comment: Prostitution pledge survey
Jodi Jacobson, USA

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Dear Friends,
 
Thank you for your responses to date to our survey on the prostitution loyalty oath and please keep them coming!  
 
We have received similar questions from several sources on key issues regarding the survey and thought we would answer them here so everyone has the same information.
 
1) We are well aware that contracts contain other kinds of restrictive language and also that many organizations are facing restrictions under US policy--such as on prevention programming-- in addition to the loyalty oath.  As many of you know, we have been and will continue to collect, analyze and disseminate information on all such restrictions, so do not hesitate to send this other information where and when appropriate.  In the case of this particular survey, we are simply trying to collect as much information as possible on the prostitution loyalty oath.
 
2) We are aware that *individuals*--rather than just organizations--have been asked to sign the prostitution pledge both in the context of signing grant agreements on behalf of their organizations as well as in the context even of individual consultancies.  We DO want to hear from you on these issues....so yes, even if you are responding individually, pls do so.
 
3) We are attempting to get the survey translated and out in other languages.
 
We are very grateful for your solidarity and partnership in this effort.  

Jodi Jacobson

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Sent by : Jodi Jacobson
Email : jjacobson@genderhealth.org

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Dear Friends
 
The Center for Health and Gender Equity has received funding to expand its
work on documenting the effects of the United States Leadership Against
HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Act of 2003 (the President's Emergency Plan for
AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR) on HIV/AIDS efforts.   One part of this effort
concerns documenting the "prostitution loyalty oath," or "prostitution
pledge" that must be signed by organizations receiving funding from the US
government and working with highly vulnerable and marginalized populations.
(For more information on this policy, see background documents at
<http://www.genderhealth.org/loyaltyoath.php>
http://www.genderhealth.org/loyaltyoath.php).   
 
We are therefore conducting both a broad based survey---building on an
earlier, limited-site survey conducted last year---as well as carrying out
in-depth, on-the-ground research in four countries.  If you are affected by
this policy and are able to share your experiences, please respond to this
survey.  If you prefer that we contact you by phone, please see instructions
below.  All contact information and other details will be held
confidentially and participants will have a chance to review the products of
this work before it is completed.
 
Results of the survey will be used to inform policymakers, program managers,
constituency groups and others seeking to support effective programs in the
fight against HIV/AIDS.
 
About this effort:  We are aware that many NGOs are signing agreements that
could restrict their ability to work with commercial sex workers on HIV
prevention and/or to promote the basic human rights of those engaging in
both commercial and transactional sex work.  We are concerned that these
agreements compel organizations and the individuals within them to take a
position that is at once objectionable and also vague.  Furthermore, the
rights of organizations and individuals conducting work related to HIV and
AIDS to freely express themselves may be curbed by the signing of such
agreements and could result in further stigmatizing a group of people for
whom resources for prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS are already
scarce.
 
We therefore are asking for input from NGOs receiving funding under PEPFAR,
whether directly or indirectly whether under or through agreements held by
USAID, the Centers for Disease Control, the US Department of Health and
Human Services, or under or through sub-agreements with cooperating
agreements of the US government.  We would like to hear from groups that
have signed the 'prostitution pledge' or are contemplating signing a
financial or technical agreement that includes this pledge.
 
The Survey: While we will be conducting intensive interviews on this issue
in several countries, we also want to get a broader idea of what is
happening with this policy in various settings.  So irrespective of where
you are, if you are working under or being asked to sign this pledge, please
participate.  If you engaged in this survey last year, we will be contacting
you to follow up.
 
Ideally, we would ask that you fill out and send us back the entire survey,
which is available at  <http://www.genderhealth.org/pubs/survey.rtf>
http://www.genderhealth.org/pubs/survey.rtf. .  If you prefer to conduct the
interview by phone, please send us a phone number and other relevant contact
information on who you are and how we can reach you.  At a minimum, we would
like to know the following.
 
1. What work does your organization do with vulnerable populations such as
commercial sex workers or others engaged in sex work informally?
 
2. Has your organization signed the "prostitution loyalty oath, and if so
when?
 
3. Under what type of agreement and with what actor (e.g. a cooperating
agency and/or directly with a US government mission or agency)?
 
4. Did you question the pledge at the time of signing and what was the
response from your US government counterpart?
 
5. Have you developed a policy 'opposing prostitution' and what does it look
like?
 
6. Do you receive funds from other donors and have you informed these donors
that you have signed the pledge.  How have they responded?
 
Again, if you don't have the time to answer these questions, but do want to
participate in the survey, please send us an email with your name and a
phone number so that we can call you to talk through your experiences.  This
will inform us in thinking about how these issues affect indigenous civil
society groups fighting AIDS.   And again, we recognize the importance of
ensuring confidentiality and will not publish or discuss any of the names of
organizations that contact us without explicit consent.  
 
With all best wishes,
 

Jodi L. Jacobson
Executive Director

Jodi Jacobson, Executive Director
Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 910
Takoma Park, Maryland 20912
Phone (301) 270-1182
Fax: (301) 270-2052
jjacobson@genderhealth.org
www.genderhealth.org

Jodi Jacobson, Executive Director
Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 910
Takoma Park, Maryland 20912
Phone (301) 270-1182
Fax: (301) 270-2052
jjacobson@genderhealth.org
www.genderhealth.org

 ======

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