"Preventing discrimination against HIV-positive individuals must be made an essential part of the public health strategy in order to control this global epidemic." - Michele Elio Polizzotto

The logo of the Transnational Radical Party (TRP), a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Category I recognized by the United Nations, is the face of Mahatma Gandhi superimposed with the name of the party in several different languages. Members of the TRP are "radical" in the sense that they seek to effect change for the betterment of humanity by grasping and attacking problems at their "root."

Michele [pronounced, mik-ay-la ] Elio Polizzotto is a native of Sicily, and has spent most of his life in Italy where the party originates. For more than 20 years Mr. Polizzotto has been involved in efforts to reform the university system in Italy, to bring more democracy to the Italian political arena, and to protect human rights in general. Mr. Polizzotto is currently the AIDS Coordinator for the TRP, and the following are his thoughts on the AIDS epidemic.

Stigma and Discrimination in the ERA of HIV/AIDS

by Michele Elio Polizzotto

Aids is a global epidemic, a pandemic, and people living with HIV/AIDS are victims of stigmatization and discrimination all around the world. Experience in responding to the HIVAIDS crisis has taught a vital lesson: stigma and discrimination have tragic effects on the public health, causing human suffering and also undermining efforts to prevent further HIV spread. It is now clear that vulnerability to becoming infected by HIV can derive directly from stigma and discrimination, and as well as from violations of human rights.

Twenty cases of systematic HIV-related human rights violations were reported between 1993 and 1995, from Colombia, Russia, Hungary, Belgium, Venezuela, Burma, Thailand, Cuba, United States, Croatia, Brazil and Mexico. One of the latest reports (1996) from China stressed that all first-year students matriculating at Shanghai universities were required to undergo physical HIV testing, and those who were found to be HIV-positive were not permitted to enroll. More than 50 countries, including the United States, Russia, Japan and China have adopted restrictions on the travel and immigration of people with HIV/AIDS. These are the violations we know about, but what about all the other violations that are not reported? And who is responsible for those?

Abuses are, most of the time, perpetuated in violation of accepted international health standards, human rights treaties, and often, local laws. For these reasons it is important that Governments around the globe take measures to eliminate social stigmatization and discrimination against those affected by HIV/AIDS, and in the same time, support and enforce international mechanisms that are designed to protect people with HIV/AIDS.

Discrimination and stigmatization are counter-productive measures, when trying to prevent and control HIV/AIDS, just as anti-discrimination measures are a relevant component of an effective public health strategy.

The World Health Assembly has recognized that there is no public health rationale for any measures that limit the rights of the individuals.

Informed and responsible behavior can make a real difference in the prevention of HIV transmission. It is responsibility of individuals and groups, and of organs of society to promote a social environment that supports, solidarity and tolerance in order to prevent the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Unfortunately, this is not the reality: discrimination and stigmatization, as well as the HIV epidemic, continue to grow. Today, a person who contracts HIV virus tends to be younger and poorer than his or her counterpart, a decade ago. What is really tragic about the continuing growth of HIV infection is that numerous studies have confirmed that target prevention reduce risk behaviors and rates of new infections among homosexuals, heterosexuals, communities of color, youth, and women. AS the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women recognizes, women and children are especially vulnerable to the risk of HIV infection, and to the economic and social impact of AIDS, as a result of their disadvantageous legal, social, and economic

status.

The continuing subordinate status of women, the reemergence, all around the world, of tuberculoses and other dread diseases, the spread of the illicit use of drugs, malnutrition and famine are just some of the global issues that contribute to the progress of the HIV/AIDS, and yet, the global response to the pandemic remains inadequate. In too many countries, the AIDS crisis is still merely considered as a health problem and not also as a human development, social or political problem. And the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS remain in danger, despite evidence that protecting rights is an essential part of HIV/AIDS prevention and care. Available treatments remain, largely a privilege of the industrialized world and of a few world's elite. Wealthy countries continue to show a preference for working independently or on bilateral basis with "developing countries." Furthermore, national AIDS programs are still, without doubt, too narrowly conceived as governments programs rather than as a combination of the

efforts of executive bodies, NGOs, non-profit organizations, and the private sector.

In spite of all this generalized irrationality, precautions and global polices that have proven to yield results must be strengthened, starting with risk reduction. For example, a clean needle in exchange of a dirty one, other substances or therapies instead of street heroin, "safe sex" rather than "abstinence", rights and solidarity instead of stigma and discrimination.

The challenge faced by the world community requires instead complementary, coordinated, sustainable and international cooperation.

The fact of the matter is that the virus is not discriminating against

any race, category, or country; HIV ignores boundaries. The most effective instrument to combat the HIV/AIDS would be to establish a common policy between states, organizations and people in order to end discrimination, and to ensure the full enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights by people living with HIV/AIDS and their families.