Some AIDS advocates in Thailand say that the country’s efforts to stem drug use are hindering efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, Thailand’s The Nation reports (nationmultimedia.com, 4/22).
According to the article, activists report that Thailand’s last effort to eradicate drugs in 2003 resulted in extreme human rights violations and disruptions in drug users’ access to services such as HIV treatment, counseling and HIV prevention information.
“While the government has said that they will respect human rights, they have proven that they cannot be trusted without creating a detailed plan of exactly how they will protect drug users,” said Amanda Lugg, a board member of global advocacy group Health GAP.
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Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
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Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I think that it's OK to be angry. I am sometimes—it's natural—we are HIV positive. but I always try to not let myself stay there too long. Let yourself feel you are human. You should not beat yourself up about being angry."
