Human rights abuse of people living with HIV in the Tema metropolis of the greater Accra region of Ghana

Abstract

Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the epidemic of stigma, discrimination and denial have been recognised to fuel the transmission of the disease and have greatly increased the negative impact associated with it. HIV-related stigma, discrimination and denial according to the WHO Global Programme on AIDS continue to be manifest in every country over the world, creating major barriers to preventing further infection, alleviating impact and providing adequate care, support and treatment. It has resultantly silenced open discussion, both of its causes and of appropriate responses. Meanwhile, visibility and openness about AIDS are prerequisites for the successful mobilization of government, communities and individuals to respond to the epidemic. The stigma, discrimination and denial associated with the disease are ostensible violations of the human rights which affect the well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in fundamental ways. The present study, therefore, sought to examine how the human rights of PLWHA were abused. Interviews were held with ten (10) participants in the Tema Municipality of the Greater-Accra Region of Ghana, and thematic content analysis of the qualitative or interview data confirmed clear cases of abuses of human rights of victims. The abuses were in the form of discrimination, stigma, rejection and violation of privacy. For instance, their rights to privacy were violated by health professionals, family members, friends and other close confidants who disclose their status without their consent. Some indicated having been laid off or denied employment as a result of their serostatus, violently ejected from residence by house owners (Landlords) and insulted and shamed in public. Worse of all was the finding that access and distribution of the anti-retroviral drugs were delayed over months and victims had to buy them over-the counter sometimes. Also, the drugs were also suspected to be faked and all these caused fear and panic among the victims. Indeed, these abuses are against the fundamental principles and practices of human rights enshrined in the economic and social rights of the 1992 constitution of Ghana. It is recommended that more intensive public awareness on the HIV/AIDS epidemic be embarked up