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FINAL
VERSION PROGRAMME 
PROGRAMME
BOOKLET |
| Programme European
Conference
Social Inclusion and Health – Crossing the Borders
27 – 29 September 2007 in Sofia, Bulgaria
<Plenary sessions are translated
simultaneously>
|
| Thursday afternoon, 27 September 2007 |
| 14:30 – 16:00 |
Registration |
| 16:00 – 16:05 |
Opening Conference –
Correlation Network |
| 16:05 – 16:30 |
Welcome
- Mrs Emel Etem, Deputy Prime Minister and Chair of the
National Committee on Prevention of AIDS and STDs at the Council
of Ministers, Bulgaria
- Mr Willem van Ee, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Ambassador of the Netherlands in Bulgaria
- Mr Rumen Donski, Chairman of Foundation Hope, Bulgaria
- Mrs Elena Kabakchieva, HESED, Bulgaria |
| 16:30 – 16:35 |
Cultural intermezzo |
| 16:35 – 17:00 |
Keynote Speech:
Acceptance of human rights in the fight against HIV/Aids in
Bulgaria
- Dr Tonka Varleva, Secretary of the National Committee
on Prevention of AIDS and STDs at the Council of Ministers and
Director of the program ‘Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS’,
Bulgaria |
| 17:00 – 17:30 |
Break |
17:30 – 17:40
17:40 – 18:00
18:00 – 19:00 |
Speeches and Discussion
- Correlation: Meaning, impact and scope of the conference.
Eberhard Schatz, Correlation Network
- Communicable diseases in Europe: State of affairs. Jeff
Lazarus, WHO
- Interactive Discussion: Social inclusion and health and the
impact of Europe: Challenges and solutions.
Moderator: Ernst Buning, director Quest for Quality,
co-founder IHRA
WHO, EC representative, policy makers, NGOs, community representatives |
19:30
|
Reception, buffet |
| Friday
morning, 28 September 2007 |
| Major Workshop
Sessions 09:00 – 10:30 |
1: Importance
and impact of research and evidence base in the drug field
Chair: Dagmar Hedrich, European Monitoring Centre for
Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), Portugal
This session will provide insight into harm reduction data collection
systems in different parts of Europe: speakers will critically
reflect on weakness, strengths and lessons learnt and on the
use that is made of the gathered information.
Xavier
Majó-Roca (Department of Health of Catalonia, Spain):
Designing a Harm Reduction Information System for Catalonia
Abdalla Toufik (OFDT, France): Monitoring Harm reduction
: Lessons learned from the first French national survey of low-threshold
services users
Artur Malczewski (NFP-NBDP, Poland): Development of harm
reduction activities in Poland: Opportunities and difficulties
Janine Plaisier (Impact R&D,
Netherlands): Monitoring and Evaluation of interventions
|
2: Prostitution
policies and their impact on sex workers
Chair: Ruth Morgan Thomas, International Committee on the Rights
of Sex workers in Europe (ICRSE)
In this workshop, a round table session will be organised with
representatives of various organisations. Mr. Leo Platvoet member
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will
give a short presentation based on the report “Prostitution-
which stance to take? ‘, which is prepared for the Committee
on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men of the Council of Europe.
Members of the panel will react on this report and discuss a
number of questions, in regard to prostitution policies and
their impact on sex workers. This session is interactive, reactions
and input from the public is very much appreciated and wanted.
Members of the panel:
Leo Platvoet (Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe)
Marc Frankfurt (sexworker.at, ICRSE)
Licia Brussa (TAMPEP)
Camille Cabral (PASTT, France)
Katarina Jiresova (Odyseus/SWAN)
Daniela Danna (University of Milan, Italy) |
3: Access
to health for (undocumented) migrants
Chair: Georg Bröring, Netherlands
Migrants (especially undocumented) often have little access
to health services in European countries. In this workshop,
not only strategies to tackle barriers and exclusion will be
discussed, but also the need to improve existing services for
migrants and ethnic minorities.
Peter Wiessner (EATG, Germany): Community Recommendations on
migrants access to information, treatment and care
Wayne Farah (Healthcare Project, UK/ Picum): Undocumented migrants
and barriers to access to health care
Dagmar Domenig (Swiss Red Cross, Switzerland): Transcultural
Competence as Basis for Health Equality
Jane Fountain (Centre for Ethnicity and Health, University of
Central Lancashire,United Kingdom): Community engagement: The
Centre for Ethnicity and Health model |
| Break 10:30
– 11:00 |
| Major Workshop
Sessions 11:00 – 12:30 |
4: New
areas for harm reduction approaches
Chair: Jan Visser, De Rode Draad, Netherlands
Harm reduction methodologies mainly are associated with drug
use. This workshop gives an overview over the relevance of harm
reduction in divergent settings.
