The Gender Desk Officer at the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly in the northern region has proposed that a date should be dedicated monthly to raise awareness and intensify the campaign on the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Ghana.
Madam Juliana Anati Kwara said this has become necessary in order to address the persistent stigmatization and inequalities in our various communities.
The disparity and disregard for human rights in the local towns and villages are among the failures that allowed HIV to become and remain a global health crisis.
This therefore necessitated the annual World AIDS Day celebration on December 1 to recognize and address the inequalities which continue to undermine the progress of ending AIDS and make access to essential HIV services common especially to children among others.
In an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the 2022 World AIDS Day on Thursday, the Gender Officer called on the Ghana AIDS Commission and government to set a particular date in a month for stakeholder engagement and awareness creation regarding stigmatization against persons living with HIV/AIDS.
Madam Juliana added the persistent stigmatization is a major concern to all stakeholders and called on Chiefs and opinion leaders in the communities to speak against the menace in their areas.
“We need to have massive education because many people are doing the stigmatization as a result of ignorance but I feel if we engage them, create their awareness, we let them know the need, they will see these people to be part of them. Being an HIV person doesn’t take you away from your family – that doesn’t mean you’re not a human being, it is time we create the awareness of the ignorant one and bring them on board” she posited.
Meanwhile, the International AIDS day is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS related illness.
The 2022 campaign was observed on the theme: “Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV/AIDS.”
The theme address a number of the United Nations SDGs targets particularly goal 3, 5 and 10 which promotes good health and well-being, gender equality and reduced inequalities respectively by 2030.
