HIV/AIDS Prevention for Police Force in Myanmar (MYA/03/H75)

Introduction

In its initial phase, the H75 project had been funded by UNAIDS and implemented in partnership between the Myanmar Ministry of Home Affaires, UNODC and CARE MYANMAR, where the Myanmar Ministry of Home Affaires and UNODC had taken responsibility for the project's overall coordination and monitoring. The established aim for the project is to increase the awareness on HIV/AIDS prevention among uniformed services particularly among the police personnel and their families. The target groups are new police recruits (both officers and other ranks), police personnel in border areas and their families, high ranking police officers and educators. The activities focus on the establishment of training networks for both formal and informal education sessions. To date, the H75 project has conducted its activities in Yangon, Mandalay and Bago Divisions and Southern Shan State where there are police training schools, and in Tachileik, a border town in Eastern Shan State. The curriculum developed by the project is used as a formal training programme in various police training schools. The educators and counsellors trained in the project will continue their informal education sessions within their units and divisions.

The H75 project commenced its activities in October 2003 with the intention of running for a period of 12 months. The project has been extended for a period of 24 months pending funds which are expected towards the end of 2006.[ top]

Objective

Main Objective: To increase knowledge and awareness on HIV/AIDS and STI among Myanmar Police Force personnel and their families.

Specific Objectives:

• To increase knowledge, awareness and safer behaviour amongst new recruits in the police force.
• To increase knowledge, awareness and safer behaviour in other key personnel including police officers based at borders, who participate in the training.
• To increase knowledge of and positive attitudes towards harm minimization and how this can be applied to police work, particularly in dealing with groups with high risk behaviour.
• To institutionalize HIV/AIDS education and prevention and provision of a comprehensive package of services within the Police Force.[ top]

Strategy

UNODC and CARE MYANMAR implemented the H75 project with the coordination and assistance from the Central Committee on Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC). The project uses a combination of strategies including education modules in police training schools, training of a number of selected personnel and the facilitation of a number of training workshops in high risk and key areas, such as border townships and large cities in Myanmar. CARE MYANMAR has already developed a wealth of training materials, which is used in the current project. CARE MYANMAR has also modified materials to be appropriate for the training of police personnel in Myanmar. In this way, the project builds on what has already been done in the country. It is important to note that CARE MYANMAR has established itself as a self-sufficient actor within the H75 project.

The Maternal and Child Welfare Association (MCWA), an influential national non-profit organization, holds its respective training activities for its members in the police force and units. The project will explore the possibility of collaborating with this group and sustaining this initiative by using existing groups. Currently, the selected members/spouses /family members have also been trained as trainers to continue with the training sessions within their respective units. The project also conducted a number of discussions and educative lectures during the project period.

The project focuses upon building the capacity of existing police personnel and instructors from the Police Training Department and Depots. Family members including the executive committee and other members of MCWA and of the Police Force will also be trained as trainers in order to disseminate the information among the families. Activities for capacity development focus on:

• Developing curriculum on HIV/AIDS prevention among police personnel which is suitable for police force personnel.
• Training basic counselling skills for personnel who have received training on HIV/AIDS prevention education.
• Training of key police officers and key members of MCWA from the police force for dissemination of information among family members.

A curriculum on HIV/AIDS is included in both the Central Police Training Department and the three Police Training Depots' training programme. Hence, all new police recruits in Myanmar are exposed to this training. The curriculum within the police academy and the police institutes has been reviewed not only by the project but also by the Asia Regional HIV/AIDS Project (ARHP) who initiated the training. All ongoing activities within the mentioned institutions have been using this curriculum. Through the curriculum, police personnel currently in service who are not in the project area will also acquire the HIV/AIDS information.

Training materials have already been developed by CARE MYANMAR. However continued coordination and replication of materials will be needed. Some modification may also be needed in the light of the initial assessment of the situation.

A group of trainers and recruits in each of the four training institutions (assigned and volunteers) are selected as educators following a four day training scheme. As with the general curriculum training, materials for this education training programme have been developed by CARE MYANMAR. Modification and production will be done in the programme.[ top]

Project Components

Component 1: Improved knowledge and awareness on HIV/AIDS among new police recruits as well as among police personnel stationed in the border areas and reported safer behaviour.

Activities

• Incorporating the HIV/AIDS prevention curriculum into the existing police training.
• Training of educators and counsellors selected for and within the police training institutions.
• Implementing education activities by trained educators.

Component 2: Nurturing positive attitudes within the police force towards reducing the harmful consequences of high risk behaviour.

Activities

• Initial planning workshops with officers and other key personnel.
• Development of a curriculum on HIV/AIDS prevention for police training institutions.
• Knowledge, attitude and practices study before-and-after the project among police personnel (new recruits as well as in-service police personnel).

Component 3: Sustained HIV/AIDS education and prevention activities in the Myanmar Police Force.

Activities

• Establishing core group of trainers (educators and counsellors).
• Development of Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) materials and distribution in Myanmar Police force settings.
• Promotion of safer sex practices.
• Carrying out refresher training on counselling skills and peer support.
• Development and distribution of curriculum and teaching aid for Police Training Schools.

Increasing the rice cropping intensity is one avenue towards expanding rice production in the region. This, however, is only possible with the construction of communal irrigation systems that allow rice farmers to grow a second crop of rice in the same area. In coordination with the Wa authorities, UNODC/Wa Project plans to construct two communal irrigation systems during phase two.[ top]

Background

The spread of HIV/AIDS in Myanmar in the last two decades has made the Police Force particularly susceptible to contracting the disease. The elevated risk of HIV infection within the Police Force can be attributed to factors such as primary age group, a professional ethos that excuses or even encourages risk taking, personnel often stationed in high risk areas, such as at national borders and who are highly mobile and spend a lot of time away from their home and families. In Myanmar, the Police Force is extensively in contact with the general public and its members are very influential in society. This contact and influence extends to management of sex workers (SW), injecting drug users (IDU) and other groups with high HIV risk behaviour. Given that police personnel have potential for high risk behaviour themselves and their potential positive influence on society, interventions within the police force have multiple purposes and benefit both the individual and the society.

The aim of the H75 project is to increase the awareness of HIV/AIDS and STI among police personnel and their families. In addition, it seeks to incorporate HIV/AIDS and STI lessons into the existing curriculum of training schools for police personnel. Educators and counsellors are also trained so that the education programme will continue in the Myanmar Police Force when the project is completed.

Intervention within the police force focuses on the prevention of HIV/AIDS with regards to the individual serviceman as well as their impact on the people they interface with while on duty. Myanmar police are leading the way in the region in accepting that a comprehensive package of services should be provided for IDUs including pilot methadone and safer practices, and be implemented soon in selected regions. Now is a good time to be encouraging and to help strengthening these efforts. An intervention focusing on new recruits in the police force will ensure that those at the highest vulnerability and risk are being targeted, and will help to ensure that the future leaders of the police force in Myanmar are educated on and aware of HIV/AIDS. This will also contribute to enhancing a multi-sectoral response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and to developing and maintaining an enabling environment for HIV/AIDS prevention.[ top]