Read time:2 minute, 1 seconds

NAZ — the sexual health charity dedicated to delivering culturally-specific sexual health services to those historically left behind — is enthused to announce nominations for their 2018 nOSCARS (NAZ Oscars) are now open.

Now in its seventh year, the nOSCARS is the annual red carpet event celebrating the people, programmes and media making a positive difference to sexual health outcomes in BAME communities — and is the only event of its kind in the UK. Central to this evening of celebration is the context the nOSCARS continue to provide around a sobering reality: there is a significant gap in the sexual health outcomes of Black Asian Minority Ethnic communities compared to the general population.

Marion Wadibia, CEO of NAZ:

“The lasting and traumatising devastation of the AIDS crisis on the LGBTQ community is well-documented and deeply felt. And while there is always more progress to be made, we have all been transformed by the tireless activism of a community committed to eradicating HIV. While we are really pleased and so encouraged by the 28% reduction in new HIV diagnoses over the past two years, the small print reveals those who are still disproportionately affected by HIV: BAME communities. In 2015, we accounted for 40% of all new diagnoses, and late diagnosis rates are markedly higher among heterosexual Black Africans — at 65% for men and 49% for women.

“So, the hard-worked-for progress being made in other at-risk communities isn’t being replicated across the BAME communities. This speaks to broad systemic inequalities which render many BAME people invisible; but also to the messaging and outreach, which needs to be culturally-specific, with an acute understanding of how race, culture, religion and sexuality all influence one’s sexual health.

“Around the country, sexual health professionals, clinics and media platforms continue to work tirelessly to ensure BAME communities have the same understanding, treatment and sexual health outcomes as the general population. We’re delighted to continue to celebrate those who challenge stigmas, raise awareness and work collaboratively to deliver culturally-specific sexual health services to those historically left behind.”

The nOSCARS nominations are open to anyone working in sexual health and any organisations delivering sexual health programmes to BAME communities. We are especially keen to recognise outstanding volunteers and exceptional staff members.

Applications are now open and close on 5 October 2018: naz.org.uk/Pages/FAQs/Site/nOSCARS/Category/nominate-for-a-2018-noscar

About the author

Newsdesk

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Close

Latest articles

503 Service Unavailable

Service Unavailable

The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.

Additionally, a 503 Service Unavailable error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.