The headline read 'They preach safety. They practise UNSAFE SEX. Now 5 Aids volunteers are HIV-positive.' How gripping, yet how untrue.
The New Paper ran an article on Sunday, 10 July, stating that 5 of AFA's volunteers have been infected with the HIV virus when they practised unsafe sex. They even showcased one anonymous volunteer and highlighted his case to the public in their expose.
Even though this would seem to be cause for concern, several alarm bells rang with regards to the authenticity and accuracy of the article.
Firstly, although TNP (The New Paper) stated with absolute certainty in the headlines that there are 'five' volunteers who contracted the virus after being a volunteer, the article per se highlighted several times that this number was not confirmed. In one sentence, the writer said 'up to five' volunteers but then again made the claim baseless by saying that 'we cannot confirm an exact number'. Secondly, the paper also made a claim saying that, 'There may be others who tested positive at other testing sites or in other countries.' This again was debased when they followed it by saying, 'That information is not privy to our sources.' Lastly, the repetition of 'our source' litters the article with sensationalistic soundbites from the unnamed individuals. And yet based on these comments that were somehow not verified with official sources, the reporter has formed an opinion of AFA - one that undermines the efforts of the non-profit organisation.
SGBOY spoke to Roger Winder as he is in the best position to provide accurate and reliable information on these issues, being the coordinator for both the programmes mentioned in the article, and therefore having the greatest access to the relevant information and the most contact with volunteers. He has since sent an advisory to AfA volunteers and well-wishers, refuting the fallacious claims.
In the advisory, Winder succinctly states that:-
- It is likely that only ONE volunteer got infected - the one that was interviewed.- He assures that it is a gross exaggeration to claim that FIVE volunteers were infected.- A number of volunteers started helping out AFTER knowing that they are positive and that it is likely that 4 volunteers like these were included in the exaggerated figure of 5.- Positive volunteers are a valuable resource and should not be seen as a threat or a source of transmission under any circumstances. All necessary precautions are taken to protect both volunteers and clients in the clinic.- None of these volunteers got infected by clients they were counselling.- They have had NO reports or complaints that volunteers have misbehaved with clients they were counselling.
Although Winder expressed appreciation that his views were published, he was disappointed at its lack of prominence and confirmed that the main article can be safely dismissed 'as lies and misrepresentations by disgruntled and vicious individuals.'
Picking out one example of gross inaccuracy by one of the so-called sources, who claimed that 'many of the volunteers have been young, good-looking gay men below 30 years old', Winder provided a rough gender and age breakdown of volunteers in the MSM Outreach programme that was quoted in the article and clearly debunks the claim - only 15 out of 65 MSM Programme volunteers are male and below 30.
Winder feels that the unnamed sources 'question the integrity of our volunteers by insinuating that many have questionable motives in coming forward to help, behave in an inappropriate manner with clients, and are unable to control their sexual urges.'
'Volunteers, members of the Executive Committee, and staff of AfA can attest to the fact that the insinuations reported in the article do great injustice to the incredibly selfless and committed volunteers who sacrifice their time and energy to help AfA runs its various programmes.,' he added.
Winder closed off by stating, 'Articles which contain such allegations only make our already uphill battles even tougher, given the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and widespread unwillingness to deal with issues pertaining to sexuality. We are very proud of our volunteers and deeply disappointed that such allegations about them have been made in the media.'
In light of the accident, Winder reiterated that, 'This is a good reminder to all of us to always be careful and avoid putting ourselves and others at risk of HIV transmission. No one can lower their guard against HIV infection - not even volunteers armed with all the necessary information.'
Indeed, one socially irresponsible reporter may have gotten his/her story; and one, or a few individuals may have gotten their satisfaction, but it has caused a backward slide for an organisation that has been voluntarily educating and caring for the gay community since their inception. We can only hope that such individuals' small-minded goals will not ruin the cause for all.