H.E. Senior Minister Ieng Mouly Presides Over Workshop To Disseminate Inquiry Into Stigma Against HIV Carriers in Cambodia
Senior Minister His Excellency Ieng Mouly, Chair of the National AIDS Authority, presided over a workshop to disseminate aninquiry into the stigma against HIV carriers in Cambodia at Phnom Penh Hotel on the morning of August 26, 2019.
The workshop was attended by Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, ladies, and gentlemen representing government institutions; representatives of the Cambodian People Living with HIV Network (CPN+), FHI360/Linkages, USAIDS, and other related sectors.
The main purpose of the workshop is to disseminate the results of the indicative inquiry in the stigma against HIV carriers in Cambodia.
In his remarks, the Senior Minister reminded the workshop that over the past 30 years, millions of people all over the world have died of AIDS, while millions of others have been struggling to live a wretched life in stigma and subjected to violence and discrimination, causing them to face difficulties in quest of proper care, treatments, incomes, foods, and housing.
Whereas in Cambodia since the late 1990s, we has had approximately 100,000 people having lost their lives because of HIV/AIDS while roughly 70,000 others infected with HIV. This includes 60,630 AIDS carriers and patients (as of the second quarter of 2019) currently receiving antiretroviral therapy and other opportunistic diseases treatment.
The Senior Minister pointed out to the workshop that our Cambodia still has a great many HIV carriers who are currently facing chronic shortages of proper foods and shelters and are in low-income bracket. Moreover, they continue to suffer stigma and discrimination, impeding their access to care treatment and other varied social services. That being the case, we are required to join hands to seek solutions with a view to achieving the Royal Government’s resolve in stamping out AIDS in conformity with the policy of targeting “No New Infection,” “No Discrimination Against HIV Carriers and AIDS Patients,” and “No Death of AIDS” as well as achieving the 95-95-95 targets by 2025.
The Cambodian Red Cross, under the high leadership of Samdech Kittiprittbandit Bun Rany Hun Sen, the prominent national figure of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Forum on HIV/AIDS in Cambodia, in collaboration with other national institutions, development partners, and charitable people, has provided aid, including nutritious foods, funds, utensils, housing, and so forth to some one-third families affected by HIV/AIDS.
His Excellency the Senior Minister emphatically said to the workshop that the Royal Government vows to wipe out the public health threat AIDS by 2025 and that the National AIDS Authority is mandated to end the stigma and discrimination against HIV carriers and key population inside and outside health care places.
He added we have found out that the situation pertaining to external stigma has been remarkably in decline. The discrimination against seeking and obtaining careers and employment by people living HIV or the loss of their incomes has fell down to only 2% from 46%. Additionally, verbal harassment has decreased to only 3% from 14%, and the spouse or partner discrimination to 2.4% from 5%, and so on. Nevertheless, internal discrimination among those living with HIV has declined only slightly.
His Excellency the Senior Minister also asked the workshop to make use of the findings found to continue collaborating to assist us in compiling the 5th General and Comprehensive National Strategic Plan for Response to HIV/AIDS, specifically in putting an end to public discrimination and individual and institutional behavioral changes.
The National AIDS Authority is of the belief that the 95-95-95 targets can only be achieved if each individual of us persistently stop giving, transmitting, and accepting HIV from today onwards. The resolve of every citizen is the key to averting HIV-transmitting sexual behavior. Since the Royal Government has offered assistance and spent resources to provide comprehensive and indiscriminatory prevention, caring, and treatment services, it is asked that there should not be apprehension, negative view, because public service providers are all friendly and caring.
In his capacity as the head of the National AIDS Authority, His Excellency the Senior Minister called on health officials, social service providers, and relevant institutions at all levels, be they national or subnational, to join forces to end discrimination against people living with HIV and key population, keep promoting individual rights and the right of access to health and equitable social services and to grab the opportunity to gain employment and education as well as enjoy the full participation in our communities, nation, and society. Our concerted efforts will promote the life quality of those living with HIV and key population, thus allowing them to participate in the country’s economic and social development, which represents our investment in response to HIV/AIDS.
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