John-Peter Kools
(Mainline, Netherlands): “From margins to mainstream”:
Harm reduction and poverty
Jamie Bridge (IHRA, United
Kingdom): Alcohol and Harm Reduction: What, Why and How?
Rick Lines (IHRA, United Kingdom): Harm reduction in
prisons: An overview of international policy and best practice
Linda Cusick (University of Paisley, Scotland UK): Sex
work and harm reduction |
5: Increasing
access to health care for Roma
Chair: Maria Metodieva, Open Society Institute (OSI),
Bulgaria
Roma and Gipsy communities often face serious problems regarding
access to health care, social services and prejudices. This
workshop will highlight initiatives to improve the conditions
and provides an overview about the situation in Europe.
Ellena Yankova (Initiative for Health, Bulgaria): Roma
in Bulgaria - Approaching social exclusion, drugs and ethnicity
Teodora Krumova (Center Amalipe, Bulgaria): Health Situation
of Romani women in Bulgaria - Research and Policy work
Maria Metodieva (OSI, Access Sofia Foundation): Roma health
issues in Bulgarian media
Elena Kabakchieva (Global fund program “prevention and
control of HIV/AIDS): Health Promotion Services within Roma
Communities |
6: Hepatitis
Chair: Jeff Lazarus, World Health Organization (WHO Europe)
This session will provide the opportunity to raise awareness
of viral hepatitis C in the context of access to hepatitis related
services for those at highest risk, including drug users, prisoners
and sex workers who use drugs. The session will serve as a lead-off
for World Hepatitis Awareness Day.
Introduction by the chair Jeffrey Lazarus (WHO Europe)
Hepatitis C self organization and advocacy across Europe by
Nadine Piorkowsky, European Liver Patient Association President
Hepatitis C and drug use in Europe: facts, issues and recommendations
by Simona Merkinaite, Central and Eastern European Harm Reduction
Network
Advocacy on national level: increasing access to treatment and
care in Bulgaria – by Milena Naydenova, Hope-Sofia
Discussion and elaboration of concluding statement |
| Lunch 12:30
– 14:00 |
| Friday
afternoon, 28 September 2007 |
| Parallel Workshop
Sessions 14:00 – 15:30 |
1: Data collection Protocol
for low-threshold services
Chair: Dagmar Hedrich, EMCDDA
A working group of Correlation partners and EMCDDA national
Reitox focal points has analysed approaches to data collection
at low threshold harm reduction agencies in Europe and developed
a ‘Data-collection Protocol for Specialist Harm Reduction
Service Providers’, which will be presented in this workshop.
Members of the working group and representatives of agencies
participating in the field test will present the Protocol and
report about experiences and outcomes:
Jozsef Racz, Ferenc Márványkövi (Research
Institute on Drug Studies, ELTE University, Hungary)
Xavier Majó-Roca (Department of Health, Catalonia, Spain)
Abdalla Toufik (OFDT, France)
Marta Pinto (APDES, Portugal)
|
2: Drug
use, peers and communities: Improving the impact
Chair: René Akeret, Fachverband Sucht, Switzerland
In this workshop, different methods for peer involvement in
interventions, community reinforcement and community re-integration
in the field of drug use harm reduction will be introduced and
discussed.
Lorenzo Camoletto (Gruppo Abele, Italy):
Focus Groups: Methodology and impact
Jean-Paul Grund (CVO, Netherlands):
Beyond HIV: The Peer Driven Intervention and Empowerment of
Vulnerable Populations
Mark Weeding (DISC, UK):
Cocaine Users Community Reinforcement
Sharron Erinle (Equinoxcare, UK): Community re-integration |
3: Introduction to Rapid
Assessment and Response (RAR)
Chair:Hans Verbraeck, CVO, Netherlands
In this workshop the Rapid Assessment and Response (RAR) methodology
will be presented. RAR is a scientifically-led rapid survey
method for recording the type, origin and need for action in
respect of a recognised or presumed problem, within a short
period of time, with limited expenditure and with high practice
relevance. It can thus be regarded as forging a "link"
between the needs of practice and the methods used by scientific
research. |
4: New
technologies on the move – Experiences from the field
Chair: Pjer Vriens, MPHS, Netherlands
In this workshop, different presentations will show examples
of using the internet and other new technologies and media for
targeting specific vulnerable groups.
