Battling AIDS and discrimination

• Source: Global Times
• [10:11 July 14 2010]
• Comments

By Wu Ningning

In China, a country whose last decade has been defined by making bold strides in response to HIV/AIDS, discrimination against HIV/AIDS sufferers is still rife. People with, or suspected of having HIV, may be turned away from hospitals or schools, denied housing or employment and shunned by friends or co-workers. However, most people with HIV choose silence as their defense against discrimi-nation.

Therefore, the seminar entitled "Anti Aids Discrimination and Stigma" jointly held by UNAIDS (United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS) and MSIC (Marie Stopes International China) on July 8 focused on looking at strategies to strip away discrimination and stigma.

The China Stigma Index Report, a report based on a survey of the experience of more than 2,000 respondents living with HIV in China, was released at the seminar, mapping out the harsh realities HIV carriers face.

"The report is the first of its kind in China and among the first in the world," explained Xue Cheng, program assistant of UNAIDS.

The report revealed one third of all respondents said their status has been revealed to others without their permission. More than 40 percent reported have faced HIV-related discrimination. More than 12 percent had been refused medical care at least once since they tested positive. "So much work remains to be done in particu-lar in addressing stigma and discrimination," added Xue Cheng.

The China Stigma Index Report pictures generally how stigma and discrimination fuel the spread of AIDS in China, a detailed study conducted by Xia Donghua, Project Manager of MSIC, analyzes the severity of the issue in terms of laws and legislations.

According to Xia, even though new legislation that outlaws discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS has been in place since 2004, HIV carriers or AIDS patients are rarely protected because of poor policy enforcement and the vague definition of discrimination in law. Many patients know they could bring action against those who violate their rights, but the success rate in doing so is actually very low. Xia suggested the government should pay more attention to the efficiency of the law and policy implementation.

Promoting and protecting women with HIV patients' human rights and enhancing their awareness of their rights with regard to discrimination and stigma were also on the agenda of the seminar. Female patients often suffer doubly, not only from the disease, but also from abuse by their spouses and isolation from their families, said Tiantian, a woman with HIV, who set up Dandelion, an on-line female anti-discrimination organization, to help women strengthen their ability to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and the attendant stigma.

"The recent creation of similar organizations enhances the impression that women patients will no longer suffer discrimination just because of their gender," added Tiantian.

According to the newly released numbers, it is estimated that up to the end of 2009 out of the 748,000 adults in China living with HIV and AIDS, 30.6 percent are women.

wuningning@globaltimes.com.cn