“Getting to Zero Discrimination Together, We Are Our Brother's Keeper.”
The issue of discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS has been long standing. Getting to zero discrimination is a crucial part of the AIDS programme here in the TCI. According to Bing.com, discrimination refers to prejudices, maltreatment, negative attitudes, and abuses directed at person living with HIV/AIDS which evidently can affect medical care and treatment, education system, work, travel, privileges, home and community socialization.
Being our brother's keeper, in fact can get us to zero discrimination. Using the story of the Good Samaritan, we can be our brother's keeper by showing acts of kindness, mercy, compassion and putting others need before our own regardless of circumstances. The first step to being our brother’s keeper and get to zero discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS is to become educated about the disease. People discriminate out of fear of contracting the disease. Education will cause people to dispel all myths, negative ideas or stigmas.
Respecting the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, recognizing equality and fairness, extending love, support, sensitivity, tolerance, acceptance allowing access to treatment and medical care, work and travel, stopping verbal, physical abuse ans alienation are all acts that show we are our brother's keeper.
Actively uniting as a country, as a nation and collaborating with all the stakeholders to plan anti-discriminatory programmes such as erecting bill boards, public service announcements, create advertisements to sensitize and educate the public, we are being our brothers' keeper.
Being our brother's keeper we can get to zero discrimination.
Rosenique Forbes,
Oseta Jolly Primary