Daniel Varga (Bluepoint, Hungary): Criticalex: A powerful HR
method in the Hungarian rave scene
Paul Harterink (MPHS, Netherlands): Gaycruise: A theory-based,
tailored, interactive intervention directed at MSM who meet
sexual partners through Internet chat sites
Mika Mikkonen (A-Clinic Foundation, Finland):
How to utilize mobile phones in low threshold customers' health
counselling
Maciej Kubat (KTPU Monar):Open source – open mind. A brief
introduction into free software and Linux. How it can be used
in our daily life and work. |
5. Best practices –
outreach and prevention
Chair: Jan Visser, Netherlands
In this workshop a number of best practices are presented, covering
issues of drug use and sex work.
Jason Farrell (Harm Reduction Consulting Services, USA): Outreach
to Pregnant Drug Users
Hristofor Zjumbjulski (SOS-Families at Risk): HIV and Aids prevention
among sex workers in Bulgaria
Eva van Rahden (SOPHIE, Austria): Outreach to female sex workers
in Vienna -Experiences of Peer involvement
Georgi Vasilev (Global Fund Program Prevention and Control of
HIV/AIDS, Bulgaria): HIV Prevention among IDU’s in Bulgaria
|
6: Sex
Work
Chair: Aliya Rakhmetova, SWAN
In this workshop, different speakers will present hot topics
among sex workers in different European countries: About the
relationship between sex workers and social workers, how to
reach sex workers, peer group involvement in outreach work or
on practical aspects that sex workers deal with in daily life.
Speakers will be sex workers, social workers, and researchers.
Marije van Stempvoort (Netherlands): Social workers and their
perspective towards sex workers
Kathrin Schrader (Ragazza e.V., Germany)
The position of female sex workers who use drugs in Hamburg
Elena Zabadykina (Stellit, Russia):
Preventive actions as a form of work with sex workers in brothels
Irina Maslova (SWAN): Access to services and peer training among
sex workers |
7: POP-Training session Sex
Work
Chair: Marieke Ridder-Wiskerke, STI-AIDS, the Netherlands
The Power of Prevention Project (POP) has been a three year
project for sex workers in Belgrade, Serbia and Sofia, Bulgaria.
The project was carried out by Hesed (Bulgaria) and JAZAS (Serbia)
with the Dutch partner Soa Aids Nederland/Sti Aids Netherlands.
The project was funded by the ministry of foreign affairs.
In the workshop the attendees will undergo a training in which
attitudes and skills to communicate, for example as an outreach
worker, on the topics of STI and HIV/AIDS prevention and sexual
health in the field of prostitution, will be practiced. Talking
about sex with sex workers will be a part of the programme. |
8: Health
care and undocumented migrants
Chair: Arianne De Jong, Médecins du Monde (MDM),
France and the Netherlands
This workshop will deal with various ways to overcome bottlenecks
in health care for undocumented migrants and other socially
excluded groups access to health care.
We will start a debate on actual needs for targeted interventions.
Feedback of participants on their experiences will be stimulated.
Subsequently we will outline different tools, methods and strategies
that we have used over the years to improve access to health.
Important tools that we will discuss are the medical document
for undocumented migrant (MEDOC) program and impact of bearing
witnesses in achieving access to health care. This second phase
is (highly) interactive with examples and discussions (what
can we learn from each other). |
| Break 15:30
– 16:00 |
| Parallel
Workshop Sessions 16:00 – 17:30 |
9: Male
Sex Work
Chair: Justin Gaffney, SohoBoyz, UK
With a policy shift for the funding of services that work with
sex workers across the European Community, and the spread of
the Swedish model that criminalizes men who buy sex to other
countries, projects working with men who sell sex are finding
that they face new challenges. Many are now having to base interventions
on prevention of either entry into sex work or trafficking within
the sex industry, or providing routes away from selling sex.
In this workshop, participants are invited to explore and debate
these challenges, particularly where the actual focus of their
work may be to support men to make positive and healthy choices.
The workshop will be of interest to those who work with men
selling sex, funders of services, policy makers and men who
actually sell sex. |
10: Drug
use and families
Chair: Lorenzo Camoletto, Gruppo Abele, Italy
Drug use has a large impact on friends, relatives and parents
of drug users, drug using parents need special care. This workshop
will focus on parents- and relatives- organisations and how
they face the problem and re-capture the initiative.
