AIDS Info Service, the national association fighting against AIDS, established in 2002 an observatory that monitors discrimination against individuals affected by HIV/AIDS through a questionnaire offered to the users of its remote assistance phone services and its website. The 2005 barometer, expanded to provide more accurate information within the scope of the National Grand Cause, shows a lack of progress in this area, as even today, nearly 6 out of 10 people (57.3%) spontaneously report having been discriminated against due to their HIV-positive status. Furthermore, when the study delves deeper into ten potential areas of discrimination, over 8 out of 10 people (81.4%) have experienced at least one form of discrimination or exclusion.
This situation is particularly alarming because, among those affected, only 21% mentioned just one area of discrimination, and 61% mentioned three or more areas: daily life remains for the majority a series of continuous rejections in social, professional, and private life.
In social and professional life, the non-AIDS medical field, the world of work, and the banking and insurance sectors remain the main areas of exclusion for affected individuals (respectively 43.7%, 33.7%, and 33.6% of the sample). In the private sphere, 63.3% of individuals have faced discrimination and rejection from a sexual partner, spouse or ex-spouse, a friend, or a family member.
This observation has been consistent since the launch of the barometer in 2002, confirmed by numerous testimonials received notably via Sida Info Law, Sida Info Service, and Lifeline. As October, the month dedicated to discrimination in the year of the National Grand Cause, is observed, Sida Info Service alerts all institutional and associative actors and calls for a broad political awareness in the face of a persistent intolerable situation that reduces HIV-positive individuals to second-class citizens. Faced with this, it is evident that the anti-discrimination law of July 12, 1990 is insufficient, with only three cases having led to legal convictions to this date. Therefore, after calling for the creation of the HALDE (High Authority for the Fight against Discriminations), we have high expectations for this Authority, which should not only support individuals through personalized help but also propose a global policy to fight against discrimination.
The study was presented during a press conference on Monday, October 3, in Paris and published online at www.sida-info-service.org.
A conference-debate is organized in the department on Tuesday, October 25
at the Ferrière Hall of Saint Laurent du Var – Esplanade du Levant.
Contacts:
National: Marc Morel, Legal Coordinator, 01 44 93 16 19
Local: Sophie Becquet, Departmental Delegate, 04 92 09 18 91,
Mail: nice@sida-info-service.org
