I was hopeful when the Minister of Health in the Syrian Interim Government, “Maram Sheikh,” responded positively to participating in our news report on the reality of HIV. In truth, the purpose of discussing the topic with the minister is not to raise alarms or warnings, as Syria is one of the countries with low infection rates, according to the Deputy Minister of Health in the regime’s government, who stated this last year. Instead, the goal is to investigate what fills the unclear gap when it comes to discussing the numbers, especially amid a divided map and the deterioration of the healthcare sectors due to the ongoing tug-of-war between war and politics, as highlighted in a study by the Guardians of Equality Movement
The decision to approach the minister first comes from his position in the government responsible for managing affairs in opposition-held areas, supported by the Turkish government. Turkey recently decided to deport a transgender individual living with HIV to northwest Syria, without considering the life-threatening risks posed by the social and security factors in the region.
This area is controlled by extremist factions allied with the Turkish military
It was already too late for the transgender woman after her deportation, as all that was known about her was that she was killed in the Syrian opposition areas by members of the Free Syrian Army in cooperation with members of her family, according to what was announced by the Adana LGBTI+ solidarity platform
There are no available statistics on HIV cases in opposition-held areas, and the laboratories are “insufficient.”
The picture appears clearer in regime-controlled areas of Syria. A total of 95 new HIV cases were recorded in 2023, 87 of which were among Syrians—78 males and 9 females—according to Al-Baath newspaper. Additionally, as reported by Al-Watan newspaper, Zohair Al-Sahwi, the director of the Communicable Diseases Department, stated that from 1987 to the end of 2023, the total number of recorded cases reached 1,245, with 882 cases involving Syrians.
While these figures include northeastern Syria due to the presence of a
laboratory and center affiliated with the Syrian regime government, based in Al-Hasakah, the situation in opposition-held areas remains inconclusive. In 2017, Dr. Firas Al-Jundi, the former Minister of Health in the Syrian Interim Government, stated to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper that “no cases of HIV have been recorded in any of the liberated areas.” He also mentioned that testing is conducted through blood donation processes, but the number of laboratories capable of detecting the virus is “insufficient.”
We attempted to reach out to the Minister of Health in the Syrian Interim Government, Maram Sheikh, to get an updated picture of the HIV situation. After agreeing to participate in the report, he failed to respond to any of our questions regarding how cases are detected, the tools available to the Interim Government for prevention and raising awareness about HIV, or the number of cases.
In this context, a study conducted by the Guardians of Equality Movement concluded that there is a lack of adequate medical services and care, along with the difficulty of accessing them when available. Furthermore, the security situation severely hampers access to treatment or vital information.
Discrimination and unequal access to treatment:
In an extensive report published by the Guardians of Equality Movement, titled “Syrians from the LGBTQIA+ Community in Conflict and Displacement, and Their Contributions to Peace and Accountability Efforts,” the health situation and its impact on LGBTQIA+individuals were discussed. The report highlighted that fear of exposure and arrest prevents many gay men from accessing proper healthcare or obtaining the information that could help with prevention or treatment.
The United Nations also says in a report that gender inequality prevents fair access to treatment in Central Asian, North African and Eastern European countries, while describing the progress of the treatment process in these countries as slow.
Difficulty accessing information:
“The fear of exposure and arrest prevents many gay men from seeking and obtaining information about safer sexual practices,” say the authors of the report published by the Guardians of Equality Movement. According to the survey included in the report, 70% of the participants confirmed that their gender identity poses obstacles to their ability to access medical and psychological services in their current places of residence in Syria.
Only 5% of them believe that individuals living with HIV have adequate access to basic medical care without facing a financial burden in their current place of residence.
Similarly, a large majority of the participants living in Syria, 69%, indicated that there is no central facility providing medical services, care, and diagnostic testing for individuals in their area affected by sexually transmitted infections. Additionally, 11% of the sample responded with “I don’t know,” while 20% answered “yes.”
UN reports highlight the necessity of integrating health systems and strengthening non-discriminatory laws and gender equality as means of preventing HIV. In the Syrian context, humanitarian relief specialists in conflict areas believe that the best approaches begin with unifying efforts and neutralizing this disease from any political disputes and conflicts.
