Best Practices in HIV Research with MSM in Rights-Constrained Environments

Source
mfAR, IAVI, JHU-CPHHR, UNDP
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Year
2011

This resource has been developed both for researchers and community-based organisations in rights-constrained environments. It is intended to help both researchers and community organisations to:

  • Better design and conduct meaningful research on HIV among MSM in challenging social, political and human rights contexts;
  • Provide a check list of factors for researchers and community organisations to consider in the design, conduct and implementation of research studies;
  • Offer lessons learned through case studies of research and community partnership recent successes and challenges.

The HIV community is increasingly aware of the scale, scope and severity of the global epidemics of HIV among MSM. Current interventions for HIV prevention, access to treatment and a range of HIV- and STI- related issues are inadequate. And those treatments supported by evidence of efficacy have not been taken to scale for MSM in much of the world. An ambitious research agenda is urgently required to develop new and combined interventions, to markedly approve access to ARV treatment and, to investigate the role of treatment as a prevention tool for MSM. This is a moment of unprecedented scientific opportunity. Yet enormous challenges face all who are engaged in this effort or seeking to become involved. Not least of these is that in much of the world MSM and other sexual and gender minorities still face discrimination, including discrimination in health care, denial of their existence by some states, and criminal sanctions and social exclusion in others. It remains challenging to undertake research with MSM populations in many places, and in some settings the safety of participants and research and clinical staff can be a very real concern. Yet this important work must be done, and done well.

This guidance, developed by a group of collaborative investigators, community advocates and leaders in the field of HIV work with MSM seeks to address these challenges. It is meant to be a living document, hopefully of use to those working across the spectrum of this research effort.

You can download this 28 page document above. This resource is in English.