Africa-Press – Botswana. Removing barriers such as stigma and discrimination remains crucial in achieving an HIV/AIDS free generation by 2030, says the Deputy National Coordinator- Communications, Mr Batlhalefi Leagajang.
Speaking during NAPHA capacitation of Botswana Police Service senior management on HIV, human rights, key populations and law enforcement in Gaborone on Tuesday, Mr Leagajang said human rights barriers such as gender-based violence and harmful gender norms made it difficult to achieve HIV free generation.
He said although Botswana had made commendable progress on integrating human rights and gender into AIDS response programmes and related laws, the recent Botswana AIDS Impact Survey results indicated that several groups such as adolescents and young women, men who have sex with men and female sex workers were still facing a heavy burden of new HIV infections.
He further said people living with HIV and Key Populations often faced multiple overlapping stigmas related to other stigmatised health conditions such as TB and their identity because of the economic background, gender, occupation and or sexuality.
He said a recent study Botswana conducted called the Stigma Index 2.0 showed that people living with HIV experienced a lot more internalised stigma than external stigma often influenced by the unfriendly environment in which they lived.
He further said it was known from research that experiences of discrimination may include physical abuse, denial of health services, denial or loss of jobs, denial of housing, and arrest or police harassment where specific Key Populations behaviours were criminalised.
Mr Leagajang said stigma and discrimination prevented people from accessing HIV services and also reduced adherence to their ARV medication, often leading to poor physical and mental health.
He further said evidence showed that GBV rates had escalated, including intimate partner violence, sexual violence and abuse of women children and attacks on LGBTQ and sex workers.
“The relationships study of 2013 reported that 70 per cent of the women had experienced GBV at least once in their lifetime, and the prevalence rate was 24 times higher than the number of cases reported to the police over the last year the study was conducted,” he said.
He, therefore, said it was important to promote non-discriminatory, safe and enabling environments for people living with HIV, adding that the sensitization of law enforcement officers on the rights of populations, would help in getting Botswana through the last miles of the HIV and AIDS response.
Mr Leagajang explained that the Removing Barriers programme was an initiative driven by NAHPA, supported by the Global Fund, UNAIDS and several other UN Agencies.
The programme employs a community-centred multi-sectoral approach to ensure that communities affected by HIV and TB were not left behind in accessing the much needed health and HIV services to help achieve the national goal of ending AIDS as an epidemic by 2030.
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