Overview : Belize has a total population of 370,000 of whom approximately 42% are under 25 years of age. Although an upper-middle-income country by World Bank classification, the heavily indebted, highly vulnerable to economic and disaster shocks, and weak national capacity of Belize disguises and denies significant rates of poverty, unemployment, chronic malnutrition, drug abuse and violence as well as other specific conditions that drive the HIV epidemic. The country is negatively impacted by a severe “brain drain” problem, losing many professionals, including health care workers, to other countries. This has serious implications for the provision of adequate health care, which is provided mostly by the Government. Related to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Belize has the highest HIV prevalence in Latin America and the 5th highest in the Caribbean, with estimated adult prevalence of 1.4% for persons 15-49 years, and more than 3,100 people living with HIV/AIDS. Based on a Behavioral Sero-Prevalence Survey (BSS) conducted in 2012 by the HIV Unit of the Center for Health Studies of Del Valle University of Guatemala in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Belize National TB, HIV & other STIs Program, it was determined that the prevalence rate amongst MSM was at 13.85% (19/136). This being the highest prevalence compared to other Key Populations (KP) in Belize. There is no official data available for trans-populations in Belize. The results from the BSS suggests that the HIV epidemic in Belize is concentrated among men who have sex with men, but nothing can be said about the trend within the trans-populations. Nevertheless, an earlier study conducted in 2001 by Multicenter Study in Central America (EMC) suggested that HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men in Belize is the highest reported in the Central American region. And, with no available data for trans-populations for comparative analyses to be possible, these populations remain more on the periphery than any other population within the society and services already stretched to the limit are less accessible for these populations. While statistics suggest that MSMs in Belize has a high level of vulnerability for HIV, anecdotal evidence points to greater vulnerability for trans-populations. Factors contributing to this vulnerability are difficult to manage and extend from the micro- to macro-level of the socio-economic chain. The SITAN then is an attempt to define a profile of the trans-populations in the country, from where more data would be generated for planning and policy purposes regarding the trans-populations. The SITAN’s primary purpose is to analyse socio-economic, financial, and policy situations of trans-populations and to identify the country’s challenges in fulfilling trans’ rights. |