Preventing HIV in the Russian Penal System

Project Duration: August 2004 – August 2006

Donors: The programme is being implemented as part of the GLOBUS project, with financial support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Partners: The Russian Federal Penal Service (FPS), Open Health Institute (OHI), regional non-governmental organisations working with the FPS, and local AIDS centres

Regions: The Vologda, Nizhniy Novgorod, Orenburg, Pskov, Tver and Tomsk regions; the Republics of Buryatia and Tatarstan; Krasnoyarsk Kray and the city of St. Petersburg

Background:

It has been recognized that the penal system, which is responsible for the health of a considerable number of people at possible risk of contracting HIV, plays an enormous role in strengthening public health.

According to the Ministry of Justice, there are currently 30 000 prisoners with HIV in Russia's penitentiaries and detention centres. Research conducted in 1999–2003, as part of the ‘HIV prevention and healthcare in the Russian penal system’ project, showed that the majority of prisoners in Russian penitentiaries (both HIV-positive and HIV-negative) know either nothing or very little about HIV/AIDS. At the same time, medical workers and other personnel in the penal system show a clear desire to improve their knowledge and skills in the field of HIV/AIDS. The results of the joint work carried out by AFEW and the Russian Federal Penal Service show that it is possible to carry out successful HIV/AIDS prevention programmes within the penal system.

In March 2005 AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW) and the Russian Federal Penal Service signed an agreement on a joint project entitled ‘HIV prevention in the Russian penal system’ within the framework of the GLOBUS project.

Project goal:

To introduce a holistic strategy for the prevention of HIV in the penal system

Target audience:

Prison staff, including doctors, psychologists, security guards and mentors; prisoners; and staff from regional NGOs working with the Russian Federal Penal Service

Objectives:

AFEW intends to provide its services to ten institutions directly and to 70 others indirectly, reaching a total of about 100 000 people or 12% of the Russian prison population. Within the framework of this project, AFEW plans to train prison staff, including doctors, psychologists, security guards and mentors.

AFEW will strive to introduce into the penal system a holistic strategy for HIV prevention. To this end, it will create study centres for penal staff (doctors, psychologists, security guards and mentors), using existing educational departments of the Russian Federal Penal Service as a foundation. A study plan will be developed for each region, focusing in particular on general HIV prevention issues, the prevention of opportunistic infections, counselling, treatment, care, support and outreach work.

AFEW will boost local capacity by drawing on its own past and current experience, creating a multifaceted system for continuous training: seminars for beginners, practical training centres, and technical on-site support. The sustainability of these measures will be ensured by the inclusion of efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle in the national HIV/AIDS strategy with support from local NGOs and other governmental agencies, and by the promotion of effective methods of prevention.