UN chief urges fight against discrimination of HIV/AIDS patients

NEW YORK, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Secretary General on Monday called for efforts to fight discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.

Speaking at the "Light for Rights" on World AIDS Day held at the Washington Square Park Memorial Arch in New York, Ban Ki-Moon said: "We are here tonight to denounce the discrimination they (people living with HIV/AIDS) face -- the fear and stigma, the shame and rejection, the threat of losing their jobs."

Braving a cold winter breeze, Ban said that "for too long and in too many places, too many people have been pushed beyond the reach of prevention and treatment, care and support.

"We must respond by shining the full light of human rights on the challenge," he said. "I call on all countries to dismantle legal frameworks that institutionalize discrimination against people living with HIV and people are at most risk of infection."

The UN chief also urged that efforts be made to get rid of all laws, policies and practices that elicit responses that are counter-productive and unjust.

Fear, stigma, discrimination and even criminal laws have driven people with HIV/AIDS into the shadows, forcing them to often die in isolation, fear and shame due to their health condition.

To commemorate World AIDS Day 2009, the Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR), UNAIDS, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and World AIDS Campaign launched a new global "Light for Rights" campaign organized to draw the world's attention to the World AIDS Day theme of HIV Treatment Access and Human Rights.

The campaign was aimed to "Shine a Human Rights Light" on people with HIV/AIDS to allow them to emerge from the shadows, fear and shame associated with their health condition to live in the light, where they can gain access to the information, services, care and essential medical treatments they need to live long and productive lives.

The lights on the Washington Square Park Memorial Arch were turned off during the event to remember those who succumbed to AIDS and to symbolize how stigma drives people with HIV into the shadows.

After a brief period of darkness, the lights were turned back on to emphasize the need to shine the light on human rights for those living with HIV/AIDS around the globe. Floodlights on the Empire State Building, clearly visible through the arch, were also turned off and then back on at the same time.