Bangkok Post - July 17, 2004
Anjira Assavanonda

Amnesty secretary-general Irene Khan told delegates at the 15th International Aids Conference about a human rights violation case in China a few days ago, when four HIV-positive people were detained in Henan province for protesting about inadequate health care and other services for people infected with the virus.

Two were parents protesting about the ouster of children from school. The children's parents were HIV-positive or had died from the disease. "This case shows more than anything that HIV/Aids is a human rights crisis," she said. Delegates should urge China to release the detainees.

"This failure to protect the rights and dignity of people is fuelling the pandemic and making it worse," she said. Despite an increase in funding to fight the disease, the scale and impact of the pandemic continued to grow as governments failed to place human rights at the centre of their response.

"Wherever we look, discrimination and inequality are driving the epidemic," she said, pointing to the impact on migrant workers, displaced people and refugees, minority ethnic communities, young people, prisoners, sex workers, drug users, sexual minorities and women.

Thailand discriminated against drug users as part of the war on drugs, she said. The government's campaign was driving drug users underground and impeding their access to services and support needed to minimise the risk of infection.

World leaders could do more to boost access to Aids drugs, and listen to the voices of HIV-positive people.

"If the fight is to be successful, it must be a fight for the rights and interests of the world's most marginalised people," Ms Khan said.

Senator Mechai Viravaidya, chairman of the Population and Community Development Association, said economic power was needed to reduce stigma and discrimination.

"We have to use something that the world has, that is economic empowerment," said Mr Mechai, whose office introduced the Positive Partnership Project in 2002, including granting micro-credit loans to villagers.

The strategy had improved villagers' attitude to HIV-positive people, he said.

Economic opportunities gave HIV-positive people jobs and a new reasons to live. The concept should be introduced in all developing countries.

Mr Mechai also urged delegates to donate at least US$1 (40 baht) to help people suffering from Aids in Thailand and across the world.

Paulo Teixeira, a member of the state parliament in Brazil, called for more political will in supporting a harm reduction programme which had worked well in his country. "We saw strong evidence that harm reduction works, but strong political support is needed. Aids is a global issue, so one country working alone is not enough. We need more international policies to make it effective," he said.

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