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Rapes, beatings, stabbings and even murder were the most commonly experienced forms of abuse.

HIV-positive women who participated in the qualitative study, conducted in the OR Tambo District, revealed how family members were labelling those living with the virus, calling them “useless”, “careless”, “stupid”, “nobodies” and “prostitutes” who got what they  deserved.

In 57% of the cases, the study found that family members were the main culprits while about 10% of the abuse occurred in healthcare institutions.

Some of the case studies include:

•A young man who raped an HIV-positive woman 'because he wanted to know what it felt like to have Aids';

• An HIV-positive father who raped his daughter because he wanted them to die together;

• In two instances, fathers raped their virgin daughters to be “cured” of their HIV status;

•One father was quoted saying: “I cannot plant a cabbage and then let somebody else harvest it”. And so he raped his daughter;

•A stepfather raped and impregnated his daughter saying it was better if he gave her the virus rather than the “dogs out there”; 

•Women with HIV/Aids have been locked in shacks by families who fear they will shame the family as well as to prevent further transmission;

•A nurse turned away an HIV-positive mother and a child who needed treatment, telling her the child would die in three days anyway;

•A woman was refused anti-retroviral medication by a nurse, telling her to go home and await death; and

•A patient with Aids was slapped by a nurse for wetting her bed.

The study was conducted by the Eastern Cape Aids Council and National Association of  People Living With Aids (Napwa) in four local municipalities: King Sabatha  Dalindyebo, Nyandeni, Ngquza and Mhlontlo, with 174 respondents from both genders. The study was conducted in late 2011.

Nontsikelelo Gcwabe, provincial  co-ordinator for Napwa, attributed this violation of human rights to blatant ignorance.

“Females are extremely vulnerable within this culture as it enforces traditions that do not give women the right to make their own decisions, and this opens up women to exploitation,”  she said.

OR Tambo has high levels of illiteracy and unemployment, and it was  chosen for the study in November last year mostly because it has the second-highest HIV prevalence rate by loss of  life in the Eastern Cape at 14%, with Cacadu District being the highest.

Gcwabe added that stigma, discrimination and denial have been identified as the number one social driver of the HIV epidemic in the district as well as  the province.

Over the past few years there have been high-profile cases of HIV-related human rights violations in the area.

One such case was the publicised incident of Nokuzola Mfiki, who killed herself and her four young children in 2010 because of unbearable stigmatisation by her community.

Dr Siva Pillay, superintendent-general for the Eastern Cape Department of Health, said they were aware of the study and they had a few problems with the manner in which it was conducted and its findings.

He did not specify what exactly were the problems, but added that the issue of HIV/Aids and stigma was more than a health problem – it was a serious  social issue that needed to be tackled by every social institution.

“The responsibility must fall on everybody, from parents to civil organisations and schools, to ensure that  HIV/Aids is taken seriously as a pandemic that is eating away at our  society,” he said.

Vuyisa Dayile, programme manager  for the EC Aids Council, said they received the findings with great concern and plans were already under way for a  six-month campaign against stigmatisation and human rights violations to target social institutions in the district as well as the province.

“We are working in partnership with the private sector, the South African Council of Churches, chiefs, the youth and schools to ensure that we all carry a unified message against such violation,” said Dayile.

Chairperson of the EC Aids Council  Helen Sauls-August called on all influential members of the community with access to public forums, including  politicians, to always speak out against such gross violations.

She added that the council was pushing to ensure that the Labour Relations Act makes it mandatory for every company to have HIV policies.

“Casual talks and jokes about people’s loss of weight or constant illnesses have resulted in people resigning from jobs and alienating themselves from society for fear of judgement and victimisation. We cannot have a situation like this,” said Sauls-August.

Dayile added that there was a clear need to revisit the basic education on HIV/Aids in the province.

The first leg of the stigma and human rights campaign will target the identified main drivers of HIV/Aids infections: stigma, substance abuse, sexual  lifestyles, commercial sex and mobility  as well as ensuring that justice is carried out.

Source: The Daily Dispatch

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Sun May 19 14:25:15 SAST 2013 ::

Jun 14, 2012

tokolosi

when will the educated people from EC go home and really sort of their homes and villages.....people from there need to help their province seriously.......
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Jun 14, 2012

MsKinkyakaKamaSutra

•A young man who rap.ed an HIV-positive woman 'because he wanted to know what it felt like to have Aids';

• An HIV-positive father who ra.ped his daughter because he wanted them to die together;

• In two instances, fathers rap.ed their vir.gin daughters to be “cured” of their HIV status;

•One father was quoted saying: “I cannot plant a cabbage and then let somebody else harvest it”. And so he raped his daughter;

•A stepfather rap.ed and impregnated his daughter saying it was better if he gave her the virus rather than the “do.gs out there”;
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Our men are failing our kids and women..............Mzansi men have lost respect because of savages................

To the reeal men of Mzansi, please do something (miilion men march/whatever) to claim back what these savages have taken from you..............


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Jun 14, 2012

somaartakeit

EC, what can I say.
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Jun 14, 2012

africaCanOvercome

khumbulekhaya
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Jun 14, 2012

bizoro

mnxm i dont buy this sheet, these so called surveys/studies are very much indocrinated. considering that this is one of the most populated regions in RSA to talk to only 174 people and then come and reflect this, and if this is the case did they report those people to the police or it's just one of these NGO's who just keep on bringing nonsense studies to get sympathy so that they can milk money from goverment in the name of awareness campaigns.

anyway if its true then its very sad.
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Jun 14, 2012

2nevvy4u

emaXhoseni hai.
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Jun 14, 2012

bizoro

2nevvy4u
emaXhoseni hai.
.................................
azi kunjani ebelungwini (i ur raining shack)
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Jun 14, 2012

2nevvy4u

ba batye ngo mphokoqo
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Jun 14, 2012

Garfield75

A young man who raped an HIV-positive woman 'because he wanted to know what it felt like to have Aids';
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Nx now that he knows then wht? eish this world is full evil and cruel pple

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Jun 14, 2012

Deredeemed

Too Painful to even comment...Men maan..
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