Dirce Blöchinger
(VEVDAJ, Switzerland):
European parent and relative alliance
Nicole Verhoeven (Coke Van Jou, Netherlands): Needs and problems
of relatives and friends of drug users
Galina Saganenko (Azaria, Russia): Features of the parent organisations
combating drugs policy in Russia
Association of Family Support groups (Scotland): Second Generation
Care |
11:The
Impact of migration on health
Chair: Peter Wiessner, EATG
In the presentations in this workshop, the impact of migration
or belonging to an ethnic minority regarding health aspects
will be highlighted.
Nikolaos Takis (Detoxification Unit for Adolescent Drug Users,
Greece):
Psychological impact of membership to an ethnic minority group
Daniel J McCartney (Centre for Global Health, Ireland): The
impact of migration on the sexual health of migrant men who
have sex with men (MSM) in Ireland
Ramazan Salman (Ethno Medical Centre): Ensuring Minorities
Access to Health Care
Peter Wiessner (EATG, Germany): Deportation of migrants living
with HIV/AIDS in Europe |
12: Media
Advocacy – Methods and Challenges
Chair: Peter Sarosí, HCLU, Hungary
In this workshop, different methods of influencing policy by
using media and advocacy campaigns will be discussed. Whether
fighting for the rights of drug users, sex workers or other
groups, it is always important to be aware of your goals, how
to reach them, who you are dealing with and what are do’s
and don’ts.
Milena Naydenova (Hope, Bulgaria):
Working with media and ways to influence decision makers
Peter Sarosí (HCLU, Hungary): How to use media in our
advocacy? – innovative cases and tools
Petra Timmermans (ICRSE): How are technologies being used for
activism and advocacy by sex workers and their allies? |
13: Outreach:
Approaches and experiences
Chair: Mika Mikkonen, A-Clinic Foundation, Finland
The main goal of this workshop is to share experiences with
different approaches of outreach work. Examples of good practices
will be presented as well as the problems that outreach workers
face.
Mika Mikkonen (A-Clinic Foundation, Finland): Review of the
achievements from the Helsinki Snowball Operation
Børge Erdal
Jaana Kauppinen (Pro-tukipiste, Finland): How to reduce burn-out
risks and promote your self well being in the field of outreach
Nikola Nedeski (HOPS, Macedonia): Outreach work in Macedonia |
14: Correlation
Study ‘Barriers to Access to Health and Social Services’:
Methodology and results
Chair: John Peter Kools, Mainline, Netherlands
Correlation carried out studies in 5 European countries in order
to identify the specific needs of users, to gauge their satisfaction
with existing services, to identify barriers of access to services
and difficulties in obtaining treatment, to identify possible
solutions and to detect the level of participation and involvement
of service users. The study aimed to include service users and
to make their voices heard within national debates, in which
the study results were presented and discussed with national
service providers, policy makers and policy users in order to
influence national and local policies.
In this workshop, the results of the studies will be presented,
as well as the methodology and the ‘toolkit’. |
15: Migrant
Sex Workers and barriers to access to health services
Chair: Licia Brussa, TAMPEP - European Network for HIV/STI
Prevention and Health Promotion among Migrant Sex Workers.
The main objective of this workshop is the exchange of knowledge
and expertise regarding the factors that influence success or
failure of interventions in the field of HIV/AIDS aimed at (migrant
and mobile) sex workers. The following three broad themes –
the first, Projects and Interventions, the second, Strategies
and Environment, and the third, Policies and Legal Aspects –
will be the themes of the workshop. |
16: Hepatitis
C: Practical approaches and ‘what’s new?’
Chair: Simone Merkinaite, CEEHRN
The subject of this workshop will be practical in nature: how
to reduce Hepatitis C infection. Harm reduction techniques focussing
on HIV prevention are, contrary to what a lot of people still
think, not always sufficient to prevent hepatitis C. Standard
needle exchange programs will be discussed and specific interventions
targeting Hepatitis C.
Jason Farrell (Harm Reduction Consulting Services, Inc., USA):
Needle Exchange Programs Preventing Hepatitis C
Viara Georgieva (Global Fund Program
Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS):
Strengthening and Promoting VCT Services in Bulgaria
(SDF, Scotland): Hep C in Scotland: A cause for
concern?
