December 1st is World AIDS Day, a day to become more aware of HIV/AIDS, to actively take part in an AIDS Day event, or to pass on some knowledge you may have about HIV/AIDS.
At present, there are an estimated 33 million people worldwide living with HIV; The number of AIDS related deaths is at around 6 000 people per day. Although much of the problem is due to funding, inability for the poor to buy antiretrovirals, and lack of education in some regions of the world, it is my belief that the root cause is from the stigma which is still attached to the disease. The resulting discrimination makes it difficult for those infected to seek help and feel supported.
"Stigma can lead to discrimination and other violations of human rights which affect the well-being of people living with HIV in fundamental ways. In countries all over the world, there are well-documented cases of people living with HIV being denied the right to health-care, education, and freedom of movement, among others."
http://www.aidsportal.org/overlay_details.aspx?nex=50
Country specific policies don't help matters. Uganda's homophobic regulations do not allow programs which could help cut-down on HIV transmission, the USA believes its "abstinence" program is the way to go, and will not fund any programs which promote condom use, and countries such as China try and sweep the problem under the carpet (although forecasters state that China's HIV potential is at around 50 000 000 people).
Holocaust Memorial Berlin
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2 comments:
It's certainly also not aided by The Catholic church who condemn condom usage. particularly in Africa where they're needed the most. By actively discouraging same they are directly responsible for the deaths of millions of people. How Christian is that?
The Catholic church doesn't care about compassion and human rights. It has always been interested in power and oppressive actions. I agree, Africans (to generalize the continent) who follow the church are reaching out for something that will help them. What they get in return is a hypocritical response (can you see my biases filtering through).
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