Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa

Rights abuses undermine anti-AIDS efforts

    JOHANNESBURG

    Ongoing rights abuses are undermining global efforts against HIV/AIDS, international lobby group, Human Rights Watch (HRW), said on Monday.

    The group's statement was made ahead of an upcoming biannual 16th International AIDS Conference from 13 to 18 August in Toronto, Canada.

    According to Joe Amon, director of HRW's AIDS programme, people living with AIDS continued to be imprisoned, assaulted and even murdered since the Bangkok gathering two years ago.

    Among examples of recurring global abuse cited by HRW was the April 2006 murder of Isaiah Gakuyo, a 15-year-old Kenyan youth, killed with a pitchfork by his uncle and guardian for being HIV-positive.

    "We can't defeat AIDS unless we end outrageous abuses against activists, outreach workers, people living with AIDS and those most vulnerable to infection," Amon said in a statement.

    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

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join