BARRIERS TO HIV
Kenya has demonstrated commitment in providing an enabling legal and social policy environment at the national and county level to reduce barriers to health services for people living with HIV and AIDS. The county established the first HIV tribunal in the world to increase access to justice related to HIV issues.
HIV stigma and discrimination
Although awareness of HIV and AIDS is comparatively high in Kenya and there have been countrywide anti-stigma campaigns, many people living with HIV continue to face high level of stigma and discrimination. This makes the infected people particularly vulnerable groups fear to seek vital HIV health services.
Attitudes towards people with HIV and AIDS are measured by Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys. The 2014 results shows that 44% of men and 26% of women out of the total population expressed wholly accepting attitudes towards the infected people which was slightly lower than in 2018 survey where 48% of men and 33% women wholly accepted the attitudes.
Unfortunately, the HIV infected people still face stigma, discrimination and violence. This adds to their vulnerability.
Legal and structural barriers
Homosexuality is currently criminalized in Kenya, between 2010 and 2014, the Kenya government prosecuted 595 cases of homosexuality, the current law coupled with the deeply entrenched said attitude that it fuels stops many men who have sex with other men or people who are LG-BY from accessing HIV since 2007 study among healthcare workers in men,
In 2016, a group of civil society organization began to challenge the current law as being unconstitutional. In February 2018, Kenya's high court began considering the coalition application to discriminate consensual same sex conduct.
Human rights gains are also being made in other areas of Kenyan law.In2015 the high court of Kenya declared a war that obliged people living with HIV and AIDS to disclose their HIV status unconstitutional. Kenya is the first country in the world to take such a stance seen by many as a breakthrough for the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS.
By SIYAD MUHUMED SULEIMAN.
Many people have fears, prejudices or negative attitudes about HIV. Stigma can result in people living with HIV being insulted, rejected, gossiped about and excluded from social activities. At its extreme, stigma can drive people to physical violence.
ReplyDeleteLack of housing, homeless women have less access care they may not able to stick with care routiners because of irregular meals or not having proper place to store medicine
ReplyDeleteBy ... KHATRA MUHuMUMED
People seclude HIV infected people and are quick to judge them without thinking. ..This leads to depression and sadness among the infected which may prompt them into extreme coping mechanisms eg. Self harm and even suicide so education on various ways of transmission should be given to the masses so they do not seclude HIV positive people
ReplyDeleteKaisy
Africa is the region most affected by HIV in the world and is home to the largest number of people living with HIV.
ReplyDeleteThe HIV epidemic in this region is generalised but young women, men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers, prisoners and people who inject drugs are at an increased vulnerability to infection.
Improved availability of provider-initiated and community-based HIV testing services now means three out of four people living with HIV are aware of their status.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBeing HIV positive has a great price to pay for once the community get to know about it they will definately give a cold shoulder
ReplyDeleteThe government is working hard to eliminate or prevent HIV from citizens by creating legal barriers and HIV stigmatization thus helping to reduced transmission of the disease
ReplyDeleteThe Kenya government is trying alot inorder to reduce barriers to people living with HIV.The government is creating awareness to reduce the discrimination and stigma on HIV victims... by christine
ReplyDeleteThe Kenyan government is trying to reduce barriers to HIV And AlDS but once society knew your HIV positive they will definitely start discriminate and gossip about that people who are infected so the infected people may lose hope in life and kill themselves
ReplyDeleteBeing hiv positive and people know about it probably those who lack proper awareness of the ways of transmission will discriminate them and hence one feels lonely and ends up being depressed
ReplyDeleteThe Kenya government is trying a lot in order to reduce barriers to people living with HIV.The government is creating awareness to reduce the discrimination and stigma on HIV victims.it is also setting up vct center where the infected and unaffected can be helped
ReplyDeleteKenyan government has tried to reduce barriers to people living with Hiv by creating anti stigma campaigns to reduce discrimination..
