Angola's population is an estimated 17 million with a HIV prevalence of 2% among the population aged l5-49. During 2004-2007, prevalence among young pregnant women rose from 2.7% to 3.1%. Angola is bordered by the high-prevalence countries of Namibia and Zambia and the growing prevalence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville).

USAID is initiating a comprehensive, multi-faceted prevention program to promote normative change and adoption of safer sexual behaviors, with the aim of reducing new HIV infections among the general population of which youth is a major component. A gender lens will be integrated into all activities, recognizing that cultural and gender norms may reinforce key drivers of the epidemic such as multiple and concurrent partners and transactional sex.

The challenge of HIV/AIDS and gender specific programming in Angola is the nascent and limited capability of civil society, due mainly to the 40 year long civil war, which decimated this section of society. The term "gender" is a relatively new concept in Angola and is typically equated with women, if considered and/or understood at all. There is a para-statal OMA, which is the voice for women and gender issues in Angola. However, this organization has political interests that do not always address the health needs of women and men. Another challenge to programming in Angola is the vast cultural and socioeconomic differences among provinces. There are different religions and cultural factors that influence important aspects of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment for men and women. People report varying rates of male circumcision, risky sexual practices, self-identification as a Commercial Sex Worker (CSW), education and literacy levels and access to HIV/AIDS information. All of these aspects need to be better understood and considered through a gender lens in the design and implementation of programs.

This intervention started in COP 10 with an initial assessment about the incountry capacity and structure for responding to GBV within the public sector, specifically the Police and Health sector in Angola, including policy and legislative structure, response/referral systems, and the capacity of relevant staff within the legal and health sector to implement scaled up programs. The assessment also aimed to determine the national barriers within the public sector; specifically police and health, to effectively ensure the men and women in Angola can equally exercise their basic human rights and receive equal protection from the legal system. The second phase, and the key activity in this GBV intervention, is capacity building of police and health sector staff to appropriately respond to victims of GBV. Activities will also address the policy framework and build linkages between legal and health services.

Raising awareness of existing and pending GBV legislation is critical. Guidelines, linkages, and referrals between institutions and response-systems need to be identified, strengthened and perhaps created to support implementation of the new legislation and provide protection for victims of GBV.

New legislation against gender-based violence (GBV) was drafted, and is pending approval from the Assembly. While the development of a law to protect against GBV is admirable, the entire process is slow and does not appear to be a top priority for the government. Once this law is enacted, it will take a significant effort to ensure proper and effective implementation.

Currently, when domestic violence occurs, it is difficult to file a complaint about sexual abuse or violence. Few forensic scientists and social workers trained in GBV exist in the country and charges are often not taken seriously by the police. This makes it virtually impossible to build a credible case (especially in cases of sexual abuse/rape). There is also a lack of referral systems to clinical settings, counseling, or support services for GBV (both government and civil society sponsored). Because of these barriers, women are often unprotected and trapped in abusive relationships and continue to be victims of GBV occurrences with no support and recourse.

The activities under this intervention will fall into the OHSS budget code, as it is high level policy work to support the implementation of the new GBV law. This TBD will build, create and support critical linkages to, and between, support services and the legal system.

A critical component will be to build the capacity of key stakeholders, especially police. Bringing awareness of the law and its interpretation is critical to the effective implementation of the law. Linkages and systems need to be identified, strengthened and perhaps created to support its implementation. The initial phase of the projects is also explore possibilities of organizing support and collaboration with MINFAMU (Ministry of Family and Women), the police force and health, and other relevant GRA institutions and stakeholders for the GBV Capacity Building Intervention. This intervention will build, create and support critical linkages to, and between, support services and the legal system. The implementation of the GBV intervention, requires a strong partnership with the GRA's MINFAMU, who will be tasked with implementation of the legislation. However, other relevant ministries and stakeholders will also play important roles and the USG will collaborate with these key stakeholders to implement this policy. The UNDP and UNFPA, the European Commission, the local organization OMA and the Norwegian NGO Ajuda Popular de Noruega (APN) are key stakeholders that have already done a lot of work in the area of gender and GBV in Angola.

This project will coordinate with other prevention efforts to strategically incorporate interventions targeting gender-related issues into the comprehensive prevention package. This activity will also create and strengthen linkages with other prevention activities such as the, Community Based Prevention and MARPs projects, to improve how the government and civil society address gender issues, specific to the GBV legislation.