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The stigma
factor
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 August
08,2008- I have met many remarkable people in my life:
presidents, kings, diplomats. One of the most memorable of these encounters-and
certainly most moving-came a bit more than a year ago, when I met
a group of HIV-positive staff members at the UN.
For me, it was a moment of epiphany. I was struck by their courage
and, more, by their directness in talking about their lives. Suddenly,
I saw the human face of HIV.
It made me wonder: what could I do differently, how could I help?
It was impossible not to be reminded of the discrimination those with
HIV often face in many parts of the world, including Asia. Against
this backdrop, I was so proud of my UN colleagues-for standing up
and speaking out, for challenging stigma and discrimination and for
helping make the UN a model of how the workplace should respond to
AIDS.
This week, more than 20,000 activists, academics and policymakers
gathered in Mexico City for the 17th International AIDS Conference,
heralding what many called a "new era" in fighting the disease.
For the first time fewer people are being infected by HIV and fewer
are dying. A recent UNAIDS 2008 Report shows encouraging progress
in preventing HIV in a number of the most vulnerable countries, thanks
to changes in sexual behavior (particularly among young people) and
better access to anti-retroviral drugs.
These gains would not have been possible without strong support from
the international community. In Hokkaido last month, G8 nations renewed
their pledge to work toward the goal of universal access to HIV treatment
by 2010. More recently President George W. Bush signed legislation
committing $48 billion to the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and
malaria over the next five years. And yet, we must remember: one of
the biggest hurdles for our global response to AIDS is psychological.
That is the stigma factor. To greater or lesser degrees, almost everywhere
in the world, discrimination remains a fact of daily life for people
living with HIV. One third of all countries have virtually no laws
protecting their rights. Almost all permit at least some form of discrimination-against
women and children who contract the disease, against gay men, against
communities at risk.
Stigma remains the single most important barrier to public action.
It is a main reason why too many people are afraid to see a doctor
to determine whether they have the disease, or to seek treatment if
so. It helps make AIDS the silent killer, because people fear the
social disgrace of speaking about it, or taking easily available precautions.
Stigma is a chief reason why the AIDS epidemic continues to devastate
societies around the world.
We can fight stigma. Enlightened laws and policies are key. But it
begins with openness, the courage to speak out. Fortunately, more
and more people are finding their voices, like my UN colleagues.
Visiting the AIDS conference, I was greeted with a kiss by a young
activist from Honduras, just 12 years old. Infected since birth, Keren
Gonzalez not only lives with HIV but thrives. She edits a magazine
for children affected by AIDS (funded by UNICEF) and participates
in workshops on AIDS awareness and sensitivity across Latin America.
She knows only too well the pain of stigma. When she entered nursery
school, teachers told her to sit in the corner and not touch other
children's' books or toys. But with understanding came acceptance.
"I'm the most popular girl in my class," she says with pride.
Her greatest fear isn't her condition but how she will be received
when she moves on to secondary school.
At the Global Village, a center for community activism at the conference,
there were others-dancers, civil society leaders, even hairdressers-living
with HIV, richly and happily and openly. Among them was a woman from
Malawi, Maroc Daphane Jwonde, who learned she had the disease in 1999
after her husband grew sick. Fighting discrimination ever since-one
co-worker asked her not to use the dishes in their shared kitchen-she
asked me to use her story to "make change in the world."
Such people are at the heart of the global campaign against AIDS.
It is impossible not to admire their courage and commitment. Yet their
efforts, alone, are not enough.
In Mexico City, I called on world leaders to join them, to speak out
against discrimination and to guarantee the rights of people living
with HIV. Schools should teach respect and understanding. Religious
leaders should preach tolerance. The media should condemn prejudice
and use its influence to advance social change, from securing legal
protections to ensuring access to health care.
Above all, we must recognize that those who bear the stigma of HIV
should not be those who live with the disease. It is those who allow
it.
The writer is Secretary-General of the United Nations.
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