As we celebrate the UDHR anniversary, we also need to take stock to reflect on humanity’s journey on this incredible path of realising human rights for all. In doing so, we must acknowledge that whilst the rhetoric has been on the inalienable rights of all members of the human family, the reality on the ground has been different, often characterised by the violation of rights of sexual minorities and other marginalised groups.
Increasingly, humanity accepts the proposition that a fair, prosperous, secure and sustainable future is not possible if the rights of every person are not recognised in practice and in law. Perhaps no other public health epidemic has tried this assertion as well as the proclamation of “the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family” by the UDHR, as has HIV. HIV is not just a public health matter, it is also a human rights and social justice challenge perpetuated by stigma and discrimination and the failure to guarantee the rights of those most at risk of the disease. As a result, HIV continues to be a major global public health concern, having claimed more than 35 million lives so far. In 2017, 940,000 people died from HIV-related causes globally. There were approximately 37 million people living with HIV at the end of 2017 globally, including 1.8 million people who became newly infected in 2017; [2.World Health Organization (WHO). Geneva: WHO; 2018. HIV/AIDS. ]
