HIV and AIDS

The Acquired Immuno - Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic has claimed more than 3 million lives and an estimated 5 million people have acquired the human immuno -deficiency virus (HIV) in 2002—bringing the number of people globally living with the virus to 42 million (with women accounting for 50 percent of adults living with HIV/AIDS worldwide). South and Southeast Asia accounted for 6 million, the second highest number globally after sub-Saharan Africa . HIV has become a global crisis challenging the humanity of our time. The crisis is projected to set worse with risk of it turning into a catastrophe. HIV and AIDS is the fourth largest cause of death globally and a leading cause of death in many developing countries. Still rapidly growing, the epidemic is reversing development trends, taking away millions of lives, widening the gap between the rich and the poor, and leaving thousands of young children orphaned. The HIV and AIDS epidemic has transcended geographical, gender, racial, ethnic as well as economic barriers and a major chunk of those with HIV and AIDS are living in developing countries. Lack of education, poverty, political unwillingness, conflict, gender discrimination, migration, trafficking, intravenous drug use, sexual abuse are the major factors attributable to such high proportion of the disease in the developing countries. With increasing globalization, migration, trafficking within and across the country, child labor, injecting drug users, innocent housewives, and the HIV and AIDS rate will only go up.

FWLD supported by Action Aid Nepal conducted a study " Intersection of two current Pandemics: VAW and HIV and AIDS " on March 2007 and the interviews took place in Kathmandu , Makwanpur, Nepalganj and Dharan respectively. The main objectives of the study were to study the intersections between the two current pandemics: VAW and HIV and AIDS and to analyze the existing laws, policies and programmes in accordance with the international guidelines and standards of human rights principles. The study included three inter-related components: Policy analysis, documentation of current intervention and community based study. The study revealed some of the causes of HIV and AIDS are poverty, illiteracy, political unwillingness, unrest conflict, gender discrimination, trafficking within and across the country and migration. The accounts in this report revealed that Nepalese women are becoming infected with HIV, and will eventually die of AIDS, because the state is failing to protect them from domestic violence. Domestic violence is a global phenomenon, and one of the leading causes of female injuries in almost every country in the world. For many women in Nepal , as in much of the world, domestic violence is not an isolated and aberrant act, but arises from and forms part of the context of their lives. Many women were victims of marital rape. Women were also powerless to protect themselves from infection and were unable to access HIV and aid services because their husband physically attacked, threatened, and intimidated them and did so with impunity.

FWLD conducted another study “ HIV&AIDS and Human Rights: A Legislative Audit ” with the support of POLICY Project/Nepal from June 16–20, 2003 and the main objectives of the study were to audit the existing laws, policies, and executive orders of Nepal in accordance with the International Guidelines on HIV and AIDS and Human Rights and to highlight the implementation of laws and policies in practice. The launching of the study was held on March 31, 2004 .

Read HIV and AIDS Audit Report  (in pdf)

Please Contact us should you be interested to read:

• Mapping Exercise of Policies, Ethics, Laws and Judicial Pronouncements on HIV and AIDS, August 2001
• HIV and AIDS (Prevention, Control and Treatment) Bill/Ordinance, 2062
• Draft of Proposed Amendment Proposals on Existing Laws from HIV and AIDS and Human Rights Perspective