Tunis: Difference between revisions

Generally speaking, Tunisia has some of the most progressive family planning policies in Africa. You can purchase contraception (the morning after pill) over-the-counter, and you can find many forms of contraception, including pills, shots, implants, etc. You can also purchase emergency contraception (the morning after pill) without a prescription, and the government regulates the prices of EC brands, such as NorLevo. There are many places to get an STI test, and there are no travel restrictions related to HIV status. However, if you're a foreigner and applying for a long-term residency (as a worker, student, etc), you may be required to take an HIV test. If you are found to be HIV-positive, you may be denied a visa to the country. For pregnant women, there is maternity coverage in Tunisia, though only for four weeks with 66.7% of wages covered. Since 1973, abortion has been fully legal for women, regardless of reason, for the first trimester of pregnancy. There have been some reported cases of women being denied abortion services in Tunisia, but this is not common, and most women receive the abortion services that they request.

* "The birth control birth, actually, they are so cheap! If you want to get it from private pharmacies. But it is for free in hospitals and we offer it to every woman asking for it. The whole pack for one month it is about 509millims so it is 2cent of euro." (local, March 2017)

HIV and AIDS estimates - Tunisia]</ref> However, HIV is heavily stigmatized in Tunisia. The groups of people who are most predominantly affected (sex workers, men who have sex with men and intravenous drug users) by HIV often experience extreme disenfranchisement. According to a 2014 Guardian article, "Tunisia, a country with one of the most far-reaching and comprehensive approaches to combating HIV-Aids in the Middle East and north Africa, is in a war of attrition with the pervasive influences of ignorance and stigma that cut through to the marrow of Tunisian society."<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jul/21/tunisia-aids-hiv-discrimination Tunisia's fight against Aids hampered by widespread discrimination]</ref> The Tunisian government is prohibited from working with criminalized populations (such as drug users), so organizations that aren't tied to the state are often the only ones that can deliver crucial services to all affected people. One of these organizations is Global Fund to Fight AIDS, which is primarily composed of volunteers who are HIV-positive.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/15/tunisia-aids_n_6309342.html AIDS In Tunisia Is No Myth, Even If It’s Rarely Talked About]</ref>

* One local says, "There are 7 places anonymous places where people can get the HIV test. Of course it for free and even the medication and the treatment, if it happens and the test is positive, will be all for free for the Tunisians, no matter what. We have a health national plan for HIV, like for some other diseases, like VHc. So 11 in whole country and 7 in the big capital: Tunis and surrounding cities."