Photo of South Sudanese women during cultural activity | Credit | Pashoda.org

“Discrimination of women and girls in all aspects of life in South Sudan is a human rights violation. It prevalent and remain a huge barrier for our mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters to access comprehensive, quality and timely health services. Particularly the HIV/AIDS, sexual reproductive health and GVB services,” said the Deputy Chairperson for the Network of AIDS Service Organization, Zabib Musa during a commemoration of Zero Discrimination Day in South Sudan.

South Sudan marked the annual commemoration of “The Zero Discrimination Day” in 2020 under the theme: “Challenge all forms of discrimination facing women and girls in South Sudan.”

In 2018, UN AIDS said over 190,000 people were living with HIV in South Sudan.

In March, South Sudan marked the global Zero Discrimination Day to challenge discrimination faced by people living with HIV/AIDS and to raise awareness to promote equality and empowerment for women and girls.

Due to widespread discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS globally, the UN program on HIV/AIDS in 2014 set March 1 as a day to mark Zero discrimination.

Some people living with HIV/AIDS in South Sudan said they are concerned about the increase of discrimination against them, especially women and girls living with the virus stated that they have been neglected by their families.

Others said stigma and discrimination are contributing to the spread of HIV in the country.

A 55-year-old Gumbo resident, who tested HIV positive two years ago, said she has lost her job and was evicted from her family house after disclosing her status.

“My family abandoned me and sent me away from home. Right now I don’t have a home. Even at my workplace, they also terminated my contract claiming I am going to infect all the people with HIV,” she said.

“Another person told me that, if there is a law that legalizes the burning of people living with HIV with fire, they could burn me.”

“I’m in a problem, I don’t have a bed to sleep on, I am sleeping on the floor, no food, no children everybody has abandoned me. My only daughter who was also HIV positive was killed.”

In December 2013, the UN AIDS Program Coordinating Board encouraged UN AIDS to support country- and region-led efforts to establish new targets for HIV treatment scale-up beyond 2015.

It projected that, by 2020, the majority of the people living with HIV will know their HIV status and by this year, most of them diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained anti-retroviral therapy.

But a 27 year – old mother of 2 who preferred to be identified only as Margret says, South Sudan cannot achieve zero new infections unless if discrimination is addressed.

“We cannot achieve zero infection because there are discrimination and stigma,” she said.

“If discrimination and stigma are stopped, those people who are on treatment will not be able to spread the virus because they will disclose their status to people. If discrimination continues, people will hide and claim that I am negative.”

“This issue of finger-pointing or calling women that these are HIV mothers is not good because we are promoting stigma.”

Despite efforts to raise awareness among the civil population, discrimination and stigma towards people living with HIV remain rampant in South Sudan.

However, Dr. Achol Ayom Dor, the deputy Chairperson of South Sudan HIV/AIDS Commission believes that ignorance remains the major cause of discrimination in South Sudan.

“HIV is treatable, if you continue to stay on treatment, you will be healthy. It is ignorance that is making us discriminate against people living with the virus,” said Dr. Achol.

“It is ignorance that will make you say I cannot greet you because you are HIV positive. I can’t eat or sleep together with you because you are HIV positive and so many things. We are doing it because we don’t know the cause of HIV.”

According to the World Health Organization, you can only get HIV by coming into direct contact with body fluids from a person with HIV. These include through blood contact, Semen as well as Breast milk.

For transmission to occur, HIV in these fluids must get into the bloodstream of an HIV-negative person.

Eye Radio spoke to the Deputy Chairperson for the Network of AIDS Service Organization, Zabib Musa who called for a joint effort to challenge any forms of discrimination against women and girls with HIV/AIDS.

The Network of AIDS Service Organization is a coalition of over 90 Civil Society Organizations in South Sudan working on the HIV/AIDS sector.

Madam Zabib stated that these practices violate the rights of people living with the virus to access health services in the country.

“NASOSS and members are here to challenge all forms of discrimination faced by South Sudanese women and girls in our families, communities, health facilities, and workplaces and to raise awareness and mobilize actions to promote equality and empowerment for women and girls,” Zabib said.

For her part, Victoria Anida, a Counselor working with the Network of Positive Women United – encouraged South Sudanese to live in harmony with people living with the virus.

She believes that this can help them to stay healthy and strong at all times.

“We have lost many people in South Sudan because of discrimination and stigma. If we are the people who have a love for our community or towards people living with the virus, we could not lose those people,” Anida said.

“I want to encourage all South Sudanese to understand and know how to live peacefully with the people living with HIV because these people are important to us.”

“If we lost one of them, you who is discriminating will you be able to take the responsibilities of their children, wife or the husbands?

“I want us to encourage those who are living with the virus to continue with their treatment so that they can live longer, strong and will be able to take care of their children.”