ReplyDeleteBy Diana
Our government did the best by creating legal barriers, anti stigma campaigns and many more , thus the infected people may get
ReplyDeletemedications
The government has tried alot to reduce barriers to people living with HIV such as creating awareness to curb the discrimination and stigmatization on HIV victims. By Pauline mbithe
ReplyDeleteAfrican governments have done alot in fighting barriers of HIV through anti stigma campaign offer free ARV to the infected
ReplyDeleteVictor mutua
Some people living with hiv may have less access to or lower use of health care and resources than other living with hiv due to fewer finance resources.
ReplyDeleteLack of emotional or physical support,added responsibility of caring for others, especially children, that can make it difficult to care for themselves and take their medicines.BY BENSON WANJOHI
ReplyDeleteBeing homeless and poverty has highly supported the spread og HIV to the country..victor mutuku
ReplyDeleteBeing positive makes IG hard for the infected to live peacefully as they get secluded and abandoned.
ReplyDeleteMaureen
Those living with HIV in our society should not be discriminated and looked upon since they are also people of value in the society.let not their status make us stay away from,both the infected and those not infected be one thing and focus on development issues.By Naomi.
ReplyDeleteMany fear to reveal their status because of stigmatisation's & discrimination
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the HIV infected people still face stigma, discrimination and violence hence this add to their vulnerability...Rahma
ReplyDeleteAfrican governments has done alot to reduce barries of Hiv by creating awareness of the prevalence of Hiv....By Zamzam Ahmed
ReplyDeleteDue to discrimination n stigmatizatiion most of the infected people fear to seek vital hiv health services
ReplyDeleteNo criminal law violates in the context of HIV AIDS. there should be no discrimination in public or private sectors based on HIV
ReplyDeleteStigmatization can lead to depression suicidal and a time tge reject ti take ARVS .it's our duty to counsel the affected and inffected
ReplyDeleteTo be effective in the hiv response we need to
ReplyDeleteAddress the needs of Africans who because of
Fear ,prejudice,culture and social values and norms
Do not have access to Hiv services
With the many organisations in support of the people living with HIV no one should be afraid of knowing their status.unlike some years back this days HIV has become an open topic everyone is aware of ìt.therefore even those livin with AIDS should be treated with love and equality
ReplyDeleteThe government has done it's very best to fight the barriers using antistigma campaigns and I think it's very Noble of them to even give out free ARVS
ReplyDeleteThe government is working hard to ensure prevention hiv transmission by Creating legal barriers eg offering free vct centres,free ARV'S medicine and Alf creating anti stigma campaigns to help reduce discrimination for people living with hiv
ReplyDeleteOur able government are trying to lower the barriers in HIV and aids ....but if once a person is known and he or she is HIV positive the society will discriminate and make the them to lose hope in future
ReplyDeleteFewer health care resources in communities e.g marginalized communities hinders treatment of HIV infected persons living in those communities.
ReplyDeleteMore campaigns by the HIV affected people should be made so as to ensure the government come in and reduce the barriers to getting medication and have a say in the society.
ReplyDeleteThe greadtested barrier to hiv is lack of self confidence,,,people who are affected do not belive on them self
ReplyDeleteGovernment has done a lot to lower the barrier of Hiv by creating campaign against stigmatation,offering free medicine and food for those infected.
ReplyDeleteThose people who are living with HIV AIDS normally meets descriminations and istigmitation from the societies they live in due to unawareness about hiv among the most african societies.
ReplyDeleteThe government is trying but the main problem is the people in the society do not want to live with those who are infected assuming that they are immoral.
ReplyDeleteBY ; SAMIA
The government has done alot improvement in lowering barriers of HIV by creating awareness about the disease and offering free medication.
ReplyDeleteThe government has done alot improvement in lowering barriers of HIV by creating awareness about the disease and offering free medication.
ReplyDeleteThe government has done alot improvement in lowering barriers of HIV by creating awareness about the disease and offering free medication.
ReplyDeleteThe government is creating awareness to reduce stigma and discrimination among people living with HIV.
ReplyDelete