Chase the virus, not people!
The COVID-19 pandemic has identified a new development vector not only for healthcare, but for all aspects of the civil society. Throughout the pandemic, violations of human rights, especially the right to health, have been observed daily, highlighting the features that are common to problems related to both COVID-19 and the HIV infection.
From the beginning of May to the end of August of 2020, the Estonian network of PLHIV takes part in the campaign “Chase the virus, not people!” with the support of Robert Carr Fund for civil society Networks. The main goal of the project is to highlight the problems of people living with HIV related to stigma, discrimination and violation of their rights.
The project includes events dedicated to the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day in Tallinn, Jõhvi and Narva. Also, a video about the problems of the PLHIV in Estonia will be created as a result of the project.
The campaign “Chase the virus, not people!” was launched at the international AIDS2018 conference in Amsterdam to attract the attention of the world community to stigma and discrimination against key populations as the main barrier to an effective HIV response in the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.