ROJALNU Gambia, a Pan African Youth
Leadership Network, recently joined the rest of the world to celebrate World
Discrimination Day, as discrimination continues to affect the lives of millions
of people around the world.
Celebrated March 1, the theme for this year
was: “Commit to ensuring everyone, everywhere can access healthcare safely and
live life fully with dignity.”
Speaking on the occasion, the president of
ROJALNU Gambia, Ms Tenneng Gitteh, said support gained for Zero Discrimination
Day has created a global movement of solidarity to end discrimination, which
remains widespread.
“Millions of women and girls in every
region of the world experience violence and abuse, and are unable to exercise
their rights or gain access to healthcare services, education or employment.
Discriminating at work, at homes, schools,
work, communities, and healthcare reduces people’s ability, especially women
and girls, to participate fully and meaningfully in societies and provide care
for themselves and their families.”
She said globally, 38 countries,
territories and areas impose some form of restriction on the entry, stay and
residence of people living with HIV.
Furthermore, he added, the legal and social
environment are still failing to address stigma and discrimination against
people living with HIV and those most vulnerable to HIV infection
Despite the disturbing challenges faced
over the previous years, The Gambia has made huge impact in the fight against
HIV/AIDS with the support from UNAIDS, UNFPA, NAS, ACTIONAID, and GFATM, among
others.
For this year’s World Zero Discrimination
Day, the Pan African Youth Leadership Network compliments the effort of UNAIDS
Gambia and the regional body of UNAIDS, West and Central Africa and National
Aids Secretariat, and calls on everyone in the country and beyond to make noise
on every platform, social and print media, radio talk shows, to reach out to
the whole world.
They also called on the government of The
Gambia to make greater efforts to realize and protect human rights and prevent
discrimination.
Everyone has the right to be treated with
respect from discrimination and abuse, because discriminations does not just
hurt individuals, it hurts everyone, she said.
“Data from 50 countries showed that 1 out
of 8 people who are living with HIV/AIDS have been denied access to healthcare.
This action is unacceptable as healthcare is a fundamental human right that
needs to be protected by everyone, because discriminations keep people from
their right to access healthcare.”
