UN agency urges people to make noise against AIDS discrimination

United Nations March 2 (IANS) The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) on Wednesday marked Zero Discrimination Day with a Make Some Noise campaign urging people to speak up against discrimination.

Discrimination takes many forms and can be based on race religion gender sexual orientation or age Xinhua news agency quoted UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric as saying.

For this year s campaign UNAIDS is putting particular focus on the need for zero discrimination in health-care settings Dujarric added.

According to UNAIDS people living with disabilities are nearly three times more likely to be denied health-care than other people.

Healthcare settings should be safe and supportive environments. It is unacceptable that discrimination is inhibiting access to care today said Michel Sidibe Executive Director of the UNAIDS in his message for Zero Discrimination Day.

Each year on March 1 the world marks Zero Discrimination Day to highlight how everyone can be part of the transformation and take a stand for a fair and just society the UN agency said in a press release.

Eliminating discrimination in health-care settings is critical and we must demand that it become a reality Sidibe added.

The right to health is a fundamental human right that includes access to affordable timely and quality health-care services for all yet discrimination remains widespread in health-care settings creating a serious barrier to access to HIV services.

Data from 50 countries from the People Living with HIV Stigma Index cited by UNAIDS show that one in eight people living with HIV report being denied health care.

Around 60 per cent of European Union/European Economic Area countries report that stigma and discrimination among health-care professionals remains a barrier to the provision of adequate HIV prevention services for men who have sex with men and people who inject drugs.

Everyone has the right to be treated with respect to live free from discrimination coercion and abuse said Sidibe.

Discrimination doesn t just hurt individuals it hurts everyone whereas welcoming and embracing diversity in all its forms brings benefits for all Sidibe added.

--IANS
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