The number of people living with HIV/AIDS has been risen from 29.5 million in 2001 to 33 million in 2007 globally and annual deaths has increased from 1.7 million to 2 million in 2007 (9). When AIDS was first identified in early 80s, only little was known about ways of transmission of diseases and treatments which can contribute to fear and discrimination among people with HIV/AIDS. However, so far we have discovered various preventions, treatments and testing and we are continuing to fight against HIV/AIDS epidemics as well as fear, discrimination in certain countries in the world. Unfortunately in some developing countries while HIV prevention and treatment are available, people with HIV/AIDS still have to face stigma and discrimination due to lack of appropriate governmental policies of human rights and even if they established policies, they did not carried out as real actions (5). The spreading and the consequences of HIV/AIDS are resulted from the lack of effective enjoyment of human rights. Therefore human rights of people with HIV/AIDS can be both political and medical further more it is social concern that need to be involved simultaneously from three different aspects (1). In this sense, HIV/AIDS is not just simply a nasty disease but we need to view this epidemic as medical, social and economic contexts that closely linked to the human rights. Social exclusion of HIV positive people which causes discrimination and economic degeneration such as poverty can make people more vulnerable to HIV infection. Social justice and access to HIV prevention education and drugs play a vital role to help to protect people from being exposed to the HIV virus since they can hinder enjoyment of all human rights and furthermore it leaves the HIV affected people without protection from health hazards like AIDS. Poverty implies less access to health care and prevention privileges and often the surrounding factors such as housing, food and lifestyle renders the poor vulnerable to HIV infection. HIV infected people are often discriminated against in almost of basic human rights from their access to employment, housing, health and social services and legal rights. If government fails to provide or protect these social basic human rights, it will continue to increase prevalence of HIV/AIDS. In 2001, 189 nations from United Nations Special Session on HIV/AIDS signed the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS which perceived as a milestone to establish specific goals in preventions and cares from people with stigmatization and risk groups of HIV/AIDS (7).
Human rights to health are extremely important in both nationally and internationally, especially for those countries where still remain discrimination against women and marginalized groups such as poor and uneducated people (7). We have seen these examples from the sister of Suraiya, 21 years old women in Afghanistan died in childbirth at early age due the neglect of government and their discrimination against women and John William who was mistreated in the hospital due to his condition of HIV positive in Africa (5). There still several countries which have governmental policies that interfere with the accessibility and effectiveness of HIV-related measures for prevention and care (5). For example, laws that discriminate men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs and sex workers are not respected, protected and fulfilled their rights. The protection of human rights of people with HIV and vulnerable to HIV is extremely crucial to prevent more victims and decrease mortality. More importantly, the relationship between HIV and human rights are not only involved with people with HIV, but also involves with the policies of prevention, testing and nondiscriminatory distribution of HIV drugs. As the number of people living with HIV continues to grow in worldwide, HIV related human rights issues are not only apparent but also diverse from each country (3). In some developed countries like United States and Europe, people with HIV or AIDS can be benefited from widely available antiretroviral treatment, however in some of developing countries there are still high rates of mortality and spread of HIV now due to lack or unequal distribution of the drugs (3).
Human rights violation cause increase on vulnerability of especially horrible communicable disease like HIV globally since they have profound impacts on the health of individuals, communities and the population (7). And people living with HIV, including women, young people and other most-at-risk populations, such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, drug users and prisoners should play a major focus when establishing human rights of HIV infected people. Although the vulnerability may applies to all people, relatively women, children, minorities and poor people, sex workers and men who have sex with men are more vulnerable to infection of HIV and they tend to be highly discriminated or even harmed by legal or governmental policies of human rights.
The initial approaches to HIV were mainly focused on the reduction of risk of acquiring HIV infection through using condoms in sexual relationship and early diagnosis and treatment of infection (8). These projects can be successful at the educated community while it may have faced challenges on some countries where the social and economic stresses remain. However these risk reduction strategies confronted some obstacles such as the balance of international and national project level and applying same projects at different social and cultural settings (2). They may have confronted with problems from limitations of human rights as they relate to HIV, inadequate accountability for human rights by pharmaceuticals and lack of consensus in HIV programming efforts For example, in sub-Saharan African countries these projects were confronted with denial and rejection of prevention models which were seen by many culturally insensitive (2) . Often gender-related issues, stigma and discriminations toward people with HIV (sex workers, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users) may have made difficulty of reaching these people and eventually they do not receive proper prevention and treatments. The first Global Strategy of AIDS prevention was managed by the WHO and it was intended to prevent HIV transmission, to care for HIV-infected persons and reduce morbidity and mortality and ultimately to unite national AIDS programs (6). According to Mann, the key elements of a national AIDS program are political openness, creation of a national AIDS committee, initial epidemiologic and resource assessment, and development of a medium-term AIDS plan. The plan should specifically diverse areas including epidemiological surveillance, laboratory capability, education programs for health workers, prevention of sexual transmission, prevention of blood transmission, prevention of intravenous drug abuse, and prevention of infection of women of childbearing age altogether (4).
