WITH commencement of implementation of Ondo State
government’s HIV Anti-stigma Law, a 10-year jail term, fine of N500,000 or both
awaits anyone, who transmits the virus to another person.
Giving details of the law which was signed last year,
the Secretary to the State Government, Aderotimi Adelola, stated
that the stigmatisation and discrimination discourages individuals
infected with and affected by HIV from accessing health and social services,
hence, the law stipulates further that anybody who discriminates
against people living with disease commits an offence and is liable to fine of
N100,000.00 or imprisonment of six months or both.
Adelola, who is also the chairman, Ondo State Agency for the
Control of AIDS, spoke in Akure yesterday, while delivering a keynote address
at a sensitisation programme to facilitate and ensure the enforcement of a law
for the prevention of the spread of HIV and AIDS, elimination of discrimination
and stigmatization of people living with the virus and “other matters
incidental thereto or connected therewith.”
Adelola said most times the
rights of people living with HIV are violated, causing them to suffer both the
burden of the disease and the consequential loss of other rights.
Adelola stated that stigmatisation and discrimination of
people living with the virus may obstruct their access to treatment and may
affect their employment, housing and other rights which he said adversely
affect the vulnerability of others to be infected.
Also speaking on the law, the state Commissioner for
Information, Kayode Akinmade said Ondo is the first state
in the federation to have a law, which addresses many aspect of HIV response to
law and will help promote public awareness about causes, modes of transmission,
consequences, means of prevention and control of HIV transmission, through a
comprehensive education and information campaign.
He added that the law is also expected
to extend to every person infected with HIV full protection of his human rights
and civil liberties, positively address and seek to eradicate conditions that
aggravate the spread of HIV infection, including but not limited to poverty,
marginalization, prostitution, marginalisation, drug abuse and ignorance; while
it will promote utmost safety and universal precautions in practices and
procedures that carry the risk of HIV transmission.
A call was thus made to health professionals, employers and
other custodian of medical records to strictly observe the confidentiality in
the handling of all medical information, particularly the identity and status
of people living with HIV, even as infected persons have been urged to
declare their status to their spouse or sexual partners, children
and parents.
It
was also registered that it has become an offence in the state to have any
form of discrimination against a person infected with the virus in the case of
employment, medical treatment, hiring, assignment, promotion, demotion,
transfer, retirement, among others, maintaining that no educational institution
in the state shall refuse admission, expel, discipline, segregate, deny any
pupil or prospective student right to any of his rights following perceived HIV
status.
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