送交者: xj 于 2005-5-02, 15:52:38:
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Wall Street Journal
Monday, May 2, 2005, page A3
Brazil Refuses U.S. AIDS Funds, Rejects Conditions
By MICHAEL M. PHILLIPS in Washington and MATT MOFFETT in Rio de
Janeiro, Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Brazil refused $40 million in American AIDS grants to protest the U.S.
requirement that recipients first sign a pledge condemning
prostitution.
Brazil's decision escalates a global fight over the moral strings
President Bush and his conservative allies in Congress attach to
foreign assistance, especially when it comes to sex, drugs and AIDS
prevention in developing nations.
Brazil is seen by some as a model in the battle against the spread of
AIDS, and Brazilian officials say that is in part because they deal in
an accepting, open way with prostitutes, homosexual men,
intravenous-drug users and other high-risk groups. The Brazilians say
it would hobble their work if they complied with U.S. demands and
forced groups that implement AIDS programs -- including prostitutes'
associations -- to condemn prostitution.
"We can't control [the disease] with principles that are Manichean,
theological, fundamentalist and Shiite," said Pedro Chequer, director
of Brazil's AIDS program and chairman of the national commission that
made the decision to turn down further U.S. money as long as the
antiprostitution pledge requirement remains in place. He said the
commission members, including cabinet ministers, scientists, church
representatives and outside activists, viewed U.S. demands as
"interference that harms the Brazilian policy regarding diversity,
ethical principles and human rights."
Brazil appears to be the first major recipient nation to take such a
definitive stand against U.S. efforts to link billions of dollars in
foreign aid to conservative responses to social ills. Some Republican
lawmakers in Washington are pressing to cut off federal grants to
those who don't support the president's views promoting sexual
abstinence, condemning prostitution and opposing clean-needle
exchanges for drug-users. Meanwhile, the White House has steered more
federal money to groups that bring a religious orientation to overseas
health programs.
"Obviously, Brazil has the right to act however it chooses in this
regard," said Sen. Sam Brownback (R., Kan.), one of the leaders of the
conservative cause on Capitol Hill. He said he hoped the money would
be redirected to countries whose AIDS policies are more in line with
those of the Bush administration and the Republican-controlled
Congress. "We're talking about promotion of prostitution, which the
majority of both the House and the Senate believe is harmful to
women," he said.
Last week, Brazilian authorities wrote the U.S. Agency for
International Development, one of the main distributors of official
American aid, explaining the decision to reject the remainder of the
grant, which began in 2003 and was to run through 2008 for a total of
$48 million.
The American money was a small part of Brazil's overall anti-AIDS
push. About 90% of Brazil's total funding for AIDS programs comes from
its own revenue, with 7% or 8% coming from the World Bank and the rest
from the U.S. and other governments. Dr. Chequer said the Brazilian
government would increase its funding to make up for the lost U.S.
funds.
USAID spokeswoman Roslyn Matthews said yesterday the agency is still
reviewing the Brazilian decision. "This is an evolving situation," she
said. "We are in the process of determining next steps."
Prostitution isn't a crime in Brazil, and prostitutes' associations
are among the most active groups engaged in anti-AIDS work. The U.S.
money was to have included $190,000 for eight prostitutes' groups
around Brazil, according to Gabriela Leite, coordinator of the
Brazilian Network of Sex Professionals and a former prostitute. Ms.
Leite said she participated in lengthy discussions with USAID to
ensure that American money went only to AIDS education and prevention,
and not to other prostitutes' rights issues. The result was a 50-page
agreement, she said, but it broke down because her group was unwilling
to condemn prostitution.
Brazil's approach to the AIDS epidemic is considered a model by some
scientists and public-health specialists. The government encourages
abstinence and sexual fidelity, but its prevention efforts focus more
on condom education and distribution. In addition, since 1996 the
country has provided free, life-extending antiretroviral drug
cocktails to anyone infected with HIV.
The result is a spread of HIV far less serious than had been feared.
In 1992, experts forecast 1.2 million Brazilians would carry the AIDS
virus by 2002. Instead, there were an estimated 660,000 cases.
World-wide almost 40 million people are thought to be infected with
HIV.
"Why should we adopt a different orientation if we have been
successful for the more than 10 years?" asked Sonia Correa, a
Brazilian AIDS activist and co-chair of the International Working
Group on Sexuality and Social Policy, a global forum of researchers
and activists.
The antiprostitution pledge requirement came out of two 2003 U.S.
laws, one dealing with AIDS and the other with forced prostitution or
sex trafficking.
Write to Michael M. Phillips at michael.phillips@wsj.com and Matt
Moffett at matthew.moffett@wsj.com