The Honourable P. Skelemani to launch Botswana’s first training manual on human rights and HIV

21 November 2005
The Honourable P. Skelemani to launch Botswana’s first training manual on human rights and HIV

GABORONE – The Honourable P. Skelemani, the Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration will officially unveil Botswana’s first-ever human rights resource and training manual related to HIV/AIDS.

The event will take place on Thursday, 24 November 2005 at 8 a.m. at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) where the Minister will deliver the keynote address.

The only one of its kind, Human Rights and HIV: A Manual for Action was developed and published by the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA).

Until the publication of this 14-module, English and Setswana bilingual manual, no training materials existed on human rights and HIV in the country. Its birth was the result of interest in and requests for information on this topic that BONELA staff increasingly faced when meeting face-to-face with the community at the organisation’s training workshops and presentations.

“This is a first step in formalizing education about human rights in the context of the HIV epidemic, which is presenting our society with so many challenges,” said BONELA Director Christine Stegling.

“This initiative will empower members of the community—including people living with HIV and AIDS, health care workers, police officers and other service providers—to understand and apply human rights in their everyday lives.”

BONELA conducted original research to incorporate local experience and insight into a publication uniquely focused on Botswana.

The manual addresses such topics as:

  • Understa nding HIV and AIDS
  • HIV/AIDS and the Law in Botswana
  • The Right to Health
  • Testing for HIV
  • Your Rights at Work
  • Women, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights
  • Men, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights
  • Youth, Children, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights
  • Wills and Inheritance

Human Rights and HIV: A Manual for Action is a key element of BONELA’s training activities. No other non-governmental organisation (NGO) in the country has produced such a comprehensive training programme.

The Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS is a non-governmental organisation committed to integrating an ethical, legal and human rights approach into Botswana’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

For more information, please contact Cynthia Lee, Media Relations Officer at (+267) 393-2516