UNAIDS launches campaign to shed light on people facing stigma, discrimination

The aim of the day is to call upon people everywhere in the world to affirm the universal right to live a life free of stigma or discrimination, regardless of race, class and health condition.

UNAIDS commemorates the Zero Discrimination Day under the theme "A society free of discrimination", which is globally celebrated on March 1st of every year. The aim of the day is to call upon people everywhere in the world to affirm the universal right to live a life free of stigma or discrimination, regardless of race, class and health condition. The main aim of the campaign is to shed light on the stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV in Egypt and it's consequences.

People living with HIV face stigma and discrimination in their daily lives and across different sectors. Stigma hinders people living with HIV from accessing health care services, prevents them from knowing their HIV status in a timely manner as well as accessing and adhering to treatment and HIV testing.

The main obstacles faced by people living with HIV are discriminatory societal attitudes and practices that they often face every day.

In a statement, Dr Ahmed Khamis, UNAIDS Country Manager, said: "Everyone can play an important role in ending discrimination and instigating change in different ways in their communities. I call on everyone to create a healthy environment free of discrimination through understanding and awareness-raising especially targeting youth to empower people living with HIV to live in a discrimination-free society ."

UNAIDS in collaboration with celebrities for "A society Free of Discrimination" campaign ambassadors are launching a social media campaign to spread awareness and call for Zero Discrimination against people living with HIV. This campaign comes as part of the joint national efforts on addressing stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV.

(With Inputs from APO)