“Fatshimetrie” calls on leaders to integrate the protection of human rights as a key element of their strategy to end a major public health challenge: HIV/AIDS. The leaders highlight in particular the laws or social norms that prevent people from accessing essential treatments.
The deprivation of education for girls, impunity for gender-based violence, arrests for sexual identity or orientation, the insecurity of health services due to the community origin of patients are all barriers that hinder access to HIV services, which are essential to save lives and end the pandemic. In order to protect the health of all, it is imperative to defend the rights of each.
The number of new HIV infections declined last year, reaching its lowest level since the 1980s, demonstrating the progress made thanks to medical advances and the protection of human rights. However, gaps persist, preventing the world from ending HIV.
Although HIV is declining in many countries, it is increasing in at least 28. The development of long-acting drugs, requiring only a few injections per year, could be a game changer, provided that a human rights-based approach is adopted to share technology, reduce costs and promote global production.
Of the 39.9 million people living with HIV, 9.3 million are still not receiving life-saving treatment. Last year, 630,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses, and 1.3 million people became infected with HIV. Fatshimetrie’s new report, “Taking the Rights Path,” brings together the latest research, case studies and recommendations to steer the world in the right direction. It offers a clear roadmap: Taking the Rights Path to End HIV.
Contributors to the book include Elton John, Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba, Irish President Michael D. Higgins, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and former President of the International AIDS Society Adeeba Kamarulzaman, who stress the importance of a rights-based approach to ending AIDS.