Youssef Ahmed (not his real name), aged 27, says he was ostracised by his family after they discovered he was HIV-positive.
Unemployed and forced to leave his family home, Ahmed could not find anywhere to stay so lived on the streets for months, always fearful of being attacked in the night by militias or insurgents.
“I discovered I was carrying the HI virus in October 2006 after donating blood. A doctor in the centre called me and asked me to visit him and I was given the sad news I was living with HIV.
“I didn’t know exactly what I was carrying and when I got home I told my family, but then I discovered they knew more about it than I did.
“My father started to beat me, telling me I was a homosexual and that I got a ‘dirty disease’ from a man. My sister, who is a pharmacist, started shouting at me and warned my father to stop beating me because, she said, he too would be infected.
“On that day I discovered how people discriminate against those living with HIV: I saw my father take all my personal belongings, including my clothes and engineering books, drop them in the street, douse them with petrol and set fire to them ‘to kill any HIV virus remaining’.
“I never entered my family home again. I tried to stay in a friend’s house but my sister alerted them to my condition and they didn’t even bother to open the door to say `No’ to me.
“I believe I caught the virus when I slept with a sex worker without a condom a couple of years ago because I heard she died after a year from an unknown illness. Maybe it was AIDS.
“Last month, I went to a centre which helps people with HIV. They gave me some food, medicines for my condition and referred me to a local non-governmental organisation that helps those living with HIV.
“That was the only day I found respect in my life since discovering that I had the virus. They treated me like a normal person and gave me love and tenderness. They gave me blankets and a mattress and allowed me to stay until they found a job for me and a place to stay.
“Now I understand how hard life is for all who live with HIV… If my sister who is a pharmacist could say that touching, or eating with, someone with the HI virus might transmit it, you can imagine how those who are not educated think about HIV.”
as/ar/cb
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
