Hon. Kayode Akinmade, said Ondo is the first state in the federation to have a law which addresses many aspect of HIV response to law and will help promote public awareness about causes, modes of transmission, consequences, means of prevention and control of HIV transmission, through a comprehensive education and information campaign.
The Ondo State Government has
announced the commencement of the implementation of its HIV anti-stigma
law which prescribed a 10-year jail term, fine of N500,000 or both for
any person who by whatever means transmits HIV to another person.
Giving details of the law which was signed
last year, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Chairman
of the state Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr. Aderotimi Adelola,
stated that the stigmatisation and discrimination discourages
individuals infected with and affected by HIV from accessing health and social
services, hence, the law stipulates further that anybody who
discriminates against people living with HIV commits an offence and is liable
to fine of N100,000 or imprisonment of six months or both.
Speaking in Akure yesterday, while delivering a
keynote address at a sensitisation programme to facilitate and ensure the
enforcement of a law for the prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS, Adelola said
most times, the rights of people living with HIV are violated, causing them to
suffer both the burden of the disease and the consequential loss of other
rights.
He stated that stigmatisation and discrimination
of people living with the virus may obstruct their access to treatment and may
affect their employment, housing and other rights which he said adversely
affect the vulnerability of others to be infected.
Also speaking on the law, the state Commissioner for Information, Hon. Kayode
Akinmade, said Ondo is the first state in the federation to have a law
which addresses many aspect of HIV response to law and will help promote public
awareness about causes, modes of transmission, consequences, means of
prevention and control of HIV transmission, through a comprehensive education
and information campaign.
He added that the law is also expected to
extend to every person infected with HIV full protection of his human rights
and civil liberties, positively address and seek to eradicate conditions that
aggravate the spread of HIV infection, including but not limited to poverty,
marginalisation, prostitution, drug abuse and ignorance.
It will also promote utmost safety and universal
precautions in practices and procedures that carry the risk of HIV
transmission.
source: sun news