HIV disease-related discrimination: A global human rights concern

It is estimated that 30 to 120 million people will have become infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, by the year 2000. Concomitant epidemics of fear and discrimination have accompanied the biological spread of HIV. These epidemics fuel each other: as the pandemic worsens, discrimination rises; conversely, discrimination is believed to hinder public health efforts to slow the spread of the disease. This paper examines the relationship between these epidemics, especially in the area of policies and legislation enacted by governments which unnecessarily infringe on the human rights of people affected by HIV disease. Various coercive policies will be examined in terms of their negative impact on public health, as well as the extent to which they can be considered abusive from a human rights standpoint. This examination aims to further reinforce both human rights and public health arguments against discriminatory HIV-control policies, laws, and practices.