Applications for Partner Institutions: AIDS, the Law and Human Rights in Southern Africa: Defining New Debates and Strategies

The Centre for the Study of AIDS (CSA), based at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, invites civil society organisations working on HIV/ AIDS to join as partners in a collaborative research network, supported by the Open Society Initiative Southern Africa (OSISA).

This network will consist of four partners based in Southern African countries (in any of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe).

Each of the four institutions will focus on one of the thematic concerns highlighted below, and will host a research associate who will undertake research and write a monograph on that particular thematic issue. The research associate will be a qualified lawyer with a post-graduate qualification. The institution will provide administrative and substantive support to the research associate.

At a later stage during 2006, each of the institutions may also be funded to undertake a further project linked to the thematic area for which it is responsible. This project should be directed towards advocacy and policy or legislative change related to the area under that institution?’s auspices.

The four thematic areas are: Legislation criminalizing the wilful transmission of HIV and its potential or actual impact on marginalised and vulnerable groups; Policies aimed at the routine testing of individuals attending public health facilities; Policies and practices aimed at withholding or denying access to HIV related prevention or treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS, particularly on the basis of sexual and social behaviour that is deemed to be ?‘immoral?’ or questionable by health care practitioners, including failure of governments to distribute condoms in prisons; and Policies and practices and laws that limit access to medicines.

Applications should consist of the following:

• A brief description of the organisation?’s aims and recent projects;
• A motivated preference for one of the thematic areas;
• A statement that the organisation has the capacity to supervise a researcher and;
• A description (including a budget of up to $20 000) of the proposed project (for which funding needs to be finalised) in the one of the thematic areas.


Applications must reach Susan Precious, at the AIDS and Human Rights Research Unit, by email at [email protected] or fax 27 12 3625125, before 17 February 2006.