As HIV/AIDS epidemic increases, we must understand the fundamental linkages between HIV/AIDS and human rights and acknowledge the importance of international and national HIV/AIDS policies and programs to prevent higher mortality due to HIV/AIDS. However unfortunately, very little is carried out in reality. It can only be brought under control through the global cooperation of international, national governmental and non-governmental organizations (6). The human rights movement, which has been spearheaded by agencies of the United Nations, has helped protect victims of HIV/AIDS from discrimination, stigmatization and other affronts to human dignity, resisted irrational reactions by nations produced by panic, fear and ignorance and has spread knowledge concerning the realities of HIV/AIDS throughout the world. Different approach to human rights in HIV can be its advocacy, the use of the law, including both international and national legal norms and standards. The critical components of rights of HIV need to pay attention to the legal and policy context, participation, non-discrimination, the right to health (availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of services) (3). As World Health Organization offered a Corporate Strategy, public health action should promote the recognition of health dimension of social, economic, environmental and developmental policies to ensure that such policies and consequent programs contribute to the advancement of health (6).
As I have mentioned above, HIV/AIDS is not just medical problem but social and economic concerns we need to pay attention to. Although various organizations like UN, UNAIDS and Amnesty raised a awareness of human rights to HIV/AIDS, both inadequacy and incapability to human rights to HIV/AIDS hinder to protect people with HIV/AIDS. Human rights are inalienable, indivisible and interdependent according to World Conference in Human Rights in Austria (3). Therefore individual cannot lose human rights anymore than they cease being human being and he or she cannot be denied a right because it is regarded as less important. Lastly, human rights are part of complementary framework that one right impacts on all others. Human rights of HIV/AIDS showed us that all aspects of human rights are interconnected and human rights can be most crucial and powerful things to fight against HIV/AIDS epidemics in the world (6). We need to keep in mind that we need to pay more attention to the social and economic factors that might render people vulnerable to HIV infection and also discrimination against HIV positive people when we develop human rights of HIV/AIDS
Reference
1. Byrnes, A, Gruskin, S, Kemp, L, Tarantola, D & Zwi, A., (2008) Human Rights, Health and Development: Technical Series Paper., University of South Wales., Retrieved on March 19, 2009 from http://www.theglobaljusticenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2_tarantola.pdf
2. HIV/AIDS and Human Rights (Resource Guide) (2007)., Open Society Institute and Equitas-International Centre for Human Rights Education, New York., Equitas
3. Gruskin, S & Tarantola, D., April 2002 ., HIV InSite Knowledge Base Chapter, Human Rights and HIV/AIDS., Retrieved on March 19, 2009 from University of California, San Francisco,
4. Mann, JM, (2006) Voice from the Past, Health and Human Rights: If Not Now, When? American Journal of Public Health, Vol 96, No.11
5. Skolnik, R., (2008) Essential of Global Health: Ethical and Human Rights Concerns in Global Health., PG 59-71., Massachusetts., Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
6. Tarantola, D., Global Justice and Human Rights: Health and Human Rights in Practice., Retrieved on March 19, 2009 from http://www.theglobaljusticenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2_tarantola.pdf
7. United Nation AIDS, Human Rights and HIV., Retrieved on March 19, 2009 from http://www.unaids.org/en/PolicyAndPractice/HumanRights/
8. World Health Organization, Health & Human Rights., Retrieved on March 19, 2009 from http://www.who.int/hhr/HHRETH_activities.pdf
9. Worldwide AIDS/HIV Statistics End of 2007., Retrieved on March 19, 2009 from http://www.avert.org/worldstats.html
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So far human right practices are not yet carried out as successfully in developing countries in comparison to developed countries. That is another reason why HIV/AIDS is rampant and severe in developing countries. People in these developing countries are mostly deprived of basic education thus are not able to read some low level educative posters that talks about causes, how the disease is transmitted, prevention and some symptoms of the disease. It is then important for the government in these developing countries to focus on educating its people about the importance of not alienating HIV/AIDS patients. Just like the other subjects taught in class such as English and Math, education on HIV/AIDS can be mandatory in local schools by training teachers on the topic and in tend use these students to educate their family members about the disease. The government can also team up with other organizations to use the local media and high authorities such as family heads, Spiritual leaders, Doctors and other respectable figures to spread the news on how serious the disease is and what it does to people. All these approaches have to be frequent in both developed and non-developed countries because some states such as Washington DC had a high incidence in HIV/AIDS as compared to the previous year for example. In this case, the government and other health organizations have to work more on how to lower the prevalence of the disease and continue with the medications to control the disease with those who already have it.
ReplyDeleteHIV/AIDS victims are individuals like us and needs to be treated as such. The more people are educated about the disease, the less they will discriminate. International, national and all non-governmental organizations need to have effective videos that they will include in their education process. Some should be translated in local dialects and other languages. The government need to pass bills or make policies that makes it legal for health centers, clinics and hospitals to refuse HIV/AIDS victims because if they do not assist them who will ? They need to be treated like everyone else with malaria or a regular cold. I believe that when people are educated about the causes of HIV/AIDS and how it can be contracted they will be more accepting of victims even though culture plays a big role, but once it’s accepted by the people of a particular culture in Ghana for example, others will accept it too. It’s always hard to break the cultural barrier but once it’s broken it’s also hard to undo it. The government must fund conventions and campaigns for educating the public about HIV/AIDS. More importantly they must educate people about its causes and discourage discrimination. Also countries that have cultures that discriminate against other ethnicities, poor and women, they must be educated about the important of equal human rights. Mainly because when women for instance who have the virus visit health centers they are discriminated against and this may result in poor treated equally, in general and especially when it comes to health care. Over all, I thinking targeting an African country such as Ghana on HIV/AIDS, I personally think its more effective when dramatic picture and facts are used to educate the general public. More infrastructure are also needed such as schools, hospitals, and public centers to enable people in mostly developing countries to enjoy their human rights. There is much more to be done and continue doing to help HIV/AIDs victims and the general public to understand and accept each other. The best is to fight the disease in the world.