Africa-Press – Botswana. Stigma and discrimination are among the most common human rights related barriers hindering the fight against the TB epidemic.
Speaking at community leader human rights and Stigma and TB Sensitisation meeting in Palapye recently, Director of BONEPWA Ms Kgoreletso Molosiwa said stigma affects livelihoods, health of individual and their families, and acts as a barrier to accessing treatment care and support as well.
Therefore, she said the meet aimed at identifying and prioritising specific interventions to stigma and discrimination in different settings and among specific target audiences.
In addition, she said the aim of the meeting was to also provide understanding to the drivers and facilitators of stigma and discrimination associated with TB.
Ms Molosiwa hoped the meeting would come up with recommend ation or ways to measure stigma related intervention outcomes and impact at both community and national level.
It is therefore imperative to have Dikgosi and village development committees input to help advocate against TB stigma and discrimination and human rights.
Further, said the objectives of the meeting was to sensitise community leaders on stigma and discrimination, its impact on people affected by TB and why it is critical to end stigma so as to eliminate TB
Ms Molosiwa urge them to form support groups.
For his part, Botswana Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (BONEPWA) district coordinator for Serowe Mr Edmond Bodilenyane said human rights are inherent to all human being, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status.
He said human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, adding that freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work, education and right to privacy were also human rights.
Another basic human rights, he said was the right to treatment fairly and justly, which should include care and support, and access to antiretroviral therapy and medicines.
Mr Bodilenyane said everyone has the right to a fair standard of living, including, food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services.
He said as human beings, people living with HIV have the right to marry, have children, to health and legal systems, as stated in Article 16(1) of the universal Declaration on human right. Kgosi Molatedi Lebang of Boikago ward in Palapye said leaders should take responsibility of helping their community to access their human rights.
He said knowledge was power, adding she will share the massage acquired with the community, and form support groups to help those diagnosis with TB to access health services.
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