World AIDS Day 2006: DFID focuses on tackling stigma and discrimination
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On World AIDS Day, our message is that tackling AIDS is not just about
money - we also have to tackle attitudes and prejudices.
In a speech at the London School of Economics to mark World AIDS Day, Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for International Development highlighted the need to tackle the stigma and discrimination which exists against people living with HIV and AIDS and vulnerable groups:
"Prevention must be targeted at those most vulnerable to infection – young people, women and young girls, men who have sex with men, sex workers and injecting drug users. Many governments are reluctant to provide these groups with the information and services they need because they are considered immoral or illegal. The consequence: 4.3 million new infections worldwide in 2006.
”We have to be honest about what the problem is and about telling the truth about what works. Abstinence is fine for those who are able to abstain, but people like to have sex and they should not die because they do have sex."
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The Global AIDS epidemic continues to grow. The latest statistics published last week by UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation reveal that around 40 million people are now living with HIV. There were 4.3 million new infections in 2006, with 2.8 million of these occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2006, 2.9 million people dies of AIDS-related illnesses.
Read
the Report on the global AIDS epidemic 2006
The report also shows that HIV prevention programmes get better results if
focussed on reaching people most at risk.
Hilary Benn, responded:
"The new UNAIDS report tells us very clearly that tackling AIDS isn't only
about money and improving access to treatment services. It's also about tackling
stigma, discrimination against marginalised groups most at risk of HIV and the
unequal position of women and girls in many societies."
Fear of stigmatisation and discrimination
Fear of stigmatisation and discrimination is stopping those most at risk of HIV from accessing life-saving information, prevention, treatment, care and support. The fear discourages people from seeking information on protection, and from coming forward for voluntary counselling and testing, treatment, care and support. HIV and AIDS related stigma and discrimination have been, and continue to be the most challenging obstacles to the uptake and use of AIDS services.
Across the globe, whether in India, the Caribbean or the UK, drug users, sex workers, men who have sex with men and people living with HIV and AIDS are marginalised and discriminated against.
Stigma and discrimination can be addressed by:
- changing attitudes towards people living with HIV and AIDS;
- challenging discrimination when it occurs; and
- promoting and protecting human rights in policies and legislation.
What is DFID doing to tackle stigma?
DFID supports around a hundred projects and programmes throughout the world that aim to reduce stigma, challenge discrimination and promote and protect human rights. The projects involve:
- Challenging and changing people's stigmatising attitudes and beliefs for example the Champions for Change Conference in the Caribbean engaged public figures in the fight against stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV and AIDS and men who have sex with men and supported them to speak out in support of the needs and rights of these groups.
- Challenging discrimination in institutional settings for example DFID supports a programme in South Africa which focuses on good employment practices and HIV workplace policies.
- Creating a legislative environment supporting the human rights of people living with HIV and AIDS and marginalised groups for example in Asia DFID supports several programmes on legal reform and the inclusion of the rights of vulnerable groups and women in policies and laws. For example, programmes in China and Vietnam concentrate on the rights of injecting drug users and sex workers.
Regina’s story – an example of discrimination in Ukraine
Regina is twenty-nine and lives in Mykolaiv Oblast in Ukraine. She has been an injecting drug user for nine years and knows that sharing needles poses a risk of HIV infection. But Regina avoids the local needle exchange point out of fear of being beaten and arrested by the police who patrol the charity-run needle exchange point several times a day. Harassment by the authorities means that Regina is not only denied the opportunity to protect herself through use of clean needles, but also is denied access to medical services offered at the needle exchange point to drug users who are often discriminated against and refused treatment by state health workers. Unfortunately, Regina’s experience is not an isolated case. Worldwide, more than 12 million injecting drug users do not have access to HIV prevention measures such as clean needles or counselling despite the proven effectiveness of these interventions.
Case studies: Projects DFID is supporting to tackle stigma and discrimination
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Antiretrovirals bring hope to people living with HIV and AIDS in Malawi |
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Related links
- Press release: "Satan's Disease" - Research uncovers new disease stigma
- Press release: Facing the challenges of Russia’s AIDS epidemic
