Ghana AIDS Commission marks zero discrimination day
The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has commemorated the United Nations ‘Zero Discrimination Day, reminding the public that stigmatisation and discrimination against persons living with HIV is the major challenge to the national HIV response and targets.
It mentioned what such persons suffer from includes denial of employment, denial of rental housing, education, police assistance, eviction from rented houses or family house, disclosure of status to third parties and refusal to share social amenities with them
At a press briefing to mark the day in Accra on March 1, 2022, the Director-General of the GAC, Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene, appealed to the public to desist from treating such persons and other vulnerable people differently due to their health status.
He said although it was against the laws of the country to indulge in such acts, discrimination and stigmatisation against persons living with HIV persisted and was very high.
“HIV stigmatisation and discrimination are unimaginably pervasive in the country. According to the Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service in 2014, 92 per cent of women and 85 per cent of men expressed unacceptable attitude towards persons living with HIV.
“Results of this survey clearly demonstrate that ignorance and misconceptions about HIV drive such unacceptable levels of stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV. Several studies conducted in Ghana on HIV-related stigma and discrimination show that the experience of stigma and discrimination is a daily occurrence in homes, schools, churches, workplaces and communities.
“These findings have been confirmed by data from the discrimination reporting system of the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ),” he said.
He said all acts of stigmatisation and discrimination against PLHIV or affected parsons were offences punishable by law.
He assured PLHIV to have confidence in the law, as it had made provision for free legal assistance and hearings in camera to protect their identity and status.
