HIV/Aids - Put an end to stigma and discrimination |28 February 2017

HIV/Aids Support Organisation (HASO) is urging the population to join together to commemorate Zero Discrimination Day tomorrow, March 1.

The aim of the occasion is to sensitise the community on the importance of showing their support toward the most marginalised key population and to stop stigma and discrimination.

Haso is marking the occasion with a mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception whereby a special mention for people who are suffering from stigma and discrimination will be done by the local priest.

Sensitisation posters and spots on television have also been prepared.

Zero Discrimination Campaign was launched on World Aids Day 2013 by UNAids, which picked up momentum with a Zero Discrimination Day on March 1, 2014.  A butterfly was used as its transformative symbol for that campaign.

Everyone has a right to dignity and respect. Discrimination is a violation of human rights. It is illegal, dehumanising and acts as a major barrier to HIV services.

“When the most marginalised and vulnerable face discrimination and abuse, all of us are diminished” – Ban ki-Moon UN secretary General.

The most affected are the marginalised and vulnerable key population such as men having sex with men, people who inject drugs, sex workers, prison inmates, people with HIV, people with disability who face double stigma and discrimination, women and children.

Discrimination is seen everywhere from the community, health care to employment settings – health care where people refusing to access services for fear of  being stigmatised by the same health care providers supposedly caring for them to employment settings where the right and dignity of workers are not protected therefore affecting productivity and causing a reduction of earning in families.

The stigma and discrimination that they face is often in essence the way the general community views and values them; it comes from their peers, family members, neighbours and health service providers.

Health care and workplaces should be considered a safe environment and access to these facilities must be open to everyone.

“Eliminating discrimination is the one step that can enable the world to achieve the UN General Assembly's 2011 target of a 50 per cent reduction of HIV infection among people who use drugs, so take that step, say yes to #zero discrimination, commit, transform and let's reach the target" – UNODC executive director Yury Fedotov.

Calling for a transformation to achieve zero discrimination is no small task as it is often deeply rooted, yet ending discrimination will be the game changing factor in the journey towards ending Aids by 2030.

If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence. If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society.

“On that day, we want to stand out and stand together for the right to live free from stigma and discrimination. By celebrating diversity, we can transform the future” – Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAids.