HIV/AIDS and human rights

As concerted effort are being made across board to halt further cases of HIV and stop AIDS-related deaths, equal emphasis should be accorded the issue of stigma and discrimination against those living positively with HIV. This is why the theme of the World AIDS Day celebration in Nigeria: “Closing the Gap Against Stigma and Discrimination” […]

As concerted effort are being made across board to halt further cases of HIV and stop AIDS-related deaths, equal emphasis should be accorded the issue of stigma and discrimination against those living positively with HIV. This is why the theme of the World AIDS Day celebration in Nigeria: “Closing the Gap Against Stigma and Discrimination” becomes the more timely.
Recently, a Nigerian newspaper featured an Editorial on how to deal with the HIV/AIDS menace in Nigeria. To effectively stem the tide of the pandemic, the editorial averred “now is the time for government to be realistic in its approach.” Against the backdrop of the withdrawal of the United States (US) government’s funding for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, which hitherto helped in no mean way to reduce the scourge of the pandemic, this reminder became the more auspicious. This Editorial also, rightly, mentioned closing the gap on stigma to be brought to the front-burner as the fight against AIDS rages on. However, to mitigate the impact of zero-funding from strategic partners like USAID and the US President’s Emergency Relief Fund for Africa, PERPFAR, other perspectives in the fight against HIV/AIDS must be explored including addressing the issue discrimination against those living with the virus through urging President Jonathan to sign the Anti-Discriminatory Bill already passed by both chambers of the national Assembly and making HIV Counselling and Treatment services a human right issue to meet the desires of the Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN). Interestingly, the issue of providing care as a fundamental human right of those living with AIDS formed a core of the resolution at the World AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia earlier on in the year.  Though it is heart-warming to note that the government of Nigeria has begun to show some commitment towards dealing with the menace of HIV/AIDS, more needs to be done especially in augmenting the gap arising from the shortfalls in funding so as to expand the frontiers of treatment for those in urgent need.  Ultimately, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), headed by Director General, Professor John Idoko has a leading role to play in ensuring that those who live with HIV are given adequate care and protected from stigma and any form of discrimination

Adams Abonu, Abuja <[email protected]>;