UNAIDS director says HIV/AIDS stigma is discrimination

UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot called for “an all-out attack on HIV-related stigma and discrimination” in his address to delegates at the United Nations Conference Against Racism (WCAR) in Durban on Tuesday. In his speech, Piot told the conference that world leaders must fight to dispel the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, which is often linked to racial stereotypes, sex discrimination and prejudice against homosexuals. Piot said the stigma was “rooted in a combination of shame about the sexual way the virus is often transmitted and fear of getting the disease”. He said: “Shame must be replaced with solidarity. People living with HIV are part of the solution, not part of the problem.” Piot said that blaming ‘others’ for transmitting the virus created the ideal conditions for the virus to spread. He urged world leaders and other public figures to publicly “challenge HIV discrimination” by recording HIV-related human rights violations, encouraging support groups for those with HIV and enacting legislation to “fight discrimination and ensure prevention and care are widely available”. A copy of Piot’s statement can be found at: http://www.unaids.org/whatsnew/speeches/eng/piot040901racism.html Meanwhile, a UNAIDS Compendium on Discrimination, Stigmatisation and Denial was launched at the WCAR on Wednesday. The set of reports used case studies from India and Uganda to explore discrimination, stigma and denial related to HIV/AIDS. The studies found significant levels of discrimination, including in health care settings. One report, “Exploring the Link: HIV/AIDS, Stigma, Discrimination and Racism” was the subject of a panel discussion which took place on Wednesday. Read the discussion background paper at: http://www.unaids.org/humanrights/BPracism.doc