HASAB

Bangladesh, a country densely populated by over 150 million inhabitants, has maintained a relatively low HIV prevalence. An estimated 12,000 people were living with HIV in 2008.

Surveillance data indicate that rates of HIV infection are considerably higher among injecting drug users. Surveys have measured prevalence as high as 7% among injecting drug users in Dhaka, and 11% in one cohort in central Bangladesh. Although these rates are lower than in neighbouring countries, they have risen dramatically in recent years.

Factors in the spread of HIV include a widespread sex industry, high prevalence of STIs, infrequent condom use, high rates of sharing injecting equipment among drug users, and unsafe professional blood donations. Human rights violations and the lack of a supportive environment present further challenges to halting the spread of HIV in Bangladesh.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

HASAB is a national organisation with a presence across every region of Bangladesh, dedicated to supporting civil society responses to HIV/AIDS and STIs
HASAB (HIV/AIDS and STD Alliance Bangladesh) was established by the Alliance in 1994 and became an independent Linking Organisation in 1998
HASAB implements and funds a wide range of HIV prevention, care and support programmes, underpinned by the provision of technical assistance to build the capacities of non-governmental and community-based partners.

WHAT WE DO

Preventing infection

HIV prevention projects work mainly with internal migrants, sex workers, hijiras (transgender people), injecting drug users, young people and men who have sex with men.

For migrants, the approach centres on community outreach interventions that include peer education, STI treatment, establishing community volunteer groups and delivering services through drop-in centres. For young people HASAB, supported by the Global Fund, delivers education and services through schools, and establishes youth-friendly services within primary health care facilities.

HASAB has also played a central role in advocating for expanding and mainstreaming life-skills education for young people and youth-friendly health services across Bangladesh.

Care and support

HASAB works to widen access to care and support for people living with or affected by HIV. Through awareness-raising and community mobilisation, the organisation helps to create an enabling environment among communities and stakeholders.

Interventions include voluntary HIV testing and counselling, nutritional support, treatment for STIs and opportunistic infections, education and rehabilitation support.

Research and education

HASAB established a facility for Continuing Education, Research and Technical Excellence (CERTE) in 2006. It aims to build the organisational capacity and technical excellence of people from different sectors, both governmental and non-governmental, to implement HIV/AIDS programmes through a process of continuous learning.

HASAB also places significant emphasis on research work which includes periodical surveys, operations research and policy level action research on HIV/AIDS and related issues to generate a strong evidence base for influencing national policy.

Empowering communities

Throughout its work, HASAB promotes the rights and participation of people living with or affected by HIV, as well as those who are socially excluded. One project in particular – PRESEP (Promoting Rights of Extreme Socially Excluded People) – has worked very successfully with marginalized communities (female sex workers, transgender people, injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, and people living with HIV) to build the capacity of existing self-help groups, enabling them to advocate for their communities and promote their rights.

Wherever groups do not exist, HASAB encourages and provides technical support for their creation. Through PRESEP, HASAB has successfully worked with hijiras, for example, to help them advocate for equal land inheritance rights.