Following reported cases of discrimination and stigmatisation of people living with HIV and AIDS, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and other stakeholders have moved to tackle the menace.
Speaking Monday in Abuja during a meeting organised by AHF, in collaboration with NACA, with the theme “Nigeria HIV/AIDS Anti-discrimination law: The journey so far,” the Deputy Director of NACA, Dr Yinka Falola-Anoemuah, said the Agency is working with other institutions to deal with issues around stigma, including the National Human Right Commission, Law enforcement institutions, Ministry of Education, Women Affairs, among others.
She blamed persistence of discrimination on inaccessibility of relevant information about HIV/AIDS, calling for collaboration of all to implement the law with stronger engagement among relevant stakeholders.
Also speaking, the Director of Advocacy, Policy and Marketing, AHF- Africa, Ms Kemi Gbadamosi, called on the Federal Government to enforce the HIV anti-discrimination law enacted in 2014, aimed at upholding the dignity and right of persons living with HIV.
She said part of the challenges have continued to occur because of the public view that HIV was no more a threat, because of the availability of drugs, emphasising the need to create more awareness on their rights of persons living with HIV through the media, social media platforms as well as engaging the grassroots.
“New cases of infection are still recorded especially among the younger generation who are still faced with stigma and discrimination both at school and their communities, which could further leads to non-adherence of medication thereby affecting their viral load,” she said.
On his part, Programme Coordinator, Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NEPWHAN), Mr Michael Okoh, said that the Network in 2021 conducted HIV stigma and discrimination survey with over 1,240 respondents from the general and key population.
Okoh said the survey was conducted in 16 states including the FCT, where about 1 in 4 respondents said their status was disclosed without their consent, which caused the respondents several encounter of stigma and discrimination at their work places and homes.
Also, the President Lawyers Alert, Mr Rommy Mom, said that not much have been achieved in the implementation and enforcement of HIV anti-discrimination law in the country, adding that the Attorney General’s office has done very little in ensuring that the law is enforced.
“Lack of enforcement of the law has been a motivation for people and institutions to stigmatize persons living with HIV. Both the public and private institutions are violating the laws because consequences are not meted out on violators. Laws are therefore not the issue, but the enforcement, issues exist and that is why the laws are passed,” he said.
