Posts
Families are often the chief source
of discrimination experienced by HIV-positive Kenyans, a new UN-financed report
indicates.
At a press conference in Nairobi on
Tuesday, lead researcher Allan Maleche said the report found that 79 percent of
HIV-positive people were discriminated against by their own families, while 34
percent reported discrimination at work and 19 percent experienced it in health
care settings. “Family-level rejection was the most common form of
discrimination on HIV-positive individuals, leading to loss of right to
property, education, and food,” he said.
Maleche, who is executive director
of the Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV, said the study was
conducted by a group of civil society organizations with the goal of assessing
levels of discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS, as well as patients’
knowledge of their rights. “The report will assist Kenya to achieve the UN goal
of zero new infections and discrimination,” said Ludfine Anyango, HIV/AIDS
program analyst at the UN Development Program.
Maleche said HIV-positive females in
serodiscordant relationships face the biggest discrimination challenges. “Our
study indicated that they would be sent home and left with the burden of
raising the children single-handedly,” he said. In addition, the study comes
amid media reports suggesting the practice of forced sterilization among
HIV-positive mothers is common in Kenya.
Dorothy Oyango, CEO of Women
Fighting AIDS in Kenya, noted that those with HIV experience more violence than
the general public. Sixty-two percent of those surveyed has experienced some
form of violence. “The main form of violence was psychological, especially
through intimidation,” she said.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
