The World Has Changed: The HIV Response Must Change Too On World HIV Day
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) November 30, 2016 -- This December 1st civil HIV society organizations urge the global community to reclaim December the 1st as World HIV Day. The world is changing profoundly. The global fight against HIV must change too: Groups most affected by HIV are increasingly targets of stigma and discrimination. Global HIV long-term investments are under threat.
Now more than ever, it is time to re-awaken global awareness and re-commit to the long term, sustained fight against HIV.
“The world needs to deliver an optimistic vision of how to end HIV. It is time to be brutally frank about the need for more resources, and the need to respect and invest in the diverse communities heavily impacted by this disease – girls and women, people of color, men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs, trans men and women, and incarcerated populations,” said Ben Plumley, CEO of Pangaea Global AIDS.
“Rights-based approaches to HIV, which continue to lag behind, must be prioritised and funded. This includes the provision of stigma-free services and commodities, as well as enacting and enforcing protective laws. Harmful laws and policies such as mandatory testing, laws that legalise child marriage and marital rape, as well as the criminalisation of HIV transmission, exposure and/or non-disclosure, need to be reformed,” said Lynette Mabote, Programmes Lead of the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa.
Key Points
• Reclaim December the 1st with calls to fully fund the HIV response and placing the rights, dignity and engagement of key affected populations at its heart.
• This epidemic has never been just about a virus but about the social justice and the fundamental human rights and dignity of vulnerable populations around the globe.
• Treatment has transformed the lives of people living with HIV – but we must maintain and expand long-term investments in life-long treatment for millions of people.
• New biomedical advances, particularly PrEP, are revolutionizing the potential of HIV prevention, and must be scaled-up and funded for all in need.
A population heavily impacted by HIV are men who have sex with men. "Gay men need better access to HIV treatment and prevention globally. Hornet is supporting the efforts of World HIV Day on our platform and continuing to push this agenda,” said Sean Howell, president of Hornet, and Pangaea partner.
The future can be a world where today's citizens ended a virus, by coming together as a global community to fund and deliver scientific advances for everyone, embracing and celebrating diversity, and by fighting for the human rights of all. December 1st has traditionally been known as World AIDS Day – an opportunity to remember those lost and recognize the state of the world. This December the 1st – we must commit to creating a World Without HIV. It is time for organizations and world citizens banded together to "End HIV".
Ana Teasdale 510.289.7524, World HIV Day, http://worldhivday.org, +1 2063725979, [email protected]
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