Comprehensive awareness campaign against HIV/AIDS and human trafficking to start soon in the Northern mountain provinces.
IN BRIEF
Aus4Transport is about to start the implementation of an HIV/AIDS and Human Trafficking Awareness Program (HHTAP) in several towns and districts of the Northern Mountains provinces. The campaign, that will benefit more than 68,000 people around the towns and villages of the provinces of Lai Chau, Lao Cai and Yen Bai, will be delivered by an independent service provider and managed by Aus4Transport in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport. The activity is in the final stages of procurement and it is expected to start in September 2022.
KNOW MORE…
As part of the Detailed Design and Documentation (DDD) of the Northern Mountain Provinces Transport Connectivity Project (NMTCP), Aus4Transport will soon start implementing an HIV/AIDS and Human Trafficking Awareness Program (HHTAP). The Program was agreed with the Asian Development Bank during the early stages of the Project’s preparation and is a key mechanism for addressing some of the potential risks associated with the road upgrade.
The HHTAP will raise awareness and understanding about HIV/AIDS, STIs, safe migration practices and human trafficking risk identification among the target audiences, such as the local communities, ethnic minorities, construction and transportation workers, injecting drug users and sex workers, all considered to be at high-risk of being negatively impacted by the NMPTCP. The campaign aims to promote preventive behaviours, increase capacity of local authorities to implement HIV/AIDS and Human Trafficking Programs in the future, and reduce social stigma and discrimination towards people who have been infected with HIV/AIDS or are survivors of human trafficking.
This activity, together with the design and implementation of the Axle Load Control Program (ALCP) and the Road Safety Awareness Campaign (RSAC), are the three non-engineering components of the NMPTCP that are supported by Aus4Transport. These components are crucial to achieving the overall intended Project objectives of accelerating economic, sociocultural, and environmental development in the Northern Mountain Provinces.
The HHTAP, is being financed under a grant provided by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) via the Aus4Transport Program and will be implemented for approximately 2 years during the construction period of the NMPTCP. It will engage about 68,000 people from key target groups in the project area, aiming to make a real impact on the long-term prevention and incidence of HIV, AIDS and Human Trafficking in the area.
