It is acknowledged that Taiwan is a democratic country where human rights are generally respected. However, as in many other societies, events sometimes occur that undermine these rights and show that there's no room for complacency. Indeed, recently, a sad affair in Taipei served as a reminder that it is essential to be constantly vigilant to protect human rights.
Last month, because of the presence of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in a halfway home in a certain neighborhood of the city, the neighborhood's administration committee took legal action to drive out the halfway home. The main reason for this was the fear that people could be at risk of contracting HIV by having a PLWHA living next door. The halfway home was established by the Taiwan Harmony Home Association, which for 20 years has tried to provide a shelter for any PLWHA in need.
The incident was a serious violation of human rights, for at least two reasons.
First, it's obviously discrimination when someone tells their neighbor that they don't have the right to live there because they are sick. In the Taipei case, doing so was a total denial of the dignity of PLWHAs, who are in fact victims -- victims of a lack of knowledge about HIV/AIDS and victims of "social violence" brought about by financial, social or psychological problems. These problems lead some to engage in high-risk behaviors like sex work to get money, or to use intravenous drugs and share needles. Rather than being rejected, PLWHA should be helped, and this is the main goal of several Taiwanese associations like Harmony Home. They fight against the social consequences of HIV/AIDS and advocate for the rights of PLWHA.
Second, as we know, human rights include the right to health and access to treatment and care. In 1997, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to provide free anti-retroviral therapy. But care is also an important component of the response, notably because of the side effects of the treatment and the problem of drug-resistance if the patient is not well monitored. Access to care is sometimes difficult for PLWHA. That's why associations like Harmony Home try to fill this gap and protect PLWHA's rights.
Consequently, preventing the association from doing its work is a negation of the rights of the PLWHA, and should be considered a serious human rights violation. However, there is no need to accuse individuals or communities. Rather, it is better to understand the reasons for this discriminatory behavior.
The main reason is fear. This fear is nourished by a lack knowledge about HIV/AIDS. That ignorance leads to inappropriate reactions that increase the opportunity for HIV/AIDS to spread.
There are four ways to be infected by HIV/AIDS: mother-to child transmission, unsafe blood transfusions, sharing needles and unsafe sexual intercourse. Nobody has ever been infected by eating, talking, or shaking hands with a PLWHA. In this context, people have two choices. They can live in permanent fear of being infected, or they can learn about the real risk of infection. Obviously the second solution is more sustainable for a society, and more respectful of human rights.
Previous incidents are an obvious sign that measures to promote education and information about HIV/AIDS need to be strengthened at all levels of society and within all social institutions in Taiwan. They are also a reminder that the sharing of information on HIV/AIDS relies on initiatives in which the government, associations, the media, enterprises and individuals are all indispensable to fighting discrimination, as well as the "silent epidemic" of HIV/AIDS.
Vincent Rollet is a doctoral candidate in the department of international relations at the Institute of Political Science in Paris.
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