Spotlighting the masculine vulnerabilities to AIDS

Two-day exhibition calls for engaging men in necessary interventions.

With an objective to raise awareness on how men’s behaviour, attitudes and practices are contributing towards the spread of HIV and AIDS, a two-day exhibition displaying traditional truck art opened at Nomad Art Gallery on Saturday, said a press release.

The exhibition is a part of “Driving on Empty - a truck art based HIV and AIDS prevention and advocacy initiative”, implemented by Amal Human Development Network with the support from Direct Aid Programme of the Australian High Commission.

The campaign aims at investigating and understanding vulnerabilities of truck drivers to HIV and AIDS, which puts their sexual partners, spouses and unborn children at risk as well. The combination of research and work with truck drivers and truck artists has resulted in producing a series of moving testimonials and panels that express the experiences, hopes and fears of respondents in a sensitive and unique manner.

These testimonials have been translated into artwork to highlight their vulnerabilities, besides advocating for a need to design programmes and interventions with a masculinity lens.

The study of masculinities within the gender discourse is critical to understand the underlying root causes that sustain and promote masculine norms leading to increased vulnerability to AIDS, said the press statement.

Engaging men as partners in the efforts against HIV and AIDS thus becomes the most reliable way to change the course of the disease.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2012.