AIDS/HIV

More than twenty five years after the first clinical evidence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome was reported, AIDS has become one of the most devastating diseases humankind has ever faced. Since the epidemic began, some 58 million people have been infected with the virus. HIV/AIDS has become the sixth-largest cause of death worldwide.

At the end of 2007, an estimated 33 million people globally were living with HIV. In that year alone, there were an estimated 2 million AIDS deaths and 2.7 million new HIV infections. The rate of new HIV infections has fallen in several countries, although globally these favourable trends are at least partially offset by increases in new infections in other countries. In many parts of the developing world, the majority of new infections occur in young adults, with young women especially vulnerable. Young people aged 15-24 years account for 45% of all new infections. Many of them do not know they carry the virus. Many millions more are vulnerable to HIV as they know nothing or too little about the virus, or are otherwise unable to protect themselves against it (see the 2008 Global Report on the AIDS Epidemic (UNAIDS).

What do human rights have to do with HIV/AIDS?

Human rights are inextricably linked with the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS on individuals and communities around the world. A lack of respect for human rights fuels the spread and exacerbates the impact of the disease, while at the same time HIV/AIDS undermines progress in the realisation of human rights. This link is apparent in the disproportionate incidence and spread of the disease among certain groups which, depending on the nature of the epidemic and the prevailing social, legal and economic conditions, include women and children, and particularly those living in poverty. It is also apparent in the fact that the overwhelming burden of the epidemic today is borne by developing countries, where the disease threatens to reverse vital achievements in human development. AIDS and poverty are now mutually reinforcing negative forces in many developing countries.

The relationship between HIV/AIDS and human rights is highlighted in three areas:

Increased vulnerability: Certain groups are more vulnerable to contracting the HIV virus because they are unable to realize their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. For example, individuals who are denied the right to freedom of association and access to information may be precluded from discussing issues related to HIV/AIDS, participating in AIDS service organizations and self-help groups, and taking other preventive measures to protect themselves from HIV infection. Women, and particularly young women, are more vulnerable to infection if they lack of access to information, education and services necessary to ensure sexual and reproductive health and prevention of infection. The unequal status of women in the community also means that their capacity to negotiate in the context of sexual activity is severely undermined. People living in poverty often are unable to access HIV care and treatment, including antiretrovirals and other medications for opportunistic infections.

Discrimination and stigma: The rights of people living with HIV/AIDS ...