Reaching the (in)visible men of Vientiane

Men, sex and HIV. Put together, a triad that is both controversial and provocative. For more than a quarter of a century male-to-male sex has been a significant route of HIV transmission throughout the world. Despite three decades of evidence of their vulnerability, men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be at the highest risk of HIV acquisition in the world and are approximately 19 times more likely to be infected with HIV than the background population in the Asia/Pacific region. MSM have high risk of HIV due to unsafe sexual practices and poor knowledge about protection. Targeted prevention programmes are sparse because of limited understanding of male-to-male sex and sexuality. Peer Education Programmes have been implemented as health interventions to reach MSM in Laos to increase their knowledge on safe sexual behaviour and reduce their risk of HIV. The objective of this study is to explore how Peer Education Programmes are applied among MSM in Vientiane, and how MSM perceive the programmes to influence their sexual behaviour.