©InfoFormer university students, Cong Cong (30) and Xiao Pao (25) set up their own support group for men who have sex with men in Nanning, Guangxi province. Calling themselves the Sunshine Working Team, they work to raise awareness of HIV mainly among students in the city.
The local Red Cross branch works closely with the organisation as a vital bridge to this group of people who are particularly vulnerable to HIV.
“We started referring people for HIV testing in 2006,” Cong said. “After that summer vacation, two people emerged as HIV positive. There are still a lot of people who do not go for testing, so the picture is not clear.
“We focus on the men who have sex with men population at the universities – we are able to identify them through our own contacts. We have established a reputation as HIV peer educators.”
Cong described how there is a high level of discrimination among the general population against men who have sex with men and people with HIV.
Guangxi province has a total population of 48.5 million people, ranks fifth from the bottom economically out of 31 provinces, and has the third highest number of HIV infections in China.
Encourage HIV tests
Li Hong, from Guangxi Red Cross branch, said that based on analysis of the epidemiology the epidemic is double that reported, with 60 to 70,000 people living with HIV by the end of 2007.
“Men who have sex with men are hidden in society but recently people have become more open and we are moving to a more diverse society,” she said.
However, she added that a lot more work needs to be done to address stigma and educate the general public on how HIV is transmitted.
Cong agreed that reducing discrimination is key to encouraging more people to get tested and help reduce the spread of HIV: “It is important that we eliminate discrimination against men who have sex with men to help us reach more people with information on HIV and safe sex.”
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