Stakeholders sensitised on women’s access to health rights
The Women Partners for Health (WOPAH) and other South Sudanese stakeholders came together to dialogue on ending discrimination against women and girls living with HIV in the country.
Speaking during the one-day stakeholder discussions yesterday in Juba, WOPAH Executive Director, Harriet Poni Dumba, said HIV-related stigma and discrimination continue to occur in all national settings, although they manifest differently and to varying degrees in different locations.
She revealed that last year, many women were rounded up and taken to jail and forced to test for HIV without their consent, which Dumba described as a great violation of human rights.
“Our main discussion here is how we can work together with different stakeholders to [overcome] existing social inequalities and intersect them with other forms of stigma, including discrimination based on gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and stigmas associated with behaviours and activities,” Mrs Dumba stated.
According to WOPAH’s Executive Director, stigma remains the single most important barrier to public action, adding that it is the reason why too many people are afraid to see a doctor to determine whether they have a disease, or to seek treatment if so.
She believed that by adopting the developed MoU and HIV protocols, the fight against gender-based stigmatisation and discrimination in South Sudan would be greatly improved, thereby advancing women’s human rights.
“Stigma has profound implications for HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support. For example, HIV-related stigma and discrimination may reduce an individual’s willingness to be tested for HIV, to disclose their HIV status, to practise safer sex, to access health care, and to take antiretroviral drugs. “
She continued that the behaviour makes AIDS the silent killer, saying people fear the social disgrace of speaking about it or taking easily available precautions.
“Stigma is a chief reason why the AIDS epidemic continues to devastate societies around the world,” Dumba added.
Brig. Gen. James Dak Karlo, the head of the Special Protection Unit who doubles as the Deputy Spokesperson of the South Sudan National Police Service, said since the 2013 crisis, most of the victims of human rights abuses have been women, children, and vulnerable people in one way or another.
“They have been facing numerous challenges, either economically, mentally, spiritual, moral, or whatever challenges,” he said.
He revealed that the last data released by one stock centre in Juba showed that about 325 women had been victims of gender-based violence and domestic violence due to the issue of COVID-19 lockdown.
According to the South Sudan Aids Commission, 2017 (SSAC, 2017), although the NSP 2018-2022 has prioritised improving access to social protection, justice, and psychological and social support to vulnerable populations, including PLHIV, the country’s HIV related stigma is a major cause of suicides as a result of immense fear of social exclusion.
The Stigma Index and Vulnerability Survey among People Living with and affected by HIV and AIDS in the Republic of South Sudan indicate that there is a high level of stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS, especially among women.
The South Sudan GAM report also indicates that there is a higher number of losses for follow-up treatment among young women.
The reason for the high number of lost follow-ups on treatment for HIV clients was attributed to stigma and gender-based violence, which make it very difficult to fight HIV in South Sudan.
Furthermore, most women in South Sudan suffered conflict-related sexual violence that exposed them to HIV infection and are struggling with adherence to treatment due to trauma.
More impacts
Gender-based violence and harassment of women by the local authorities was identified as another profound human rights violation that disproportionately affects women and girls.
Ending AIDS by 2030 is an integral part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which the United Nations member states adopted unanimously in 2015.
The lessons learned in responding to HIV play an instrumental role in achieving many of the SDGs, notably SDG 3 on good health and well-being, SDG 5 on gender equality, SDG 10 on reduced inequalities, and SDG l7 on partnerships for goals, a 2015 report reveals.
The South Sudan AIDS Commission and the South Sudan Human Rights Commission hope to develop a partnership for the protection of women living with HIV.
The objective of this dialogue is to establish a community-led monitoring task force for monitoring, documentation of, and advocacy against HIV-related human rights violations and structural barriers hindering access to HIV/AIDS services across South Sudan.
