Protecting the Rights of People Living With HIV
Ebizimo Agedah writes on Protecting the Rights of People Living With HIV as the world celebrates World AIDS day on December 1.
World AIDS Day celebrated every year on the 1st of December, it is another year to honor those who have lost their lives to AIDS related illnesses and to reflect on the progress made over the years to eliminate the HIV epidemic.
Despite the tremendous progress in HIV prevention and treatment made to reduce HIV prevalence, all over the world, an estimate of about 38 million people are still living with HIV.
The progress that has been made in the HIV response is directly linked to progress in protecting human rights and the HIV response has galvanized broader progress in realizing the right to health and strengthening health systems.
In Nigeria, the HIV prevalence remains an urgent health issue as about 1.9 million people are affected with the South South having the largest population of People living with HIV.
Here in Bayelsa State, we have a medium prevalence with a need for continuos and sustained awareness on the importance of community driven solutions in addressing HIV issues.
Just as all humans have rights, People Living With HIV also have rights which should be protected and respected.
They have rights to nondiscrimination, privacy, dignity of human personality, right to quality health care and others.
People, families, communities and the state must ensure that People Living With HIV are not denied of adequate standard of living, we should create an environment where they can access care without fear of discrimination.
The efforts of the Bayelsa State government through the State Agency for the Control of AIDS, BYSACA recently inaugurated the HIV Gender and Human Rights State Response Team to tackle issues of human rights particularly for People Living With HIV.
In the local government areas, we also have Community Right Advocates who are tasked with educating PLHIV about their rights, identifying cases of Gender and Human Rights against PLHIV in the communities and link them to service delivery points for them to have access to justice.
Also, by ensuring normal conversations around HIV/AIDS, fostering a supportive community and promoting equal rights for all, Bayelsa State continues to make strides in reducing stigmatization and discrimination.
However, the state government and all relevant stakeholders should see the need to establish laws and policies aimed at supporting Gender and Human Rights response programming in the state.
World AIDS Day 2024 with the theme Let’s end Inequalities, Eliminate AIDS is a clarion call on all to seek ways to protect the rights of People Living With HIV, PLHIV inorder to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
This year’s World AIDS Day is a call to action to protect everyone’s health by protecting everyone’s rights.
To end AIDS, it requires that we all reach and engage everyone who is living with, at risk for or affected by HIV especially including people who have been most excluded and marginalized.
Most importantly, everyone is at risk of contracting HIV, so let us all ensure that we know our HIV status through regular testing. Knowing your HIV status will help you avoid behaviors that may jeopardize your health and that of others.
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