Kristof Bryssinck Hep C treatment approach and further plans, Free
Clinic, Belgium
|
| Special
Sessions 17:30 – 18:30 |
| Films,
Videos > See separate programme >Site visits |
19:30
Dinner at Restaurant Forum, National Palace of Culture, on invitation
of Bulgarian Ministry of Health ( shuttle bus transportation) |
Saturday Morning, 29 September 2007
|
| 9:00 - 09:30 |
Introduction, Feedback workshop sessions,
Chair: Jason Farrell |
| 9:30 – 11:00 |
PLENARY SESSION 1: “Making voices
heard”- How research and grassroot organisations can influence
policy making
Moderators: John-Peter Kools, Mainline, Netherlands
During the two year Correlation project, the Policy Group has
aimed to stimulate and support the development of national policies
on social inclusion and health promotion among marginalised
populations in the European Union. From the beginning, the Policy
Group has been very enthusiastic and dynamic. At the first meeting
it was decided that research was needed to influence policy
in an effective way. Evidence-based knowledge would be the first
tool in influencing policy. Subsequently national debates have
been organised to bring the research results to the attention
of policy makers.
Looking back at this process it is time to ask ourselves what
we have learned. Did we choose the right way to fill the gap
between marginalised groups and policy makers? The session will
focus on research and debates as tools to influence policy with
regard to marginalised groups such as drug users, sex workers
and (undocumented) migrants. A number of experts will give their
vision on this theme, and the public will be invited to participate
actively in the debate.
Specific questions we hope to answer during this session are:
- What type of research is most suitable to obtain data for
influencing policy?
- At what stage and how should the target group be involved
in research?
- How to prevent (further) stigmatisation of marginalised groups
through research?
- Is organising a national debate the most effective way to
bring research results under the attention of policy makers
(and service providers)?
- How to interest policy makers (and service providers) to attend
a debate on the issue of social inclusion of marginalised groups?
- What to do after the debate in order to keep the issue under
the attention of policy makers (and service providers)?
These questions will be discussed in a special debating session
with a ‘panel of experts’, consisting of Ines
Kvaternik (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia), Jane Fountain
(University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom), Susanna
Ronconi (Forum Droghe, Italy), Licia Brussa (TAMPEP,
Netherlands), Jean-Paul Grund (CVO, Netherlands), Dusan
Nolimal (Institute of Public Health, Slovenia), and others.
|
| 11:00 – 11:30 |
Break |
| 11:30 – 12:45 |
PLENARY SESSION 2: Advocacy and activism
– Community organizing and self-representation in Harm
Reduction (and beyond)
Moderator: Matt Curtis, Open Society Institute (OSI)
Building from foundations in a number of social justice movements
– civil rights, women’s and GLBT empowerment, and
economic justice organizing, among others – recent years
have seen oppressed and stigmatized people make important new
claims to their human rights and self-representation. This session
will examine community organizing and activism by so-called
‘vulnerable populations’ with a focus on people
who use drugs and sex workers.
Particularly in the developing world and former communist countries
of Eastern Europe, drug user and sex worker activists are having
an increasingly significant impact on public perceptions, policy,
and international funding, meanwhile in Western Europe the situation
differs from country to country. People who use drugs have worked
to improve the quality of harm reduction services and access
to HIV treatment, and effectively criticized the dominant law
and order approach to drug policy. As well, sex workers have
challenged their criminalization and international funding schemes
that explicitly bar programs benefiting their health. The basic
premise involved – that individuals have a right to be
involved in political decisions affecting them – is otherwise
taken for granted by many of the state and NGO officials whose
own biases continue to deny this right to activists from marginalized
communities. Such biases also contribute to the fragility of
drug user and sex worker organizations by creating barriers
to health, security, and resources.
With the emergence of strong drug user and sex worker activists,
others working in drug policy, HIV, and related fields must
take stock of these problems. Through several short presentations
and a moderated discussion, the session will explore different
models of drug user, sex worker and ethnic minority organizations,
their approaches to public policies and community development
issues affecting them, and the responsibilities of government
and NGO actors engaged in overlapping issues. Finally, the session
will aim to draw out common lessons from and routes of cooperation
between stakeholders. |
| 12:45 – 13:00 |
Final wrap up |
| 13:00 – 14:00 |
Lunch |
| 14:30 – 17:00 |
Satellite sessions (INPUD meeting, SWAN/ICRSE
meeting) |
|
|
