An HIV/AIDS Act that was created in 2017 has finally been implemented and enacted in India on September 10th. The bill criminalizes any form of discrimination against patients infected with HIV and AIDS. Caroline Maposhere gave us a little glimpse of HIV/AIDS narratives in Zimbabwe and I found it coincidental and interesting that just yesterday another country has made great strides in pushing for HIV/AIDS visibility. The law prohibits employers from discriminating against those infected, prevents discrimination in health care access, and allows for more students living with HIV/AIDS to feel comfortable applying to public and private institutions without fear of getting rejected for their ailment.
The penal system in India has made it so that any “propagation of hatred” against infected persons will result in jail time ranging from three months to two years. Even more promising, the act makes anti-retroviral treatment a right for all those living with HIV/AIDS. The policy adopts a test and treat law which allows those who test positive for free treatment funded by the state and central government.
What’s especially groundbreaking about this is that this opens the door for many groups of people to live comfortably in their own skin. The act empowers individuals to live normal lives and breaks down misconceived notions of being HIV positive. Many of the individuals in India who are infected with HIV come from those of the LGBTQ communnity, making this not only a step towards health visibility, but also queer visibility in progressing societies. This act will hopefully lower the death and infection rates of HIV in India, and embrace acceptance for infected individuals. HIV/AIDS rights are human rights as well, and we all deserve to live a life without stigma and fear for our well-being.
-Noah Magbual
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