PHM-Exch> PLHIV Charter for HIV Care - Write Your Rights!

[Claudio Schuftan]

On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 6:02 AM, Claudio Schuftan
<cschuftan at phmovement.org>wrote:

>
> From: Celina Menezes D'Costa <voices at worldcarecouncil.org>
> from: afro-nets at healthnet.org
>
>
> It has been 28 years since the first HIV case was detected globally. Many
> thought initially that it won't affect them. It did. Work on HIV is now in
> full swing by Governments, NGOs, PLHIV, private institutions and bilateral
> agencies. A huge amount has been spent on programmes, poured from top down,
> but it does not reach many many people on the ground who face the realities.
> Even though things have changed some for the better, it is too slow and for
> too few. The prevalence of HIV infection keeps increasing and stigma and
> discrimination to those living with HIV is a non stop. In many cases access
> to care is been denied to PLHIV due to ignorance, and lack of political will
> by the people in power.
>
> The WORLD AIDS DAY 2009 theme is ‘Universal Access and Human Rights’. Good
> theme. But what does it mean to PLHIV? What is the meaning of the term
> 'human rights' for specially women and children with no food in stomach
> along with violence, widowhood, single parenthood with no income, illiteracy
> and lack of skills to find a decent job, in presence of stigma and
> discrimination from all front to receive treatment, care and support. Let
> these people say what human rights and access must mean to everyone. PLHIV
> must say it loud and clear.
>
> Together, we are drafting a global Charter of rights and responsibilities
> by and for PLHIV, which will be launched on WORLD AIDS DAY 2009.
> International agencies, national governments and civil society will be
> approached for endorsement, and together, from many communities, we will
> mobilise for implementing our rights.
>
> The PLHIV Charter for HIV Care is everyone's tool, made by PLHIV, to make
> our rights and responsibilities the ground for how we and our providers must
> work together with mutual respect. It's our 'human rights'. Involvement of
> PLHIV in HIV Care will be meaningful only when we write our rights and
> responsibilities, and after, we advocate strongly and get implementation. We
> PLHIV need to decide how we should be cared for and what are our duties. If
> we write our rights we own our rights and that give us the power to use them
> for better care. Go to http://www.worldcarecouncil.org/node/13
>
> >From the bottom up, PLHIV everywhere, Get up, Stand up, Write your Rights.
> Don’t mourn, don’t moan, just speak up now!
>
> Celina's Blog:
> http://www.worldcarecouncil.org/blog/5
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Celina Menezes D'Costa
> mailto:voices at worldcarecouncil.org
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://phm.phmovement.org/pipermail/phm-exchange-phmovement.org/attachments/20090709/2f575543/attachment-0001.html>