How to advance and respect the rights of people living with HIV in the Congo?

“How to advance and respect the rights of people living with HIV,” such was the theme of the program broadcast September 16, 2008 by the coordinator of Club/Group for Sexual Education and Reproductive Health the on the radio channel DVS+ in Pointe-noire.

People living with HIV, particularly women and children, still remain to this day victims of numerous moral and physical attacks by senseless third parties, ignorant of reality and human rights. For example, the insults the municipal councilor, for unfounded motives, hurled at women living with HIV that were within their rights, proves that he seriously lacks a true education and information for people on the rights of people living with HIV.

Spreading this information on the rights of people living with HIV becomes necessary in order to change people’s mentalities so that those living with HIV are regarded as citizens possessing the same rights as all Congolese people.

Working with the media to reduce the violation of the rights of PLWHA

Since the media is considered one of the efficient to use channels for people who ignore these rights, we are obligated to bombard the airwaves, using this widely listened to program to explain to people how to advance and respect the rights of people living with HIV.

During this program, we remembered the recommendations of the Brazzaville workshop and provided information on the excerpts of the bill supporting protection of people living with HIV.

A law that would be in the Secretariat of the National Assembly for review before a possible passing by deputies and senators, it must be emphasized that precise information on this subject is not available. Telling constituents about this bill was discussed so as to allow people to talk about it during the parliamentary visits of deputies, given that there are people living with and affected by HIV among the constituents.

Rethinking HIV/AIDS prevention strategies is imperative

During this program, we realized that there is still a lot to do, even within the framework of HIV/AIDS sensitization and prevention. The listeners’ reactions proved that people hear about HIV/AIDS en masse, but retain nothing at all because the information they receive lacks reliability. Also, it must be added that certain strategies implemented within the framework of sensitization do not correspond to the reality of each environment or sector. The youth who are the most affected do not have the quality of information that could bring them to awareness and change their high-risk sexual behavior; they continue with risky practices.

As for the stigmatization and discrimination of people living with HIV, many people continue to do it, acting as if there is a category of people who were born to suffer from AIDS and eventually must put up with the rejection, stigmatization, and other forms of social injustice since they are wrongfully accused of having contracted the virus. These people forget that each person somehow or another can come across the virus and thus become what they call the camp of people living with HIV.

The fight against AIDS tends to become a business at the expense of the people

One encouraging thing, the reaction of people living with HIV who were willing to ask us questions about their health condition, the development of vaccine and drug research, and the cost of ARVs in all the appropriate centers. They have equally told their stories on the discrimination and rejection of which they are the object in various sectors of social life, beginning with the family, who always regards them as people who haven’t respected the Bible’s principles or who’ve had excessive sexual intercourse without testing. They have equally emphasized how their rights are violated and, for fear of being more and more stigmatized, they don’t muster the courage to assert their rights, since no matter what happens to them, no one will listen to them. This can push people living with HIV to revanchist behavior, trying to deliberately infect other people to even the score.

We’re currently unable to give you a detailed idea on all the reactions of the listeners, who incidentally praised our initiative to talk about AIDS without taboos on the airwaves; since for them, the leaders at the head of these matters don’t dare use the media to enlighten the people. The listeners even think that the fight against HIV/AIDS has become a business for getting rich in the name of people who are suffering.

For our part, we pointed out that the fight against AIDS must be a matter for all sectors, all families, and all individuals without thinking of money. The Government and the organizations would need to continue to reflect on efficient strategies in order to positively affect all individuals for a change in behavior.

It’s fair to say that it’s an enormous task, but it’s enough to develop strategies that will allow everyone without exception to fight without being entirely worried.

Davy Herman Malanda

Translated from French by Sabriya Fisher